Contracting Authority: European Commission Supporting Technical and Vocational Education and Training Sector in Pakistan (Grant Component) Grant Application Form Budget line(s): 19.100101 Deadline for submission of full applications: 29 September 2011

Title of the action:

Provision of access to market-driven training and employment opportunities to vulnerable youth and women in rural districts of southern Punjab

Location(s) of the action:

Layyah, Muzzaffargarh, and Rajanpur Districts

Name of the applicant

Plan International UK

Nationality of the applicant

British

Punjab Province, Pakistan

Dossier No (for official use only)

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EuropeAid ID Legal Entity File Number

6000057475

Legal status

Non-Profit Making National Rural Support Programme, PK-2009-GAU-1103464841,

Partner(s)

Non-Profit Making

Applicant's contact details for the purpose of this action Postal address:

Finsgate, 5-7 Cranwood Street, London, EC1V 9LH, United Kingdom

Telephone number: (fixed and mobile) Country code + city code + number

+44 (0)300 777 9777

Fax number: Country code + city code + number

+44 (0)300 777 9778

Contact person for this action: Contact person's email: Address:

as above

Website of the Organisation:

www.plan-uk.org

Any change in the addresses, phone numbers, fax numbers and in particular e-mail, must be notified in writing to the Contracting Authority. The Contracting Authority will not be held responsible in case it cannot contact an applicant.

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NOTICE If processing your application involves the recording and processing of personal data (such as names, addresses and CVs), such data will be processed pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data. Unless indicated otherwise, your replies to the questions and any personal data requested are required to evaluate your proposal in accordance with the Guidelines for the call for proposal and will be processed solely for that purpose by the data controller. Details concerning processing of your personal data are available on the privacy statement at http://ec.europa.eu/dataprotectionofficer/privacystatement_publicprocurement_en.pdf]

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Table of contents Full Application Form .................................................................................................................. 1 1

General information ............................................................................................................... 5

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The action................................................................................................................................. 5 2.1. Budget of the action, amount requested from the Contracting Authority and other expected sources of funding ...................................................................................................................................... 5 2.2. Description of the Action .............................................................................................................. 6 2.3. Applicant's experience of similar actions .................................................................................... 35

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The applicant ......................................................................................................................... 35 3.1. 3.2. 3.3. 3.4.

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Identity ........................................................................................................................................ 35 Profile ........................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Capacity to manage and implement actions ............................................................................... n/a List of the management board/committee of your organisation ................................................ n/a

Partners of the applicant participating in the action ......................................................... 36 4.1. Description of the partners .......................................................................................................... 36 4.2. Partnership Statement…………………………………………………………………………… 39

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Associates of the applicant participating in the action ...................................................... 40

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Checklist for the full application form ................................................................................ 42

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Declaration by the applicant ................................................................................................ 44

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Assessment grid of the full application form ...................................................................... 45

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FULL APPLICATION FORM GENERAL INFORMATION Reference of the Invitation

N/A

Title of the Invitation / Direct Award

Supporting Technical and Vocational Education and Training Sector in Pakistan: Grant Component

Name of the applicant

Plan International UK

No. of the proposal

N/A

Title of the action

Provision of access to market-driven training and employment opportunities to vulnerable youth and women in rural districts of Southern Punjab

Location of the action

Layyah, Muzzaffargarh, and Rajanpur Districts Punjab Province, Pakistan

4.

THE ACTION 1

1.1. BUDGET OF THE ACTION, AMOUNT REQUESTED FROM THE CONTRACTING AUTHORITY AND OTHER EXPECTED SOURCES OF FUNDING

Please refer to Annex B which details:  the budget of the action (worksheet 1), for the total duration of the action and for its first 12 months;  justification on the budget (worksheet 2), for the total duration of the action and,  amount requested from the Contracting Authority and other expected sources of funding for the action for the total duration (worksheet 3).

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Please note that in line with the guidance published in the call FAQs, there are some differences between the concept note submitted last year and this current proposal. The amount requested from the Contracting Authority has risen from €1.8m to €2.33m. In view of other support provided to originally selected project districts, the project will now target 3 rather than 4 districts and so 15 TVET institutes instead of 20. 3,692young people will be supported with free TVET places, increased from 2,000. However, a lower number of 100 young people living with disabilities is now seen as more realistic. A new activity; short duration work-skills preparation courses for 10,000 young people, has also been introduced. The full proposal submitted is in line with the information provided in the latest guidelines. Plan International UK

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1.2. DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTION (MAX 14 PAGES) 1.2.1. Proposed Objectives and Results The Youth Economic Empowerment Project (YEEP) will strengthen the accessibility, quality, relevance and equity of TVET services provided for disadvantaged young people in 3 rural districts of South Punjab, and support young people to convert technical and vocational education into meaningful, well-paid employment or self-employment. The action is designed in partnership with the National Rural Support Programme, Pakistan’s largest Rural Support Programme in terms of outreach and employment, and will work closely with project associate National Training Bureau. It will strengthen the technical capacity of the 15 supported TVET institutions and the resilience and networks of young people directly supported. The overall objective of the action is to economically empower2 disadvantaged youth in deprived rural areas of 3 districts of Southern Punjab to engage in viable employment and livelihood strategies, predominantly targeting youth with limited formal education, women and young people living with disabilities.3 The specific objective of the action is to support marginalised young men and women4 aged 15-295 to secure meaningful, well-paid employment and self-employment through improving access to, and uptake of, effective, market-driven Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), and creating linkages with employers and credit facilities. The action targets the rural areas of Muzzaffargarh, Rajanpur and Layyah districts in Southern Punjab. These districts were selected on the basis of their overall poverty incidence (estimated at 56%, 54% and 41% respectively)6, poor access to relevant TVET services, literacy and school enrolment rates below the mean provincial average and geographical proximity. All 3 districts also suffered the worst monsoon-related floods in history in 2010. 45% of employment is in agriculture but exploitative arrangements of farming mean a high reliance on casual wage labour. Of the non-agricultural employed labour force 74% work in the informal sector. The direct target group will be 3,694 youth (of whom 2,350 will be female and 100 people living with disabilities) who will benefit from free TVET places to support them in gaining marketable skills in order to access more sustainable livelihoods.

The project targets 15 public and private sector TVET institutions and facilitates partnerships with at least 40 local businesses. It is designed for scalability and will target ministries in Lahore and Islamabad with advocacy asks that TVET services to be made more appropriate for youth and marginalised groups, and effectively support young women to secure employment. The final beneficiaries will be 31,164 to include those benefitting from the revised curricula at the 15 targetted TVET institutes and the household members of the direct target group benefitting from the skills and income realised by trained young people, one youthfriendly microfinance facility, and increased recognition of the value of vocational training, particularly for women and people living with disabilities. In contrast with some TVET projects which claim success whilst working with the ‘best and brightest’ students, YEEP is designed to be relevant and effective for the target group; marginalised youth including a large proportion of young women (at least 50%), school drop-outs and youth with disabilities. This group will disproportionately benefit from a range of competency-based curricula but also from activities that build confidence and ‘employability’ skills such as workplace skills training, job placements, experiential ‘hands-on’ training and support from job placement officers. In the local areas targeted, opportunities – 2

Youth Economic Empowerment is here defined as giving young people the ability to recognise and act on economic opportunities and draw on sufficient assets – personal, physical, political, financial, social and natural – to establish and maintain a sustainable livelihood, within a supportive economic and regulatory environment. 3 54% of the Punjab’s population is illiterate, with higher rates in rural areas (60%) and amongst females (61%). (Pakistan Labour Force Survey, 2008-09). Data on disability among youth is sparse, but 2.5% is the widely used estimate in official documentation (GoP, Ministry of Women Development Social Welfare and Special Education, 2002) but will be reviewed following the baseline. 4 ‘Young men and women’ is used in place of the gender neutral word ‘youth’ to emphasise an approach which will cater for the different needs of young women, who are often less visible and face different barriers to young men. 5 Youth age range as defined in the National Youth Policy of Pakistan, Ministry of Youth Affairs. In selected cases, youth living with disabilities may be considered up to the age of 35 6 Jamal, H. (2007) SPDC Research Report #70. Income Poverty at a District Level Plan International UK

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especially for women – arise in the informal sector and so the project will promote youth entrepreneurship through specialised enterprise development training and a youth-friendly micro-credit scheme. Given the challenges marginalised youth face in gaining employment, it is especially critical to work closely with employers to ensure training programmes are relevant to current labour needs and market opportunities and adopt a community based approach to address barriers at community level, build the capacity of youth forums and engage community gatekeepers in 133 villages to recognise the value of vocational training. The project builds on substantial learning from Plan youth vocational education programmes within Pakistan and regionally. In Pakistan, Plan has supported 2,500 youth over the past 4 years with vocational and technical skills training. Through the on-going EC-funded food facility grant supporting Milk Cooperatives initiative more than 580 people – mostly youth - were trained in dairy sector skills in the neighbouring district of Vehari. Plan has partnerships with NRSP, PRSP, Lead Foundation, Sarban, Punkh and local level Government Technical Vocational training institutions. The project is also informed by successful regional Plan youth employment projects, including the Forsa (‘opportunity’) youth employment training project in Egypt, and LABS (Livelihood Advancement Business School) programmes in Vietnam and Philippines. Plan is currently supporting market surveys in neighbouring Chakwal and Vehari districts and will use a market scan tool designed by Plan in partnership with the international consultancy firm HTSPE International. NRSP have extensive experience implementing TVET trainings directly and in the design of over 80 vocational curricula.

Result 1: TVET institutions deliver accredited, market-driven, competency-based training curricula and work-skills training appropriate for rural youth, women, and young people with disabilities YEEP (Youth Economic Empowerment Project) will facilitate 15 targeted TVET institutions to strengthen the relevance and quality of their vocational training and reach the most economically vulnerable for specific trades identified in a local market scan. The National Training Bureau will certify the new curricula, which will be accessible for youth with limited formal education and young women. YEEP will also facilitate TVET institutes to deliver workforce preparation and Enterprise Development Training to support young people to secure viable employment. Finally, YEEP will facilitate youth to engage in decision-making processes relating to vocational training. In Layyah, Muzzaffargarh, and Rajanpur, 38 TVET institutes are currently registered with the government with an even balance between commercial, vocational, and technical schools. 10 are solely for female students. Although fees differ by course and institution they act as a major barrier for rural youth to access TVET courses, as do the education entry requirements. There are few independent assessments of teaching effectiveness or employment rates amongst graduates. The rural districts targeted have few medium and large employers and so to effectively support youth to secure employment or self-employment, the project will support a larger number of curricula than a more urban project would. It will also stay responsive to the findings of the market scan by ensuring that sectors will only be selected for new/upgraded modules if they offer sustained potential for employment or self-employment. NRSP worked with ILO from 2003-07 with US Department of Labour funding to economically empower disadvantaged groups by strengthening their capacity in marketable skills. Through careful pre-selection of markets and beneficiaries, post-training support services and linking with employers, this project successfully supported over 90% of trained male youth to gain employment. It is envisaged that a large percentage of targeted youth will be interested in skilled trades, textiles, construction, dairy and livestock, hospitality, home based enterprises and small-business as government planning documents and previous market research indicate these as priority sectors, and sectors that are accessible to women and young people with poor literacy. In total, 9,000 youth will be part of the final beneficiary group by benefitting from the revised curricula, workforce skills and enterprise development training carried out by the strengthened TVET institutes over the three year implementation period. 

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YEEP will support:A study will be undertaken to assess existing labour market analyses in targeted districts to assess the skills demanded by the employers.

Capacity assessments of private and public TVET institutes to map capacity, facilities, locations and willingness to support marginalised youth (building on existing data).

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15 public or private sector TVET institutes to develop and deliver selected competency-based training curricula with high employment potential and appropriate for young people with low literacy levels. Instructors will benefit from training and facilities will be upgraded as appropriate to improve access for youth living with disabilities and ensure appropriate facilities are available for women. Targeted institutions will be supported to secure accreditation from NAVTEC. Workforce skills training to build confidence and strengthen key livelihood skills. Enterprise Development Training module for vulnerable youth to be introduced and pre-tested and 30 master trainers trained. Young people in 3 districts to access reader-friendly information about available TVET courses.

Result 2: Employers formally linked with targeted TVET institutions and contributing to the design of competency-based curricula, and supporting job placements and apprenticeships for trained youth YEEP will build effective partnerships between local employers and enterprises and TVET institutions. The action will target 40 employers and will facilitate these relationships in such a way that TVET institutions will have the skills to manage and maintain sustainable relationships with the ultimate employers of their students. Only 8% of the work force receives formal training and it is widely held that the training sector is uncompetitive and out-of-date due to a lack of market responsiveness and understanding of skills requirements of employers, social stigma of vocational courses for young women and low awareness of the demands of youth themselves, particularly from young women. Graduates from vocational courses continue to face barriers to employment because their skill sets and competencies do not meet the requirements of the employers. Project staff will work closely with TVET employers through all phases of the programme to build ‘employability’ skills amongst young people. Employers will input into curriculum development and training methodologies, assignments and work-readiness models, job placements and apprenticeships and at formal programme review points. The action will promote the development of private sector partnerships to further support capacity building within the business sector. YEEP will also work closely with employers to increase awareness of women friendly employment practices. These activities will be managed through dedicated Job Placement Officers, and employer involvement will be marketed with emphasis on the potential benefits to employers in terms of selection, training costs and productivity whilst supporting their adoption of inclusive hiring policies. YEEP will facilitate:  Employers and local enterprises to agree to formal linkages with targeted TVET institutions  Employers to contribute to the design of competency-based modules.  At least 40 employers and local enterprises to support job placements and apprenticeships  Increased awareness amongst potential employers of value of women-friendly employment schemes, access for those with disabilities, and the ILO decent work standards agenda.7

Result 3: 3,694 vulnerable young men and women supported to access free TVET, youth enterprise training, workforce skills training, and job placement support. YEEP will provide free TVET places and job placement support to 3,694 disadvantaged youth to access a TVET course, workforce preparation and Enterprise Development training. These young people will benefit from personal support to maximise their opportunities to build viable livelihood strategies. They will benefit from systematic monitoring of their progress, the developing of workforce and life skills that nurture their self-confidence, career counselling and job placement services and support to those who wish to start-up their own enterprise. More free TVET places will be provided to young women (2,350) and young people living with disabilities (100) for whom fees and indirect costs of participation are higher and who face more barriers to accessing services. Youth supported with vocational training, life-skills and apprenticeships will 7

Pakistan’s CEDAW NGO shadow report, 2007, describes the limited legal protection currently afforded to women in the workplace, particularly in home-based industries and contract work. Of equal concern is the lack of legal recognition of women’s work in the agricultural and livestock sectors. Plan International UK

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also be linked to a youth-friendly Savings and Loan facility developed in parallel to the action and mainstreamed in the operations of at least two local MFIs in each district. Training will be arranged as close to the young peoples’ homes as is reasonable to address their needs and choices. The action will support free tuition and accommodation free TVET places for longer courses (2-3 months), as well as transport and subsistence support for young people who will have to travel significant distances. This will ensure that inclusion of the most marginalised is not jeopardised due to lack of economic means. The project will also support 100 disabled young people who have participated in vocational skills training and apprenticeships with ‘start-up’ kits. The previous experience of both partners, as well as consultative meetings with youth during the development phase of this process highlighted the importance of the life-skills training and start-up kits as part of the process of setting up a new business. In addition, YEEP will support a much larger number of 10,000 young people with shorter workforce preparation ‘Handy Skills’ training. NRSP has extensive experience of implementing such trainings, which will impart practical skills identified as necessary by the community and link these to workforce preparation skills trainings. This training will also serve as an entry point to share with young people information about market-driven training and employment opportunities available, and promote the enrolment of young women and youth living with disabilities. YEEP will support:  Free TVET places for 3,694 youth aged 15-29 (of whom at least 50% are women and 100 live with disabilities) to support their enrolment and participation in TVET courses, Enterprise Development Training and Workforce training.  Ongoing monitoring of training and job placements for 3,694 targeted youth.  Specific support to 100 youth with disabilities including work/business start-up kits.  The development of one tailored microfinance pilot service (a youth-friendly savings and loans product)  10,000 young women and men to participate in three day workforce preparation ‘Handy Skills’ training

Result 4: Increased recognition of the value of vocational training amongst 133 communities particularly for young women and youth living with disabilities. Result 4 focuses on community-level activities to systematically promote vocational training and build the capacity and confidence of youth forums to contribute to government decision-making processes related to skills development and vocational training. Community-based awareness campaigns in 133 villages will be facilitated by social mobilisers, and designed to engage communities in discussing the barriers to training and employment faced by young women and young people, particularly those living with disabilities. At present, youth in targeted rural areas have limited information regarding TVET opportunities and enrolment procedures. Young women and people living with disabilities are under-represented in formal business training programmes which limits their employment options, economic returns and longer-term career development. Poor and vulnerable women have typically been more interested in skills training that meets their immediate ‘practical gender needs’ as opposed to longer term ‘strategic gender needs’. They face gender stereotyping in sectors such as basic food processing and handicrafts which are often saturated and yield low returns for intensive and arduous work. YEEP Enterprise Specialist staff will encourage women to learn marketing skills and support women who are well positioned to establish micro-enterprises and homestead farming activities. This type of work requires a broader set of capacities as opposed to narrower technical competencies, with the emphasis on social and management skills. To support women in this, the action will provide enterprise development training and create linkages with the youth-friendly microfinance facility. YEEP will support:  Community awareness campaigns in 133 villages promoting vocational training, targeting community ‘gatekeepers’ These will be led by the Social Mobilizers.  3 district level youth forums will be formed (1 in each target district) to facilitate the interaction of young people with government representatives and employers and support youth advocacy to make investment in youth a priority and implement the National Skills Strategy. These forums will meet on a

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on a quarterly basis in order to plan for advocacy events, undertaking peer/community awareness and discussions with local employers. 6 advocacy events at district level to advocate for inclusive TVET services within the National Skills Strategy, with emphasis on rural youth, women and youth with disabilities.These events will be planned and executed by the youth forums.

The project will generate a number of publications during its lifespan as follows, all of which will be broadly distributed within the youth, business development and TVET services sectors, including all relevant governmental and non-governmental actors. The publications will share best practices and development of replicable models.  1 baseline survey (Activity 0.1)  1 market need assessment based on existing market analysis (Activity 1.1)  1 TVET capacity assessment paper (Activity 1.2)  Final evaluation report (Activity 0.2)  At least 8 case studies of successful young people (Activity 0.2)  IEC materials about courses available (Activity 1.9)  Radio and Cable TV Broadcasts (Activity 4.1)

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1.2.2. Proposed activities and their effectiveness Result 1: TVET institutions deliver accredited, market-driven, competency-based training curricula and work skills training appropriate for rural youth, women, and young people with disabilities 1.1 Conduct market research and sectoral value chain analysis, using existing market analysis, to assess demand and supply for technical & vocational skills in 3 targeted districts (Responsible: Plan and NRSP) The action will use existing market analysis of labour market demand and supply for technical and vocational skills in targeted districts in order to guide the project team to support sectors with a market need. This secondary research will be carried out by Plan and NRSP staff and will identify selected businesses and services operating in the communities that are (or could be) main sources for employment or entrepreneurship. The mapping will identify sectors with long term employment growth, decent standards of work and wage earning potential. It will also investigate non-traditional employment opportunities for women and people living with disabilities. This information will be disseminated to the NTB, Technical Education & Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) and public and private sector TVET institutes to support the design of demand-driven, competency-based training modules as well as promoted amongst youth to encourage entry into specific trades. The market survey process and analysis will:  Identify sectors with unmet demand for skilled labour, and businesses or services that are sources for employment and entrepreneurship.  Assessment of the labour supply in the community (age range, employment status, levels of education and training, willingness to undertake additional training and education, ability to compete in the market) through participatory consultations with beneficiaries resulting in a labour supply profile.  Analyse gaps in the demand & supply of technical and vocational skills and services required by public and private sector employers in the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors in 3 districts.  Quantify employment potential in identified sectors.  Profile the training required to meet current and future local labour demands, with focus on employment potential for young women and men. The mapping will draw on NRSP’s substantial experience undertaking value chain analysis for the clothing and medicinal plant markets. 1.2 Conduct mapping and capacity assessment of local public and private TVET institutes (Responsible: NRSP) The action will support a mapping of operational public and private TVET institutes in the districts and review their training capacities, facilities, accessibility and the range, quality and relevance of training modules being offered to the standards required in the market as well as the inclinations of young people. The report will review their criteria for the enrolment of youth and the extent to which the institute has the capacity to train young women and men with limited formal education who are most disadvantaged in society. The mapping will be undertaken by NRSP and will identify which facilities have the capacity and motivation to successfully design and deliver training courses in the identified market-based skills. It will allow the project team to identify the need to upgrade training facilities, provide equipment, train trainers or introduce different training curricula. It is important that the assessment considers the potential of identified institutes to promote practical, participatory forms of instruction and learning, as well as institutes’ receptiveness to competency-based curricula. The survey will build on our experience in nearby Vehari and Chakwal districts, and use information publicly available through TEVTA. The action associate, NTB, will be extensively consulted for guidance and technical advice on this activity. NRSP also has valuable experience in the mapping and assessment of public and private training institutes, holding information workshops and Plan International UK

