RFI_Career_Centers_USAID_Morocco_03072014.docx

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Request for Information (RFI) – DRAFT Career Centers Statement of Work United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Morocco March 7, 2014 The United States Government, represented by the Agency for International Development (USAID) Morocco is seeking comments on a draft Statement of Work (SOW) for a planned activity under the Youth Employability Project. USAID/Morocco plans to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) within the next few weeks. This draft SOW presents current objectives and key elements.

INSTRUCTIONS: Interested parties are requested to submit comments, questions, answers to the questions listed on page 8 of this RFI, and statement of interest in the upcoming RFP to the Senior Acquisition and Assistance Specialist for USAID/Morocco, Najia Mesfioui, at nmesfioui@usaid.gov and Ralph Koehring, Director of Procurement for USAID/Egypt, at rkoehring@usaid.gov. Information should be submitted electronically by email in either Adobe Acrobat or Microsoft Word. The Government is not responsible for any format changes due to the use of a newer version of Microsoft Office.

Responses are due no later than March 24, 2014.

Please include a cover letter with contact information. Do not submit any proprietary information.

Interested parties are encouraged to ask questions of USAID/Morocco as part of their submissions. Questions and answers of general interest and applicability will be posted with the RFP. It is anticipated that the RFP will be posted on or about April 1, 2014 and interested parties will have approximately 4 weeks to submit proposals.

THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. This RFI is for planning purposes only. The information provided in the RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. Issuance of this notice does not constitute any obligation on the part of the Government to procure supplies or services or to issue a solicitation. In addition, the Government will not pay direct or indirect costs or charges that arise as a result of contractor submission of responses to this RFI. The release of this RFI shall not be construed as a commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.

A. Introduction This draft SOW is designed to implement a four year, with a one year extension possibility, contract for a higher and vocational education career centers program in Morocco. This activity is central to advancing USAID/Morocco’s broader goal of increasing the employability of young Moroccans by improving career orientation, counseling and guidance services to students and recent graduates of higher education universities and vocational schools in the country. The Contractor shall work with USAID/Morocco staff, other USAID implementing partners, the Government of Morocco’s Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Executive Training, the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training, and other donors working in the field of workforce development.

B. Background Youth unemployment is not unique to Morocco. Worldwide, young people are three times more likely to be out of work than their parents. Morocco fits this pattern with 80% of the country’s unemployed falling between the ages of 15-34 years old. This cadre of unemployed youth represents both a pool of untapped talent and a potential source of social instability.[footnoteRef:1] Young Moroccans constitute over 10 million people and 80% of the unemployed in the country. Unemployment rates for young people are much higher in urban areas than in rural areas, where almost one-third of the active 15-24 year age group is unemployed. Although the unemployment rate for females (9.8%) is slightly higher than it is for males (8.3%), there are twice as many unemployed males as unemployed females. These seemingly contradictory numbers can be explained by the much lower participation rates of females in every age group. As a result, women make up barely a quarter of the workforce. [1: McKinsey, 2012, “Education to Employment: Designing a System that Works.”]

Large numbers of graduates are unable to find jobs commensurate with their education and training, while employers complain of skills shortages and mismatches. The skills mismatch is reflected in disproportionately high unemployment rates for Moroccans with higher education – 19.7% vocational training institutions, 21.7% for graduates of secondary school, and 22.3% for graduates of open enrollment university programs[footnoteRef:2]. These figures indicate that unemployment rates rise sharply by educational attainment – ranging from just 1.6% for labor-force participants with no education to over 22% for university graduates. [2: B. Boudarbat and A. Ajbilou, 2009, ”Youth Exclusion in Morocco: Context, Consequences, and Policies.”]

The Moroccan economy creates less than half the number of jobs required for the 300,000 people entering the job market annually. Of those jobs created, just a minority are considered skilled or semi-skilled. This trend is particularly problematic in light of growing enrollment rates in higher education. Since 1963, enrollment rates have increased on average by 8.9% annually. Still, schools at all levels are not graduating individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to meet current challenges or adapt to changes in the business environment. A report by the World Bank on economic integration in the MENA region confirmed this finding stating “There is an obvious mismatch between the skill needs of the economy and the outputs of the education and training system. Private sector surveys point to the lack of appropriate education and skills, especially soft skills, as one of the most important constraints to business development in the region.”[footnoteRef:3] [3: Chauffour, Jean-Pierre, 2013, “From Political to Economic Awakening in the Arab World: The Path of Economic Integration” p. 217]

As noted in the above excerpt, many executives in Morocco report that they are hard-pressed to find candidates who possess the higher level communication, teamwork, and decision-making skills needed to perform well at their jobs. These types of skills are commonly referred to as work readiness skills and represent a subset of soft skills. A March 2013 study by the Harvard Business School commissioned by USAID/Morocco further supports the notion that Moroccan job candidates fall short of demonstrating professional level soft skills expected by employers.

