World University Service of Canada (WUSC) is a Canadian non-profit organization working to create a better world for all young people. We bring together a diverse network of students, volunteers, schools, government, and businesses who share this vision. Together, we foster youth-centered solutions for improved education, economic, and empowerment opportunities to overcome inequality and exclusion in over 15 countries around the world. WUSC believes that if youth have access to and benefit from inclusive, quality education opportunities from primary to post-secondary, then they will develop the knowledge, skills, and capacities they need to secure a better quality of life. WUSC has been active in the education sector for several decades, with a strong focus on improving education access and quality in conflict-affected and fragile contexts to ensure that even the most marginalized youth can change their lives through education.
WUSC is currently implementing the Learning through Education and Access to Skills for Employment Project (LEAP) with a grant of $12.4 million (CAD) from Global Affairs Canada (GAC). Launched in 2019, LEAP is enhancing education opportunities for adolescent girls and provide access to gender-responsive and market-based skills training for young women with the ultimate goal of increasing the empowerment of female youth in Kalobeyei Settlement, Kakuma Refugee Camp, and the surrounding host communities in Turkana County in northern Kenya. LEAP is designed to address gender, social, cultural, and economic barriers that affect adolescent girls’ and young women’s ability to access education and employment opportunities and make critical decisions about things that affect their lives. The project specifically targets two of the most critical moments in a girls’ educational journey: 1) upper primary grades and the transition to secondary school, when girls are most at risk of dropping out of the education system; and, 2) the transition from basic education to post-secondary education or employment. Consisting of a large range of interventions, including teacher training, life skills education, financial assistance through cash transfers, media campaigns, community outreach and engagement for behavior change, psychosocial support, mentorship programs, market-based technical vocational skills training, and training in digital skills, LEAP not only support girls and young women directly but also aims to address the root causes of inequality by challenging and helping to transform structural barriers and entrenched social norms, attitudes, and power relations that impact girls’ ability to thrive.
Livelihoods and economic opportunities
LEAP aims to increase equitable participation in gender-responsive, market-based skills training to equip adolescent girls and young women with critical skills to improve their future life options and livelihoods. The project supports 20 girls to access diploma level technical and vocational education training at a number of Kenya National Technical Vocational Education Institutions through providing TVET scholarships; 735 girls to undertake vocational-technical skills training – certificate level certified by NITA within Kalobeyei camp, and 475 girls taking online digital skills training courses leading to online freelance working opportunities. All the post-secondary skills training are aimed at transitioning the YW to wage and/or self employment opportunities.
Community Behaviour Change
LEAP works to generate community support for girls’ empowerment, recognising that a supportive and enabling environment is a critical component for girls to exercise their voice, choice and agency. LEAP is implementing several methodologies to achieve sustainable community-wide shifts in gender-related norms and behaviors. First is direct community mobilization led by a network of activists to promote shifts in power dynamics and reduce violence against women and girls. Second is the use of mass media, specifically radio programming to promote women’s economic empowerment. And third is male engagement in which male partners and family members of skills training participants are engaged in a several-weeks course to promote positive masculinity.
Context
One of the major goals of LEAP is to increase the equitable participation of young women in the formal and informal workforce.The digital online skills and Vocational skills training are therefore integral components of the program, with the objective of supporting at least 475 young women in Kalobeyei, Kakuma, and surrounding host communities to obtain training in digital skills and 735 young women to undertake vocational skills training and subsequently obtain sustainable work.WUSC is seeking to hire an experienced, skilled, and results-oriented Livelihood Officer to coordinate the technical and vocational skills trainings; develop a mentorship model; and lead with strategies that will transition trained YW to access wage and/or self employment opportunities and earn dignified income.
Role of the program officer, Livelihoods
- Program Coordination
- Support the coordination of LEAP project activities with field teams and project partners.
- Support project strategic planning activities including Project management Team meetings, Project advisory Committee meetings and any other activities
- Support to ensure project partners have clear execution plans
- Support in the preparation and timely submission of project narrative reports capturing lessons learnt.
