Skills Lead - Skills for Prosperity (S4P) at Palladium Group

Background

• Global Prosperity Fund’s ‘Skills for Prosperity’ is a two-year FCDO 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 three 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
  • 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 youth, vulnerable women and People with Disabilities (PwD) in targeted states of Kaduna in the north, Benue in the central belt, and Lagos in the south. It will also establish learning and peer sharing mechanisms across other states, including Kano, Enugu and Edo.

Terms of Reference
Background:

• S4P requires a Skills Lead with a relevant track record, and interest or experience in the private sector and skills training.
• The Skills Lead should have the drive to tackle new and complex challenges and work with us to learn, adapt and deliver sustainable benefits for Nigeria.

Responsibilities
The Skills Lead will be responsible for delivering the following:

• Manage the ‘Access and Quality’ components of the programme, responsible for designing and managing the development of accessible and quality industry-led apprenticeship programmes, supporting progression to further and higher education to bridge skills gaps and shortages
• Oversee delivery of apprenticeship programmes for beneficiaries across the 2 targeted states in collaboration with organised private sector and public training providers
• Identify sector gaps, emerging trends and lead demand assessment for best-fit traineeship and apprenticeship model in Nigeria, and appraise the institutional capacity of relevant stakeholders related to apprenticeship
• Provide technical support to key stakeholders (private, public and non-governmental) to develop industry-led standards, learning materials and skills policies and frameworks
• Work closely with the PSD Lead to attract and incentivise private sector investment in the development of online/distance/blended learning platforms as an on-demand service to training providers
• Work closely with the GESI/Safeguarding Lead to ensure skills interventions are socially and gender inclusive
• Monitoring and results framework to ensure performance monitoring, impact assessment and bring out lessons learnt
• Institutionalise early warning signal mechanism and consequence management system – highlight red flags and deviations to relevant stakeholders with appropriate evidence, document closure of events
• Document and share findings of MREL, incorporating feedback from stakeholders during primary and secondary discussions
• Provide documentation and data collation support across programme’s work streams
• Liaise with key government departments to create focused skill development initiatives
• Drive stakeholder coordination and collaboration with Training Partners, SSCs, Assessment agencies and any other relevant TVET stakeholder from Nigeria and UK
• Continuously provide feedback and learning from programme implementation

Reporting

• The Skills Lead will report directly to S4P Nigeria’s Team Leader

Implementation activities

• Overall management of Output 1 activities and deliverables, providing accessible and quality industry-led apprenticeship programmes, within an effective, efficient and collaborative national apprenticeship and training system
• Oversee the implementation of the pilot apprenticeships and traineeships, providing guidance and strategic direction to the State Leads, who will manage delivery on the ground, throughout implementation
• Continue to develop enhanced technical and non-technical knowledge and practice training manuals and other pedagogical-resources in selected occupational areas
• Support the identification, recruitment and training of new and existing technical teachers/industry trainers/assessors/verifiers/awarding bodies, building their capacity to deliver flexible competency-based training
• Gather and collate data in alignment with country results framework and set targets
• Support data analytics and verification for reporting to client and other stakeholders.

Role Requirements

• Outstanding expertise in skills, with extensive experience in education, TVET and apprenticeships policy and systems
• Knowledge and working experience of all levels of the skills ecosystem in Nigeria, including low-level (Technical Colleges), mid-level (Polytechnics), and high-level skills (Universities)
• Demonstrable expertise in systems thinking, with a strong Market Development Approach (M4P) understanding
• Extremely well-networked with national regulators, awarding bodies and other relevant actors in Nigeria’s skills ecosystem
• Extensive experience in skills policy reform in Nigeria, and strong understanding of the local context
• Experience working closely with private sector partners in Nigeria to deliver skills reform