Youth unemployment in Morocco has historically resulted in serious social and political tensions,[footnoteRef:4] particularly among educated, urban youth who experience proportionally higher rates of unemployment and are frustrated with their inability to access the labor market. [footnoteRef:5] In March 2013, more than 3,000 young Moroccans frustrated with their employment prospects gathered in protest.[footnoteRef:6] These types of protests have become a regular occurrence, happening several weekends each month. [4: B. Boudarbat and A. Ajbilou, 2009, ”Youth Exclusion in Morocco: Context, Consequences, and Policies.” Unemployment and the lack of opportunities for economic participation were two driving factors for the Arab Spring. ] [5: Unemployment rates are proportionally higher for graduates from open enrollment university programs (22.3 percent), as well as graduates of secondary school (21.7 percent) and vocational training institutions (19.7 percent). World Bank. “Morocco – First Skills and Employment Development Policy Loan Program Document.” (May 2012) ] [6: Agence France-Presse. March 31, 2013. Thousands March Against Morocco Government.]

Further exacerbating the frustrations of university graduates are outdated expectations of entitlement. At the end of 2012, 51.6% of employed university graduates worked in public administration.[footnoteRef:7] Though obtaining a government job had once been an obligation provided by the government, this is no longer the case. Over the last ten years, the government has sought to reduce public sector wage, shedding over 50,000 public sector jobs through a Public Sector Reform act. Yet many university graduates still cling to the idea that they are entitled to a civil service job upon completing their studies. Without career guidance in higher and vocational education institutions, youth lose out the opportunity to make more informed choices on career trajectories and develop more realistic expectations about employment prospects. [7: Haut-Commissariat au Plan, “Activité, Emploi et Chômage, Quatrième Trimestre ” 2012, Tableau 5.]

C. Objective USAID/Morocco recently launched the 2013-2018 Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS), with the goal of advancing Moroccan initiatives for peaceful reform. Although the root causes of the Arab Spring are complex, much of the unrest in Morocco was brought about by disaffected youth, who were struggling to find not only employment, but relevance in their society. Educational institutions and market actors have failed to communicate pertinent information on the market demand for human capital – information that is critical for students and their families to make informed decisions on educational and career paths. With few opportunities to participate in the economy, frustration grows. Unemployment, particularly in the youth demographic, threatens to derail the process of peaceful reform.

To contribute to the goal set forth in the CDCS, USAID/Morocco is launching the Youth Employability Project (project) to achieve the development objective (project purpose) of enhancing the employability of target youth. The development objective is intended to promote greater economic inclusion, while addressing one of the GOM’s key priorities of reducing youth unemployment. The project targets the interface between labor supply and demand, and focuses clearly on employability. USAID/Morocco defines employability as a set of achievements, skills, understandings and personal attributes that make a person more likely to gain and retain employment, be successful in their chosen occupation and be professionally and personally satisfied with their employment. To increase employability for a target group means to increase their capabilities for gaining and maintaining employment, thereby improving the probability of sustainable employment.

USAID/Morocco is seeking a partner to improve access to quality career services, which will, in turn, contribute to increased access to quality employability services. The scope of work is comprised of strategic interventions to improve career services at the university and vocational training levels. USAID will identify the pilot locations and institutions in collaboration with its Government of Morocco (GoM) partners, namely, the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Executive Training and the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training.

Career services are critical for preparing students to enter the workforce by orienting students on career options, counseling them on appropriate career tracks based on the student’s interests and talents and linking students with potential employers. Career orientation and counseling can also play a significant role in managing expectations of students, many who unrealistically count on a guaranteed job in public administration upon graduation.

D. STATEMENT OF WORK

USAID intends to support the development of career centers which provide an array of services that prepare their target beneficiary for employment. The career centers should be a central aspect of student life and empower target youth to access a range of resources to improve their job-seeking skills, learn about career opportunities, learn about themselves as future professionals and have access to such services conveniently and remotely. Career centers should be a place where youth interact regularly with career counselors, undergo assessments that provide insight on their personal and professional strengths and aptitudes, be linked to professional work experience through internships or apprenticeships, learn about job possibilities given their educational tracks to help them shape the direction of the studies, and become familiar with the different types of professions and jobs. The Career Centers should attract students and begin interacting with them from their first year of study, and even as early as the first year of high school, to monitor student progress and link them to workplace internships or apprenticeships, engage in opportunities for youth to familiarize themselves with companies and be informed about trends in the Moroccan employment environment. By integrating knowledge of market needs and trends, the Career Centers will be equipped with the insight and influence to help academic decision-makers align and refine educational curriculums to meet the needs of the Moroccan economy.

