Call for EOI short-term expert assignment- Development of Competency-based Curricula in Agrofood PN-18.2208.9-002.00 QuA-VET

I. General information

1. Brief Information on the Project

The Multi-Donor Action “Improving the Quality and Attractiveness of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Lebanon for poor and vulnerable social groups” is jointly co-financed by the European Union and the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The joint action is implemented by GIZ as a specific Action within the wider BMZ project “Improving the Quality and Attractiveness of TVET in Lebanon (QuA-VET).” The aim of the action is to orient the vocational training towards the qualification needs of the labour market in sectors with sustainable employment potentials, therefore improving the employment capacities for poor and vulnerable social groups living in Lebanon. The implementing partner, the Directorate General for Vocational and Technical Education (DGVTE), requires further support in involving the private sector in vocational education and training. Thus, the project’s emphasis is placed on improving the partnership between vocational training institutions and the private sector. This includes developing modularized and practice-oriented training programs in selected sectors, digitalizing e-learning lessons for the technical theoretical subjects of the promoted TVET programs and general subjects and enhancing the quality of in-company training for employees and work-based learning for vulnerable individuals. The target groups of the project are vulnerable youth and young adults (aged 15-35), including Syrian and Palestinian refugees, individuals from hosting communities, TVET Lebanese students, unemployed or underemployed individuals (aged 17 to 35), and employees in Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) seeking to improve their employment prospects through relevant qualifications.

2. Context

Background  – The Baccalaureate Technique (BT) Curriculum

The agrofood sector plays a pivotal role in the Lebanese economy, combining agriculture with food production to meet the demands of a growing population. In line with current employment trends, the sector is rapidly evolving, driven by sustainability, innovation, and digitalization. As consumer preferences shift towards healthier, organic, and sustainably produced food, new career opportunities are emerging in areas such as food technology, supply chain management, and quality assurance. The agrofood sector remains a dynamic industry, offering diverse career paths that are increasingly aligned with modern workforce trends.

 Some of the  public technical schools offer BT programs related to the agrofood sector, particularly in the “Hospitality - Food Production” field. These programs, along with others, have seen significant development through EU's VTE4ALL  project, which introduced Competency-Based Training (CBT) modules in key areas such as dairy production, food preparation, packaging, export, safety, and social media marketing. These modernized CBTs, which are practice-oriented approaches, aim to enhance  the existing curricula, reflecting the broader scope of the agrofood industry.

Currently, the BT “Hospitality Food Production” program includes around 240 hours of Travaux Pratique (TP) annually, averaging approximately 6 hours per week. However, the program’s effectiveness varies, as some schools are equipped with modern kitchens and hospitality labs, while others lack such facilities, leading to inconsistent practical training. In such cases, students often rely on external internships at nearby hotels and restaurants to gain essential experience during their two-month internship per academic year.  This approach, while valuable, may require updating to better align with current industry standards and practices, especially as new trends emerge. As Lebanon increasingly depends on locally grown products, there is a heightened emphasis on training students in sustainable practices and the use of local ingredients, which are becoming more integral to the agrofood sector.

Therefore, by aligning the TP sessions with CBT modules, the curriculum ensures that students acquire practical, industry-relevant skills in a structured, competency-driven environment. These TP sessions, which are rooted in the principles of CBT, are conducted in school workshops, where students actively engage with tools and techniques directly applicable to their future careers.

Modernizing the curriculum is crucial to ensure it meets the evolving needs of the Agrofood industry. Once updated, the curriculum will allow educators to provide higher-quality training, increase flexibility for site visits and collaborations with industry stakeholders, and allow short-term CBT modules to cover more subjects as part of continuous education. These enhancements are essential to facilitating the transition of TVET students to the professional Agrofood sector and ensuring that their training remains relevant in a rapidly changing field.

Background – The Curriculum of a Competency Based Training (CBT) Module

A CBT module is a short-term course with 40 hours in the workshop in a school where the trainees practice the use of tools and materials typical of the occupation, the curriculum adopted is the same of the corresponding TP. At the end of this in-school training a formative assessment is carried out to issue a DGVTE certificate. Trainees will attend 80 hours of on-the-job training in a working site where they can practice in a working environment the skills acquired in the previous part of the course. At the completion of the experience in the workplace trainees’ skills are assessed by a third-party assessor who issues an internationally known professional certificate.

The curriculum of a CBT module is composed of the following documents:

Occupational standard:       A4 page describing synthetically the processes to be carried out by the job holder.

