Recruitment of a National Consultant to Support the Adaptation of the Job Search Clubs Manuals to the Lebanese Context

ILO PROSPECTS is developing and implementing in phase II a roll-out of "job search clubs" for refugees and host communities, young women and men in Lebanon, as part of its broader efforts to support career guidance and facilitate transition to employment

The objective of the Job Search Club is to enable job seekers to find a suitable job within the shortest feasible time by creating supportive groups of individuals who share the same need while receiving intensive coaching on job search related skills. Club members meet daily for two weeks (10 working days) or until they find a job, under the supervision of a trained facilitator who provides them with the guidance, information and tools they need during their search for employment. In addition, members assist one another to enhance their job-hunting skills, providing a peer-to-peer learning and mutual support and encouragement. Ideally, a new Club is started each month.

Following an initial assessment of their personal interests, skills and occupational goals, the members learn and practice various skills such as telephone and interview skills, dealing with potentially stressful situations, gathering job leads from various sources; conducting information interviews with practitioners of the occupation that interests them, discovering the "hidden job market"; filling out applications; writing CVs; making telephone contacts; and handling oneself effectively in a job interview. In addition to the regular group meetings, members also receive one-to-one coaching with the facilitator.

JSCs have proven successful in many countries in Europe, Canada, the US, Argentina and Central Asian countries, Algeria, and Egypt. The JSC uses a specific methodology that activates and engages youth in job search activities during the Club, coaches them to reach out to the hidden job market and creates a support group and network that fosters successful job hunting.

In Egypt, the ILO has been implementing JSCs for many years within the framework of its youth employment programs. Under these programs, the JSCs have provided an enabling environment for young people to gather and share resources and contacts, while searching for jobs in their various fields under the supervision of trained facilitators. Building on the experience in Egypt and taking into account the local contexts, the ILO PROSPECTS has been implementing it in Jordan and Iraq since 2022 and early 2024, respectively.

In Lebanon, the compounded economic and financial crises that the country has been witnessing since 2019, which came over and above the Syrian refugee crisis, has resulted in increased levels of poverty, vulnerabilities and unemployment amongst Lebanese and Syrian refugees. The unemployment rate has surged to 29.6% in 2023 and youth unemployment reached an alarming 47.8%. This dire situation has led to a sharp increase in the number of young people not in employment, education, or training (NEET).

Against this backdrop, ILO PROSPECTS has integrated career guidance within UNHCR community development centers to support over 500 Lebanese and Syrian refugees through referrals and apprenticeship opportunities. As such and based on consultations with PROSPECTS partners and local institutions, it became evident that rolling out of JSCs is a strategic response to the rising demand for targeted interventions that equip young people, particularly the more vulnerable ones with the necessary skills to navigate Lebanon's challenging and evolving job market. ILO PROSPECTS is planning under phase 2 to roll out the JSC in Lebanon, building on the quite mature experience in Egypt and Jordan and the more nascent experience in Iraq.

The Job Search Club Methodology:

The Job Club was first conceived as a behaviorally oriented, client-responsible model of job search and placement (Azrin et al., 1975). The Job Club approach is based on two main hypotheses: (1) that job seekers can function independently and effectively in their own job search; and (2) that finding employment is in itself a full-time job, which is easier done with a group of people.

The Job Club methodology has since been updated to include more recent job search strategies incorporating the latest information and communication (ICT) technologies and other innovations such as social media mechanisms in job finding. The latest revised version of a Job Club was developed in 2022 in Jordan.

Job Clubs are intended for members who lack adequate job search skills or the ability to market themselves to employers. Job Clubs, compared to other job search trainings that commonly last between one hour and two days, are more intensive and aim to activate particularly disadvantaged jobseekers. This usually includes long-term unemployed and young people facing specific challenges to enter the labour market.

Objective

The assignment objective is to support the lead consultant in adapting the developed JSC facilitators’ manual to the Lebanese context.

Assignment Key Activities

This assignment will include the following key activities:

1. Prepare and submit an inception report including the support plan to the lead consultant and suggested dates based on discussions with the lead consultant.
2. Review the current JSC facilitators’ manual (EN/AR) developed by the ILO.
3. Coordinate with the lead consultant on the support plan and in-country meetings required.
4. Conduct in person meetings, desk review and focus group discussions with stakeholders to formulate and gather the needed data to adapt the material.
5. Support to deliver a validation workshop on the adapted manuals, in person or virtually. The validation workshop will target participants of implementing partner NGOs as well as partner UN organizations, such as UNICEF and UNHCR, and government institutions and ministries such as DGVTE, MEHE, MoY

Eligibility

To be considered as an eligible candidate, the national consultant should have the following qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in social sciences  or related fields.
• At least 5 years of experience in the field of labour, employment, career counselling and/or TVET.
• Proven previous experience in a similar assignments.
• Good understanding of the current context of multiple crises in Lebanon, particularly contexts of vulnerable host communities and Syrian refugees.
• Excellent reporting skills.
• Strong communication and inter-personal skills.
• Fluency in written English and Arabic.
• The consultant is expected to visit the different governorates of Lebanon; have a good understanding of the context of the different areas and local cultures & traditions.
• The consultant should make him/herself available to collaborate with project partners when needed/requested.