The Contractor shall establish or build on existing initiatives to enhance and improve the access of career services in order to help students and recent graduates better align their career paths with market needs and trends in.

These activities will take place in:

1. Two to three public higher education institutions in select regions determined by USAID and the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Executive Training.

2. Two to three Regional Vocational Education Offices (Délégations Régionales de la Formation Professionnelle) in the regions selected by USAID and the Department of Vocational Education.

The Contractor shall introduce a career counseling services model that is tailored to work within the structure and curriculum of Moroccan universities and vocational education and operate as a dynamic and complementary service to promote personal and career development. Successful Career Centers will engage and build relationships amongst stakeholders (students and their families, educators, government counterparts, private sector and civil society organizations) and influence their perceptions on career development and employment.

Because the paths of vocational training are typically tailored to a specific industry or type of technique, the model of Career Centers to be developed for vocational education should take into account the specificities of the vocational education system and its target beneficiaries.

Technical Approach The applicant should clearly explain a technical approach that illustrates how activities will accomplish what is envisioned in terms of the elevated importance and more effective role that Career Centers play in improving Moroccan youth employability. Contingent upon future resources, the applicant should design a strategy that will enable the Government of Morocco to scale and replicate dynamic Career Centers in multiple higher educational and Regional Vocational Education Offices. The implementer should demonstrate plans on establishing coordinated engagement with other USAID implementers involved in achieving the objective of improving the employability of Moroccan youth.

The applicant is encouraged to describe how their technical approach will incorporate the following cross-cutting themes:

Public-private partnerships - The implementer should work in partnership with other workforce development institutions, USAID implementing partners, as well as other stakeholders, namely, the General Confederation of Moroccan Businesses (CGEM), the National Agency for Employment and Skills Promotion (ANAPEC), and the Department of National Education’s Regional and Provincial information and orientation centers. Beginning in Year 2, a small amount of funding should be set aside for grants-under-contract activities. These funds will be mobilized in order to improve the awareness, access and impact of the Career Centers. The activities under the grants-under-contract should be reserved ideally for local organizations, U.S.-based universities or community colleges, and private businesses operating in Morocco. The applicant may provide a provisionary plan of the types of partnership they could bring to the table in order to better equip future and current job seekers with in-demand skills and elevate the role of Career Centers.

Innovation and technology – With a demonstrated understanding of the level of technology and innovation in the Moroccan education system and the use of information technology by the various stakeholders, the applicant should include a strategy on how they plan on harnessing technology and innovation to increase impact of services offered by Career Centers. USAID envisions that the implementer will leverage innovative ideas and new or adapted technology in improve student and alumni access to utilize resources provided by the Career Centers remotely. Ideas should demonstrate that they have been well thought out, sustainable, and feasible to launch in the Moroccan context.

Sustainability – Sustainability of the Career Centers is of utmost importance to a strong program. Applicants are expected to explain how the activities conducted under this contract and their resulting impact can be sustained and scaled beyond the end of the project. A discussion on sustainability to address major resource constraints (human, financial and technological) should clearly explain how results of the investments being made under this award will be perpetuated after the contract has ended.

Gender – Gender equality is not only a critical issue to tackle in employability activities, but also a policy requirement of USAID. Applicants should demonstrate a clear understanding of the major challenges to gender equality related to the Moroccan higher and vocational education systems as well as professional employment. Activities to be undertaken under the award should also be described in a manner that is gender-sensitive and clearly explain how gender issues will be addressed. Monitoring and evaluation plans should also specify how gender-specific issues will be tracked and reported.

Communications and Outreach – The applicant should take care to ensure that they understand and meet the requirements of USAID communication and outreach. On one level, the applicant should sketch a plan of how beneficiaries, potential employers, and other direct stakeholders will be made aware of and brought into the fold of Career Center activities. One another level, the applicant should illustrate a communications and outreach plan that will “tell our story” to a wide number of stakeholders in Morocco, the US, and in the Middle East North Africa region.

USAID Youth Policy – Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the USAID Youth Policy “Youth in Development: Realizing the Demographic Opportunity” and consider models of intervention that foster youth-to-youth assistance. (http://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1870/Youth_in_Development_Policy.pdf)

Intended Results By the end of Year 1, USAID expects to see a series of gold standard Career Centers operational at universities and in two or three Regional Vocational Training Offices offering high quality services to the target beneficiary.

By the end of Year 2, USAID expects to see an increase in both the quality and quantity of services available to students and recent graduates of higher and vocational education.