Competence standard:        A4 page defining learning outcomes grouped in competence unit (indicatively 4 Competence Units (CUs) per CBT module).

Assessment standard:         A definition of the conditions and the criteria for the assessment of the learning outcomes of each Competence Unit included in the qualification standard. The certification of competences is provided on the base of the verification of the criteria stated in the standard by an external professional assessor.

Education standard: The document describing synthetically the topics covered in each classroom lesson (if any) and the practical activities in the workshop and in the workplace (internship) carried out by the trainee with the timing planned for each of them.

Training standard:                The training standard is a guidance for the teacher and the trainer to deliver the lessons. The training standard includes, the guideline, the list of tools and materials, the formative assessment and the summative assessment related to each competence unit.

Training guideline:               The training guideline is defining the topics covered in the lessons with some description for each topic and at the same time set the working procedure that are in line with best practice that should be implemented during the training program. The training guideline includes the links to tutorial videos (at least two) that were used for the development of the guideline.

Tools and materials: An indicative list of tools and materials to be purchased for each Competence Unit to conduct the CBT training with a brief description and picture of the items, the quantities required per trainee, workshop, or CBT module edition, along with any further comments.

Formative assessment:        A definition of the conditions and the criteria for the assessment of each learning outcome of each Competence Unit included in the competence standard for improving the performances of the trainees.

Summative assessment:      A definition of the conditions and the criteria for the assessment of each learning outcome of each Competence Unit included in the competence standard to provide the trainees with the certification of competences on the base of the verification of the criteria by an external professional assessor.

3. Outline of the Mission

To assure a consistent level of quality of the content, as a precondition the expert will get familiarized with the methodology and process to develop his/her own CBT modules in the frame of a Training of Developers (ToD), which is not remunerated, but free of charge and mandatory.

Before attending the ToD course, potential candidates must successfully complete the e-course “Developing a CBT curriculum” as a prerequisite to be admitted to the ToD course. Applicants will be provided with the link to the e-course with a continuous support from the QuA-VET project team.

The ToD course will be conducted in distance learning modality (online), approximately 6 live sessions of 3 hours each in 3 consecutive weeks (in the afternoons). The Expert should also consider at least 3 more hours each session  to complete the assignments given during the session that will be revised during the following session to provide feedback for improvement.

After the completion of the last session, the attendees will be assigned to develop one complete Competence Unit representing indicatively 20-25% of a complete CBT module curriculum.

The selection of the curriculum developers will be based on the results and outputs of a “Training of Developer” (ToD).

Each attendee's performance will be evaluated based on project quality criteria. The most qualified participants who successfully complete the assignment within the ToD framework will subsequently have the possibility to be contracted as short-term experts to develop the CBT modular curricula of the BT program “Hospitality Food Production, or any other relevant field.”

Outputs/Results:

• Successful completion of the e-course “Developing a CBT curriculum”
• 100% attendance of ToD course
• 100% fulfilment of the assignments required as part of the course
• Participants of the ToD will receive a compensation of 120$for:

Development of 1 Competence Unit of a CBT module within 7 days from the last session of the ToD course following the standards presented during the ToD course containing

• Occupational
• Qualification
• Assessment
• Education
• Training standards (about 15 pages) related to the selected competence unit drafted in English according to the template provided and following the example given

II. Tender Requirements

1. Qualifications of Proposed Expert

Education

• University degree at least at bachelor level in Agriculture, Agribusiness, Agricultural Science, Nutrition and Food Science or any other related field, with 3 additional years of working or teaching experience in Hospitality Food Production or
• TS degree in Hospitality Management or Agriculture or equivalent in a similar discipline with 5 additional years of working or teaching experience in Hospitality Food Production or
• BT degree in Hospitality Management or equivalent in a similar discipline with 10 additional years of working or teaching experience in Hospitality Food Production

Professional Experience:

• Proven extensive experience in the development of training materials and documentation  (preferred requirement)
• Excellent writing and editing skills
• At least 2 years' experience in writing/ following working procedures in the Agrofood, Agricultural Science or equivalent in a similar discipline (preferred requirement)
• Proficient in use of MS Office (PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Outlook)

Experience in the region/knowledge of the country

• At least 3 years working experience in Lebanon (minimum requirement)

Language skills:

• Business fluency in English and Arabic

Conditions and Requirements:

• Availability of a PC or laptop with Office applications and stable internet access
• Motivation to spend many hours in front of a computer screen
• Only selected participants that will deliver successfully all the outputs as stated above following the ToD will be contracted as short-term experts for curriculum development