Consultancy to conduct a tracer study for graduates from AICS funded projects in 2018

Background:

A bilateral agreement was signed between the ILO- and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) to support the implementation of the project 'Improved access to employment opportunities for Lebanese and refugee graduates from skills training in Lebanon’ in 2019. The project will build the capacity of relevant government agencies, education and training institutions, NGOs, trainees/learners, workers and employers with a particular focus to enhance the market-relevance and effectiveness of the skills training systems with the following two interrelated outputs:

a. Output 1. Improved institutional capacities for the provision of post-training services for Lebanese and refugee graduates from accelerated skills training.
b. Output 2: Improved institutional capacities for the design of market-based training for Lebanese and refugees.

Under output 2, the project will conduct a tracer study on the graduates from skills training programmes funded by an earlier phase of AICS support in 2018. In total, 1525 Lebanese and refugees attended ASTPs through six local NGOs supported by AICS: 985 Lebanese, 521 Syrians, and 19 from other nationalities trained.

Objective:

The objective of this assignment is to conduct a tracer study of the graduates from the accelerated skills training programme supported by AICS in 2018.
The tracer study will:
a) Measure the employment outcomes of the trainees;
b) Assess the degree to which trainees received the skills required by the jobs they secured after the training;
c) Identify potential issues graduates experienced when seeking employment and the reasons why some graduates (if any) could not secure employment. This will include an overview of the social and economic barriers facing graduates – especially women, persons with disabilities, and refugees – in securing employment, and provision of recommendations for improvement;
d) Assess graduates’ current work conditions from a Decent Work perspective;
e) Provide reliable recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the ASTPs in terms of training models, occupations in focus, and post-training services.

The results of the tracer study will:

a) Guide vocational training providers to improve the quality and market relevance of the skills training they are providing, including through the design of new skills training courses based on trends identified in the market;
b) Support AICS assess the employment impact of the skills training projects implemented with its funding in 2018;
c) Contribute to the ILO’s assessment of the impact of its past technical assistance to skills training providers, and support the design of upcoming capacity building programmes, including the ILO Skills Academy for Lebanon.

Main tasks and activities:

In close coordination with ILO project team, the consulting firm should provide the following services:

• Reviewing the tracer study methodology developed by ILO in ILO-CEDEFOP- ETF manual1, and develop a detailed methodology;
• Updating the study questionnaire ;
• Updating graduates’ addresses database;
• Producing the result outcome tables;
• Preparing a sample of graduates. The sample size surveyed will be 500 graduates.
• Conducting a pilot testing of the questionnaire;
• Collecting data (filling questionnaires) with a phone-based method appropriate to the current COVID-19 affected context;
• Cleaning and quality checking of the collected data;
• Data entry and management;
• Data analysing and writing the report;
• Reporting to ILO