By the end of the project, USAID expects that the concept of Career Centers in Morocco is redefined; stakeholders will view these Centers as dynamic hubs who offer a comprehensive array of career building services such as self-assessments, mentoring, internships and linkages to hiring firms. The quality of human capital in the Moroccan job market will be characterized as strengthened and competitive as a result.

E. PROGRAM MANAGEMENT AND PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS

Program Management - The Contractor shall establish an office in Morocco to provide necessary support for management and technical assistance activities. This core office shall provide all administrative and management support for the Contractor, including implementation of financial and accounting systems for procurement, arranging for and supporting in-country travel and training for long and short-term personnel, processing and hosting key or short-term consultants, and managing sub-grants. The Chief of Party shall provide oversight and supervision of the office and program staff.

Relationship with USAID/Morocco: The Contractor shall be responsible for the achievement of results, products and reports required under this Statement of Work. The Chief of Party shall be authorized to represent the implementer in all matters pertaining to the execution of the Statement of Work and shall receive technical direction from the USAID/Morocco Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) or the Mission’s designated officer in the absence of the COR.

Relationship with other USAID Implementing Partners: The implementer shall work closely with key Moroccan and international partners of USAID who are also engaged in workforce development activities to ensure that all activities under the Project are collaboratively programmed. The Contractor shall maintain close and collegial relations with key partners throughout the life of this project.

Relationship with the Government of Morocco: The implementer shall work closely with the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Executive Training, Ministry of National Education and Professional Training, and all relevant government stakeholders to ensure achievement of desired outcomes and sustainability of investments upon close of the project.

Personnel Requirements- In order to deliver on this Statement of Work, the implementer shall execute a staffing plan that is adequate and reasonable to achieve the program’s key objectives and expected results. The Contractor may make provisions for recruit long-term and/or short-term subject matter experts to insure successful execution. The implementer shall request approval of all key personnel and expatriate staff by the COR. Key personnel shall establish presence in Morocco within thirty (30) days from the award date. Key personnel consist of one (1) Chief of Party and one (1) Career Development Specialist.

Chief of Party: The Chief of Party shall be responsible for leading and managing the overall Career Centers program. The Chief of Party shall work closely with the USAID/Morocco’s Economic Growth Office and the Chiefs of Party of other USAID activities contributing to the same project purpose, as well as senior-level host country government representatives. This position requires an individual who possesses:

· Demonstrated success with developing and operationalizing career development centers at the higher education level

· Leadership in engaging private sector and educational institutions to collaborate on employment and employability programs

· Demonstrated strategic thinking and planning, training and human resource management

· Good knowledge of Morocco’s socio-economic context

· Excellent knowledge of Morocco’s higher education and vocational education systems

· Strong multi-cultural, inter-personal and supervision skills

· Demonstrated ability to give effective presentations and write high quality technical reports

· Excellent ability to amiably collaborate and coordinate activities with multiple stakeholders including government, education, business and individuals

· Proven ability to advocate career development concepts

· A minimum of 15 years of the Career Development field, preferably in an North African or Middle East context

· A Master’s Degree in an appropriate interdisciplinary subject such as education, counseling and guidance, student personnel or related field.

· Business proficiency, written and spoken, in English and French or Arabic Career Development Specialist: The Career Development Specialist will work hand and hand with locally-hired Career Services Managers and the Chief of Party to stand up the Centers and implement programming. S/he will train organize training for the Career Services Managers to implement a robust program from international resources. This person will also be in charge of managing the grants under contract component. This position requires an individual who possesses:

· Demonstrated success operationalizing career development centers

· Experience engaging private sector and educational institutions to collaborate on employment and employability programs

· Good knowledge of Morocco’s socio-economic context

· Excellent knowledge of Morocco’s higher education and vocational education systems

· Demonstrated leadership, strategic thinking and planning, training and human resource management

· Strong multi-cultural, inter-personal and supervision skills

· Ability to give effective presentations and write technical reports

· Strong ability to collaborate and coordinate activities with multiple stakeholders including government, education, business and individuals

· Proven ability to advocate career development concepts

· A minimum of 8 years of the Career Development field, preferably in an international context

· A Master’s Degree in an appropriate interdisciplinary subject such as education, counseling and guidance, student personnel or related field.

· Business proficiency, written and spoken, in English and French or Arabic

Interested parties are requested to respond to the following questions as part of their submissions:

1. Are there other aspects of the Moroccan job market, educational system or political situation that should be included to better reflect the current state of affairs?

2. How reasonable are the expected results for both higher education and vocational training school audiences?

3. How reasonable are the defined qualifications for key personnel?

4. How much impact could this program have on improving the employability of youth in Morocco?

DRAFT 3

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