With the assistance of UNESCO and the European Union, the Government of Uzbekistan will be implementing the project “Skills Development for the Employability in Rural Areas of Uzbekistan”, recognizing the agriculture skills development as a driver of social and economic development. The overall objective of this project is to enhance living standards in rural areas through better employability for women and men, and the specific objective is to prepare women and men with relevant skills for the needs of a sustainable, diversified and modernized agriculture. The activities of the project will contribute to the following results: (i) to modernize and strengthen governance of skills development in the agriculture and irrigation sectors in line with the labour market demands; (ii) to modernize qualifications and methodologies of skills development to serve the needs of the labour market, learners and workers in the agriculture and irrigation; and (iii) to modernize agriculture and irrigation colleges in rural areas with competent management and teaching staff using modern technologies and teaching and learning methods.
In particular, the project will target development of relevant skills of women and men for sustainable, diversified and modernised agriculture in Uzbekistan. It will also contribute to improving the quality, relevance, efficiency and effectiveness of the skills development system in the agriculture and irrigation sectors, initiated by the Government of Uzbekistan, with a particular focus on the rural regions selected by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Water Resources (Karakalpakstan, Khorazm, Bukhara, Surkhondaryo). This project will help the Government to develop, to test and to pilot new initiatives and approaches in the agriculture and irrigation sectors with a view to scaling up transversal methods, high technology agriculture and food processing, and innovative approaches throughout the country.
Overview of the functions of the post
Under the overall authority of the Assistant Director-General for Education (ADG/ED) and the direct supervision of the Head of the UNESCO Tashkent Office, the incumbent will design, plan, coordinate, implement and monitor the project “Skills Development for the Employability in Rural Areas of Uzbekistan”, in particular:
Manage the implementation of the project in compliance with the project specific objectives, activities and expected outputs by:
Ensuring quality achievement of the programme outputs;
Regularly monitoring and updating, as relevant, of the project work plan;
Planning and organizing procurement of goods and services and regularly monitoring its implementation;
Identifying project implementation partners and providers of goods and services;
Following–up on the implementation of the contracts, assessing the quality of services provided and requesting disbursement of funds; and,
Building synergies with other projects and activities of the UNESCO Tashkent Office and relevant projects of other development partners in Uzbekistan.
Ensure the monitoring and evaluation of project implementation and the reporting on project activities by:
Contributing to monitoring and evaluation of project activities, reporting on progress and suggesting updates to the project timeframe;
Regularly monitoring the financial status of the project and promptly developing budget revision if needed;
Regularly preparing, conducting and following up meetings of the project steering and technical committees, preparing their minutes and action plans with the clear division of responsibility and timeframe;
Presenting aggregate strategic analysis on project performance based on commitment of indicators and implementation of activities as well as output delivery;
Preparing reports on project activities for UNESCO, the donor and partners;
Ensuring the implementation of the communication and visibility plan of the project, in close coordination with the Communication and Outreach Specialist of the project and the Office’s PR and Communication Specialist;
Fostering exchanges of information, experience, identifying new strategies of action to improve delivery of services and to achieve the project requirements and objectives; and,
Supervising and providing leadership, guidance and direction to the project team.
Liaise with the Government, international and national stakeholders by:
Ensuring project alignment with Government reforms in TVET and its sectoral priorities;
Maintaining regular relations with national counterparts and key stakeholders (Ministries, TVET providers, regional and local authorities, etc.);
Establishing relationship and collaboration with employers and their representatives (Federations and Chambers), to foster their active participation as key stakeholders in the project implementation
Mobilizing UNESCO’s entities in support of the Government reforms including UNESCO HQ, Cluster and Regional Offices, UNESCO Institutes and UNESCO-UNEVOC network;
Sharing international experiences and facilitating access to information, knowledge and good practices; and,
Setting-up mechanisms and actions to ensure sustainability of project’s outputs.
Required Qualifications
Education
Advanced university degree (Masters or equivalent) in the field of education, social sciences, agriculture, water management, business administration or other relevant field.
Work Experience
Minimum 7 years of progressively responsible relevant professional experience, of which preferably 3 years acquired at international level, in technical assistance and project management in the field of education, training or skills development.
Working experience in supporting educational and training reform/development agenda of governments.
Proven experience on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) or skills development for employment.
Skills and competencies
Excellent understanding of the TVET or skills development for employment.
Excellent project management skills and ability to coordinate complex projects.
Supervisory and managerial skills, capable of leading a team of professionals.
Ability to make technically sound decisions on all aspects of project implementation.
Ability to provide upstream policy advice at highest levels
Ability to work in a multicultural environment and establish harmonious and effective working relationships, both within and outside the Organization.
Excellent communication skills, both written and oral.
Strong IT skills.
Languages
Excellent knowledge (written and spoken) of English.
