Under the overall supervision of the Chief of Education, the consultant will report directly to the Education Specialist (Access) and will be responsible for the following over the course of the contract:
1. Undertake a desk review of the evidence on employability skills for senior secondary school learners globally, in Africa and in the Nigerian context. The desk review will explore what opportunities are available for employability skills development and what models work.
2. Develop, in consultation with different stakeholders, a model for employability skills development for senior secondary school and recommend a vehicle for delivery of the skills.
3. Two (2) revisions to the model based on UNICEF and government feedback.
4. Develop the following requisite materials:
a. Teacher and facilitator training guide
b. Teacher and facilitator resources – structured lesson plans and guides
c. Materials for delivering mentoring and career counseling in senior secondary school.

To achieve this, UNICEF is seeking the services of an international consultant with experience in conducting mixed methods research, and in the analysis of education data to inform evidence-based interventions and system-strengthening support for building alternative learning pathway models and distance learning opportunities, development of strategy papers as well as an understanding of the OOSC phenomenon in sub-Saharan Africa

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• An advanced university degree (Master’s) in Education, Education Policy, Social Policy, or related field

Required qualifications and skills:

• Demonstrated strong working knowledge of current global issues and best practice on skills development;
• A minimum of 8 years of experience in education programming, documentation, and reporting;
• A minimum of 5 years of working experience with using education data to inform evidence-based education programming and policy;
• Experience in developing strategy papers;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with experience translating evidence for and communicating with a broad range of actors (including government) on sensitive issues;
• Ability to present ideas concisely for diverse audiences and to give practical, actionable advice grounded in evidence and
• Ability to work to tight timeframes and flexibility to adjust to the needs of government and UNICEF.

Other desired skills and attributes:

• Strong working knowledge of global current issues on out-of-school children (MICS, DHIS, UIS, NEDS in Nigeria, and others).
• Strong knowledge of the Nigerian context and understanding of international development issues, including skills development, employability, and youth programming.
• Strong knowledge of the Nigerian political landscape and recent developments in education.
• Experience working with UN agencies or other international development agencies; and A good understanding of UNICEF’s programmatic areas.

Language requirements:

Fluency in English is required.