TVET Expert at Expertise France: (Deadline 21 February 2025)

Terms of Reference / Job Description

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Expert for Expertise France

 “TVET Agri – Ubuhinzi Skills+” project

Job title: TVET Expert

Reports to: Project Manager

Location: Kigali, Rwanda, with regular travel to other regions in Rwanda

Type of contract: full-time, fixed-term contract

Contract duration: 1 year, with possibility of renewal (local contract)

Job Level: senior level

Overview

Expertise France is the French agency for international cooperation, under the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Finance. The agency develops and implements projects that sustainably strengthen public policies in low- and middle-income countries and focuses on four priority areas:

• Democratic, economic and financial governance;
• Stability of countries in crisis/post-crisis situations and security;
• Combating climate change and favouring sustainable urban development;
• Strengthening health systems, social protection and employment.

In these areas, Expertise France engineers and implements capacity-building projects, mobilises technical expertise and acts as a project coordinator, bringing together public expertise and private know-how. With an annual business volume of 390 million euros and over 400 projects in 145 countries, Expertise France’s activities are part of France’s international cooperation policy and official development assistance.

Project description

The “TVET Agri – Ubuhinzi Skills+” project aims to contribute to the National Strategy for Transformation and Vision 2050 established by the Government of Rwanda to guide the socio-economic development of the country towards a prosperous and high-income economy by 2050. Representing 25% of GDP and 70% of Rwanda’s active population, agriculture is a key sector targeted in order to boost the country’s economy and create jobs. The development of agricultural skills is one of the priorities for the sector’s transformation, with the national objective of establishing Centres of Vocational Excellence for technical and vocational education and training in agriculture. These centres will help develop a new generation of qualified workforce, capable of stimulating sustainable agricultural development, contributing to food security, economic growth and improved livelihoods for rural communities in Rwanda.

The “TVET Agri – Ubuhinzi Skills+” project is implemented by Expertise France to support the national agency Rwanda TVET Board (RTB) in the establishment of Centres of Excellence in agriculture. In line with national priorities, the project aims to increase the sustainability, climate resilience and inclusion of agricultural practices by strengthening the skills of women and youth in Rwanda.

The project is structured around two specific objectives:

1. Improve access of women and youth to quality skills and formal certification in agricultural practices.
2. Improve the effectiveness of mechanisms for integrating women and young people into the agricultural labour market, with an emphasis on sustainable agriculture.

In Rwanda, 77% of farmers are women, mainly in subsistence agriculture, vulnerable to climate change. Gender is a key cross-cutting theme for the project which aims to implement transformative and sustainable actions for women, young girls and their communities.

The project will be implemented over a period of five years, with a budget of +16 million euros financed by the EU and the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. It will include technical assistance at the national level in support of RTB, and two TVET schools will also be supported with technical assistance, infrastructure rehabilitation and procurement of equipment. The project will be implemented in collaboration with the beneficiary partner RTB, as well as with donors and project partners, such as LuxDev.

The project will be led by the Project Manager, with direct support from the Deputy Project Manager, and the team will consist of 4 Technical Experts, a MEAL Officer, and 2 Project Advisors based in targeted TVET schools. The team will be supported by Expertise France’s Kigali-based Project Support Unit (PSU) for admin, finance, HR and procurement, as well as Paris-based HQ.

The role

The TVET expert will be based within the project team in Kigali, under the direct supervision of the project manager. He/she will be responsible for the full implementation of a package of activities, and will provide TVET technical expertise to the project team, RTB and stakeholders, and contribute to the strategy, methodology and policy frameworks for TVET in agriculture, and any other pedagogical and technical processes that will enable the transition of TVET schools into Centers of Vocational Excellence. The TVET expert will work closely with the project team, partners and donors, for the successful implementation of the project.

