Call for Participation (funded project intervention)

About us:

Swisscontact is the business-oriented independent foundation for international development cooperation. Represented in 36 countries with over 1,100 employees, Swisscontact promotes since 1959 economic, social and environmental development.

The project:

The overall goal of the project is to improve the livelihood of the youth by increasing their skills and access to the labour market. To reach this goal, the project works with the “Coaching for Employment” methodology: an innovative concept for the labour market insertion of vulnerable groups, developed by Swisscontact in Albania: Coaches employed by project partners identify potential unemployed participants from the communities, and organize them in groups of about 10 participants. The coaches accompany the beneficiaries on their respective path into employment or self-employment. On this path beneficiaries might do short and/or long internship periods in private companies, they might attend vocational courses, they might fill gaps in general education, they might implement community projects, they might acquire life skills, they might develop business plans, etc.

What are we looking for?

Swisscontact is looking for an implementing partner, who is interested in selecting and sending 4 employees to take part in:

1. 1. Capacity building activities: four employees of the partner organisation will engage in the capacity building activities organized and implemented by Swisscontact. These activities aim to increase the professional capacities of the employees of the partner organisation, offer training of coaches, follow up the activity progress and improve the exchange between coaches of different NGOs, to accompany vulnerable youth in their labour market insertion process.

Furthermore, the partner organisation supports their employees (coaches) in selecting 52 project participants to start participating in the project mid-January 2020.

1. 1. Implementation of the coaching cycle processes: Based on the skills gained during the training of coaches and experience of NGO, the employees (the coaches) of the partner organisation will continue to work with unemployed young individuals to support the development of their self, social, methodological and occupational competences and empower them to successfully enter the world of work. These individuals are referred to as project participants. 

The training of the coaches is be given by Master-Trainers of the University of Lucerne of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU) and Swisscontact Albania. It starts on January the 13^th and ends in November 2020 with the possibility for the coaches to take an exam for a Certificate of Advanced Studies, issued by the HSLU. The coaches have to participate in 5 training blocks, throughout the year 2020 (appr. 30 days on site). The trainings are held in Tripoli (Mina).

The selection criteria for the coaches are: interested to work with young people from the target groups / background that includes experiences working with young people / time resources to implement a coaching cycle and attend the training (ca. 20 hours per week implementing the coaching cycle) / gender balanced group of coaches

The selection criteria for the project participants are: 18-35 years old / men and women / basic reading and writing skills / motivated and with the time resources to follow a 9-12 months process / willingness to cooperate in a group / need for coaching to enter the labor market / motivation to work on functional skills

Swisscontact is covering the direct implementation costs: training costs, salary of 4 coaches (50% Full Time Equivalent), training & development costs participants & extra costs

Project duration: January – December 2020

Target area: Beirut