- Support with project monthly and quarterly forecasting
- Support the coordination of all the administration and logistical arrangements and developing agendas.
- Support TVET scholarship activities
Training
- Conduct labor market and skills demand assessment to inform the training content, courses offered and job linkages.
- Work in collaboration with LEAP partners to revise the mentorship model and provide trainers with basic TVET pedagogy skills
- Support in reviewing the selection criteria of the trainees and do spot checks during application and interview for quality control.
- Work in collaboration with gender focal points to provide gender-sensitive support and appropriate referral pathways for those who are survivors of SGBV.
- Oversee community mobilization and recruitment campaigns for new students
- Support implementing partners to conduct career guidance events and counseling sessions
Mentorship
- Take lead in reviewing a result-oriented mentorship model in collaboration with implementing partners
- Support mentorship for young women in the skills training and offer market linkages
- In collaboration with the LEAP partners, conduct outreach with the family members of the trainees and the broader community to garner support for women’s and girl’s use of technology and inclusion in the gig economy
Sustainability
- Work closely with the digital skills implementing partner to establish and build capacity of 2 business processing units, ensure a good governance structure of the units is in place and support linkages to digital online work and financial services.
- Provide information to trained AGYW on entrepreneurship pathways, and support financial literacy training.
- Support graduates to open bank accounts with credible financial institutions and access to affordable loan services
- Develop a viable and sustainable business model for the digital hub. Ensure the hub can run and operate profitably in the next 12 months and beyond the funding period.
- Design exit strategies for the LEAP implementing partners
Quality Control and Impact Measurement
- Provide oversight and ensure quality during mentorship and execution of tasks to ensure that trainees have adequate support.
- Collaborate with the WUSC MERL team to monitor the Training, mentorship and transition to work opportunities using a result-based monitoring system.
- Carry out spot checks on partner training centers and provide feedback.
- Collaborate with WUSC MERL in conducting assessments with men and boys, particularly male spouses or partners, to identify and address gender roles and joint decision-making regarding young women’s employment pathways.
Safeguarding Adherence
WUSC recognises that safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults is everyone’s responsibility and we must collectively stay vigilant and immediately respond to potentially any kind of abuse or exploitation or harmful situations without exceptions. The LEAP project recognizes that online harassment, bullying, sexual exploitation and other digital safeguarding risks can affect anyone, but is most likely to affect women, girls and LGBTQI+ individuals. These groups face an increased risk of violence through digital technology, which can be considered a form of Gender-Based Violence. LEAP staff, partners, representatives and others working with the project should be aware of common perpetrators and acts of such violence. Any individual can raise a concern/complaint to WUSC about an incident they have experienced, witnessed, or heard about concerning a LEAP staff member or partner (suppliers, partners, contractor, etc.) without fear of retribution.
Candidate Qualifications
- University degree in Education, Bachelors of Commerce, Business Administration, Community Development or other related field
- Minimum of 3-years’ working experience with humanitarian programs in the field of livelihoods with at least 1-year experience engaging with refugees, asylum seekers, migrants and/or other vulnerable populations in economic strengthening interventions.
- Excellent command of common methodologies used to identify, assess and monitor livelihood activities, with a proven record of achievements.
- Experience in vocational technical training will be an added advantage.
- Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong analysis skills (qualitative and qualitative)
- Strong cultural awareness and sensitivity.
- Good understanding of complex emergencies and crisis contexts
- Flexible and creative.
- Strong organizational and logistical skills.
- Goal oriented with ability to work under pressure, independently and with limited supervision.
- Ability and willingness to work and live in challenging conditions.
- Excellent computer Skills.
How to apply
Qualified applicants should submit their applications with a cover letter and detailed curriculum vitae. Follow this link to apply
Only those applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.
Residents from the host communities are strongly encouraged to apply
WUSC’s activities seek to balance inequities and create sustainable development around the globe; the work ethic of our staff, volunteers,, representatives, and partners shall correspond to the values and mission of the organization. WUSC promotes responsibility, respect, honesty, and professional excellence and we will not tolerate harassment, coercion and sexual exploitation, or abuse of any form.