The main responsibilities of the TVET Expert will be:

To provide strategic and technical advice in TVET

• Provide strategic and technical advice to the Project Manager and team on TVET programming.
• Advise RTB and project partners on enhancing TVET curricula, pedagogy, and assessment methods to meet excellence standards in agriculture.
• Assess the current state of agricultural TVET in Rwanda, identify gaps, and contribute to defining and implementing excellence standards.
• Engage stakeholders in Rwanda’s TVET sector to ensure complementarity and synergies.
• Support the development of employment and skills surveys, capturing evolving roles of women in agriculture and emphasising climate action strategies.
• Lead the engagement with TVET institutions and facilitate linkages with agricultural market actors, in collaboration with the Agricultural Labour Market Expert.
• Organise workshops and capacity-building sessions for partners.

To lead the project’s TVET activities

• Support the Project Manager in the planning, budgeting, and alignment of TVET activities with project goals.
• Review and develop competency-based curricula and training materials for TVET in agriculture, animal health and food processing with the support of the project’s sector experts.
• Coordinate curricula revisions with the project team to align with market needs and excellence standards, integrating climate-smart, gender-sensitive, and inclusive approaches.
• Lead the contracting and coordination of external experts, ensuring high-quality deliverables.
• Conduct training needs assessments for adult farmers and develop modular, mobile training programmes tailored to their constraints, especially for women.
• Facilitate the digitalisation of training programs and the use of digital training and blended learning for students and adults (farmers and members of agricultural organizations).
• Provide regular progress reports on TVET activities highlighting achievements, challenges, and recommendations.
• Support the monitoring and evaluation efforts, to ensure the effectiveness of the project’s TVET activities.

To support targeted TVET schools’ transition to Centres of Vocational Excellence

• Assess and plan the technical, pedagogical, and infrastructure needs of the targeted TVET schools to achieve the Centre of Vocational Excellence status.
• Support infrastructure feasibility assessments through TVET technical expertise.
• Evaluate and address learning capacity gaps, including teacher training needs, learning materials, and training methods.
• Offer capacity-building for management and pedagogical staff on new curricula, teaching methods (including digital for blended learning), and Centre of Vocational Excellence standards.
• Develop governance models, accreditation frameworks, and assessment guidelines for Centres of Vocational Excellence.
• Support the schools in delivering revised curricula and teaching materials.
• Contribute to developing trainers’ guides, Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) frameworks, and short courses for students and communities.
• Facilitate learning exchanges among TVET schools.

Profile

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or equivalent university degree in education, project management, agricultural sciences, rural development or any field relevant fields to the position.

Professional experience

• A minimum of 10 years of professional experience in TVET systems and curricula development, particularly in agriculture, with a focus on competency-based education.
• Solid project management experience, including planning, budgeting, monitoring, and evaluation of TVET or similar projects.
• Experience in strategic advisory roles, providing technical support to stakeholders in TVET or related sectors.
• Proven track record in capacity building and training delivery, including mentoring instructors and developing training materials.
• Experience coordinating multi-stakeholder initiatives, including collaboration with government institutions, private sector actors, and academic institutions.
• Knowledge of climate-smart and inclusive approaches in TVET programming, including gender-sensitive and digital transformation strategies.

Skills

• Strong understanding of TVET systems, labour market dynamics, and skills development strategies, especially for women and youth.
• Good understanding of the challenges in TVET and/or agriculture sectors, especially for women and youth.
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills, with an excellent capacity to translate technical concepts to a wide variety of audiences.
• Strong interpersonal and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Initiative-taking and sense of responsibility.
• Proficiency in office tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.).
• Perfect command of English and Kinyarwanda; fluency in French is an asset.

Additional information

Desired start date: April 2025

Application deadline: February 21, 2025

Remuneration: competitive remuneration will be offered according to Expertise France’s salary scale and the candidate’s qualification and experience.

Please upload your CV and cover letter (no longer than 2 pages each), photocopies of diplomas and certificates of employment, as well as three professional references with contact details on this link only:

https://expertise-france.gestmax.fr/apply/12628/1

Candidates are invited to submit their application as soon as possible. Expertise France reserves the right to pre-select candidates before the application deadline.