PSD Lead - Skills For Prosperity at Palladium Group

Project Overview and Role

• Global Prosperity Fund’s ‘Skills for Prosperity’ is a £75m DFID programme, which seeks to improve the cost-effectiveness, access, quality, relevance and equity of skills through innovative approaches in 9 Middle-Income Countries around the world, including Nigeria.  
• In Nigeria, the Skills for Prosperity (S4P) country programme will work in six targeted states to:
• Improve access to quality Higher Education and TVET for youth and young women, with a focus on improving access to and the quality of apprenticeships, and supporting training institutions to deliver demand-driven, competency-based training,
• Strengthen education-to-employment linkages, and
• Build the capacity of training institutions to improve outcomes for vulnerable women and people with disabilities.
• Apprenticeships, training, and capacity building interventions will focus on identified high growth sectors of the economy (Agriculture/Agribusiness/agro-allied industries; Creative and Entertainment and Information and Communications Technology sectors).
• S4P aims to directly benefit 6,000 youth and women in targeted states of Kano, Kaduna, Enugu, Edo, Benue and Lagos.
• We are looking for talented individuals with a relevant track record, and interest or experience in the private sector and skills training. Most of all we are looking for team members with the drive to tackle new and complex challenges and work with us to learn, adapt and deliver sustainable benefits for Nigeria.
• As well as a competitive salary, bonus and benefits, we are an outgoing, creative, and supportive team and offer a personally and professional rewarding environment above all.

Scope of Work:

• Manage ‘Relevance’ component of the programme, responsible for developing institutional framework and programmes for the active participation of organised private sector in skills development and school-to-work transition.
• Lead on the improvement of job placements, apprenticeships and sector skills councils
• Drive the creation of partnerships between private, public and non-governmental actors, including attracting and incentivising the private sector to invest in traineeship, internship and apprenticeship programmes
• Design and lead access to finance and market interventions
• Develop products and campaigns to promote private sector-led Technical and Vocational Skills Development (TVSD)
• Work closely with the Skills Lead in leveraging private sector to bridge skills gap, ensuring skills training is demand-driven and of sufficient quality to meet industry requirements
• Work closely with the Equity Lead to ensure all market development interventions are socially and gender inclusive

Required Qualifications

• Deep understanding of local labour market economics across Nigeria and in the target states specifically
• Understands local labour market economics leveraging local economic development through cluster approach supported by Business Development Services, mentorship, Access to Finance and Access to Markets to catalyse the informal sector and enable it for skills development
• Highly experienced and extremely well-connected across public and private sector TVET providers, and organised private sector associations, especially for job placements and apprenticeship spaces and sector skills councils
• Previous experience working with private business actors across value chains of the three target sectors: Agriculture/Agribusiness/Agro-allied; Creative and Entertainment; and Information and Communications Technology
• Entrepreneurial mindset and approach
• Outstanding relationship-building and communication skills