United Nations Children's Fund
Experience: 5 to 10 Years
Skill Required: Research, Survey and Report Writing
Apply By: 17-08-2022
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfilling their potential.
Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.
How can you make a difference?
The Gender & Adolescent Development Section, UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO) is seeking an individual consultant to design all aspects related to the research into adolescent girls and STEM careers, including designing methodology, tools, collaborating with an adolescent-friendly peer review group, writing the report and coordinating a virtual report launch with partners.
Purpose of Assignment:
East Asia and the Pacific (EAP) is home to 277 million adolescents accounting for 23.1% of the world’s adolescent population and 13% of the region’s total population. Yet young people face various challenges to access quality and relevant education, to transition into decent work opportunities, and to meaningfully participate in community and political processes.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, adolescents and youth in the region have been impacted by lengthy school closures and economic downturns, both of which have had compounded impacts on young people’s mental health, learning, social development, safety, and employment prospects. The pandemic also accelerated the digital transformation of economies and education systems as companies and governments rapidly designed and deployed digital services. According to one McKinsey report, the speed at which companies and customers are turning to digital-first solutions has effectively served as a leap frog into digitalization for Asia Pacific, a shift that pre-pandemic would have taken 10 years. For young people, this means businesses and jobs are increasingly applying digital technologies across sectors and at a much faster rate than just 2 years ago, thereby accelerating the urgency for young people to develop Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) skills.
It is therefore necessary to invest in advancing adolescent girls’ aspirations in STEM and supporting integrated approaches to STEM skills development, career exploration and pathways to employment that are responsive to adolescent girls and young women’s needs and unique contexts.
Through global partnerships with private sector leaders, such as SAP, Dove and others, UNICEF has designed focused programmatic responses to reach adolescent girls with digital and life skills; however, many programmes in the region do not yet extend to career guidance, mentoring at-scale, and other potential activities that would spark interest, exploration, and ambitious aspirations for adolescent girls to continue education or pursue employment within STEM industries.
Building on UNICEF’s 2020 research into barriers to girls’ leadership, the existing evidence base on STEM gender gaps, and evaluations of approaches to career guidance and transitions to work, the proposed research would aim to understand the entry points, role of private sector partners, regional examples, and potential models for promoting adolescent girls’ awareness and aspirations around STEM careers with a focus on the ASEAN region.
UNICEF EAPRO proposes to conduct the research in partnership with the World Association of Girl Guides (WAGGs) and the EU-ASEAN Business Council, as the organizations have identified a shared goal in developing gender-responsive STEM opportunities for adolescent girls. The proposed research would be a complementary piece to ongoing research led by WAGGs that aims to understand the demand for STEM-related activities among their adolescent girl members to inform their global programming.
The Consultant is requested to design all aspects related to the research into adolescent girls and STEM careers, including designing methodology, tools, collaborating with an adolescent-friendly peer review group, writing the report and coordinating a virtual report launch with partners. Specific deliverables are detailed further below.
By developing a deeper understanding of existing models for career guidance and pathways to STEM in ASEAN and by leveraging existing ASEAN and global partnerships, the research will help UNICEF shape country and regional programming through:
Providing regional programmatic guidance on approaches to advancing adolescent girls STEM career aspirations, drawing on successful models either in the region or led by UNICEF in other geographies.
The research responds to regional recommendations from UNLIMITED ASEAN and the Gendered Barriers to Leadership report
The research would be showcased at a joint virtual event developed with adolescent girls and with regional partners. The launch would bring together ASEAN business leaders and girl-focused organizations that would be in the position to take action on the recommendations.
Work Assignment:
The Consultant is requested to design all aspects related to the research into adolescent girls and STEM careers, including developing an inception report, conducing desk review, designing methodology and research tools, collaborating with an adolescent-friendly peer review group, writing the report and coordinating a virtual report launch with partners.
The research aims to respond to 3 questions:
The methodology should include:
The interviews can be conducted virtually and there is no travel anticipated.
Work Schedule:
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Education:
Skills and Experience: