Retendering - GIZ, QuA-Vet Project is looking for Senior Short-Term Expert (STE) for Surveying and Benchmarking In-Company Training Practices in Lebanon, cosoft 83480490, PN#18.2208.9-002.00

Mission

This mission aims to develop a comprehensive framework for In-Company Training – for employees – in Lebanon by identifying existing gaps, leveraging best practices, and creating recommendations tailored to the local context. At its foundation is an extensive phase of desk research and benchmarking to analyse In-Company Training practices in Lebanon, neighbouring countries, and internationally recognized models, followed by a survey of 30 – 40 companies in Lebanon. This mission will serve as a basis for designing effective In-Company Training Instruments that reflect both global standards and Lebanon’s unique needs.

As In-Company Training and WBL are closely interconnected processes, the mission will strategically coordinate with an STE leading a parallel WBL survey, enabling alignment between In-Company Training structures and the needs of WBL programs. This collaboration will help establish selection criteria that foster meaningful partnerships between companies and TVET institutions, ensuring that companies are prepared to provide quality training experiences to students with limited workplace experience.

Finally, to ensure continuity and lasting impact, all findings, insights, and best practices will be transferred to an expert who will finalize the development of the In-Company Training Instruments. This expert will build on the mission's groundwork to identify 20 pilot companies and oversee the implementation phase, bridging the gap from planning to practical application and supporting the long-term sustainability of In-Company Training in Lebanon.

Services and Deliverables

1.Conduct desk research and benchmarking on adopted practices in Lebanon, neighbouring countries, and countries representing the best practices for In-Company Training to determine the gaps and best practices

The STE will: Submit a structured report summarizing the research methodology, key findings, identified gaps, benchmarking comparisons, and recommendations, supported by relevant visuals such as charts and tables for clarity.

2.  According to the results of the desk research, prepare and submit to the project team for revision and approval: 1) an In-Company Training survey draft, along with 2) an outreach & selection strategy for up to 30 – 40 companies in Lebanon who will be taking part in the approved survey.

The STE will:

Draft an initial survey draft tailored to Lebanon’s In-Company Training context and the project’s objectives for approval by the project team.

Prepare and submit the companies outreach strategy to the project team for review and approval.

Submit the updated survey and outreach strategy following the project team review and approval.

Provide the final approved version of the survey and outreach strategy.

Once approved by the project team, the survey will undergo a field test through interviews with a subsample of businesses to be further revised based on the findings of the test survey.

3. Outreach to up to 30 – 40 companies in Lebanon to ensure willingness and eligibility to participate in the approved In-Company Training survey.

The STE will:  

Implement a targeted outreach strategy to engage 30–40 companies, ensuring alignment with the selection criteria.

Maintain a comprehensive log of outreach activities and share with the project team a final list of participating companies.

Address any risks or challenges during the outreach process and ensure the selected companies are prepared for the survey.

To ensure the survey yields reliable and relevant results, the following steps for selecting companies are advised:

Develop and coordinate an outreach strategy.

Execute outreach activities.

Monitor and document outreach efforts.

Confirm and finalize companies’ participation.

Address risks and ensure flexibility.

 4. Conduct the approved survey on In-Company Training for employees, to identify gaps, best practices, and incentives, to issue recommendations for designing In-Company Training Instruments.

The STE will:

Develop a detailed survey implementation plan and share it with the project team.

Conduct the approved survey using the agreed methodology.

Share the track of the survey responses.

Submit a final table addressing the end survey’s status.

The survey should adhere to the following basic criteria to ensure it provides meaningful and actionable insights:

Cover companies across all regions of Lebanon.

Include only legally registered MSMEs.

Focus on companies in the Agrifood and IoT sectors.

Target enterprises within 20 km distance from TVET schools listed in the annex.

Include companies with diverse workforces (gender, age, educational background, and employee levels).

Cover all necessary dimensions of In-Company Training, including strategic, operational, and performance-related factors.

Favor companies with demonstrated commitment to employee development (e.g., HR policies, training budgets, and resources).

Favor on companies collaborating with educational/training institutions or involved in SABs or development organizations (e.g., GIZ, ILO).

Ensure the survey time is concise and takes no more than 20 minutes to complete.

5.  Submit a report (after analysis of raw data with project team) including incentives, gaps & best practices of In-Company Training in Lebanon, along with recommendations to design instruments and preliminary incentive schemes for companies.

The STE will:

Analyse data and generate insights.

Draft and submit a clear outline of the report structure for approval by the project team ensuring the structure aligns with project objectives and deliverables.

Draft the report and submit it for revision and approval by project team.

Incorporate feedback and submit the final report.

Prepare a presentation of the key findings and participate in the meetings with stakeholders to present findings and support in the discussion.

The report shall include, but not be limited to:

a comprehensive analysis of gaps & best practices,

clearly outlined recommendations with practical implementation steps,

preliminary incentive schemes with feasibility to encourage companies’ participation in the programs.

benchmarking comparison areas, highlighting key differences and areas of improvement

a clear structure with visual aids (e.g. relevant charts, graphs, case studies, etc.)

6.  Develop and submit (in close coordination with the expert conducting the parallel WBL survey) comprehensive selection criteria to identify suitable piloting companies and facilitate their matchmaking with TVET schools, ensuring alignment with project objectives and In-Company Training & WBL goals.

                The STE will:

Participate in an initial meeting with the project team and the expert conducting the parallel WBL survey to align on objectives for selecting pilot companies and understand the expectations for coordination and collaboration.

Review and analyse the list of surveyed companies.

Draft initial selection criteria of piloted companies.

Collaborate with WBL expert to ensure alignment with findings and discuss overlaps and complementarities.

Submit companies’ selection criteria for revision.

Submit the final version of the selection criteria, along with recommendations for the 20 piloting companies.

7.  Coordinate and transfer knowledge to the expert who will be later designing the In-Company Training instruments to finalize the selection of 20 piloting companies.

The STE will:

Prepare all necessary materials for a comprehensive knowledge transfer with the expert who will be designing the instruments.

Participate in the conduct of interactive coordination sessions and transfer knowledge to the expert who will design the instruments.

Submit a comprehensive report documenting the process and outcomes.

Additional considerations:

Administer the survey to key stakeholders within the companies (HR managers, training coordinators, department heads).

Use a combination of quantitative and qualitative questions to capture both measurable data and detailed feedback.

Keep it concise, with a completion time of no more than 20 minutes.

Deliver all produced documents in hard copy and in digital form using exclusively MS-Office applications and in a format agreed upon (PDF, Editable word documents, excel spreadsheets, PPT)

Provide URLs or document titles for online references.

To ensure effective design, implementation, analysis, and extraction of results and conclusions, the above should be carried out in close coordination and regular communication with GIZ team and the expert who is conducting a parallel WBL survey (online and face-to-face meetings, emails, brainstorming sessions, document approvals, etc.).