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developing training manuals for capacity building and setting standard processes as part of a USAID ASP capacity building programme and, previously, the TREE project working alongside ILO. 1.3 Strengthen 15 selected public or private sector TVET institutes through the training of instructors and upgrading facilities (Responsible: NRSP) Using the baseline, market analysis, mapping and institutional capacity assessments; the project steering committee will identify which specific trades and establishments will be targeted for support. Across the 3 districts, the project will concentrate on modules focussing on specific employment opportunities accessible by female youth and those with limited formal education and disabilities. The exact number of modules will respond to the findings of the market scan, but given the focus on 133 villages the project will take care not to focus on too few trades and so saturate markets. Given the emphasis on improving access to TVET services for women, the majority of establishments targeted will be women-only or co-educational. Following the institute selection process, the action will sign agreements with 15 public or private sector institutes in which they will commit to deliver market-driven, competency-based training curricula to targeted students, and to fully participate in the introduction of new training approaches. Selected institutes will be upgraded to deliver appropriate training for, and be accessible to, students with disabilities. Staff will be targeted for appropriate training and refresher courses to strengthen their teaching and assessment skills in competency-based training approaches. The professional and pedagogical competence of the technical teacher is critical to the successful implementation of any TVET strategy. To ensure sufficient enrolment of young women, the appointment of female training instructors will be encouraged. Where the number of training instructors is limited; women who participate in training will be encouraged to take up teaching jobs within the training institutes. NRSP have extensive relevant experience and will lead on this activity.1.4 Support 15 public or private sector TVET institutes to develop or revise specific training modules to be competency-based, and address skills gaps identified by employers (Responsible: NRSP) The action will support the development or revision of training modules which address skills gaps identified by employers. The training modules will be designed by NRSP technical staff with input from employers and action associate NTB. The modules will be competency-based8, with competencies relating to knowledge and skills that inform a major part of a job and that correlate with job performance. The curricula will include experiential, practical, hands-on training. Past experience has shown effective practices to include sessions where employers or skilled ‘trade masters’ provide some of the training or are involved in the curricula through judging competitions, and ‘peer training’ where young people close in age to the students with experience in the skill area (e.g. hospitality) facilitate learning sessions. As the project develops, we shall also engage past alumni students to share learning and link skills learnt to recruitment and the workplace. 1.5 Support 15 TVET institutes to gain accreditation in the delivery of new/revised training modules through a recognized government body (TEVTA/NAVTEC/ NTB) (Responsible: NRSP) The project will secure accreditation for 15 courses through TEVTA and new curricula will be certified by the National Training Bureau (NTB). In the Southern Punjab, there has been a burgeoning growth of private TVET institutions providing courses that do not develop the requisite skill sets in participants. This has contributed to a declining credibility of vocational qualifications and market distortions where supply of trained candidates far exceeds market absorption capacity. All private TVET institutions supported through the project will be supported to gain the certification of government authorities and NTB. The project will seek to build sustainable relationships and cooperation between private institutions and regulatory bodies which will continue following the project. The project will adopt the accreditation procedure developed through the "Supporting TVET Reform in Pakistan" (known as TVET II) implemented by GiZ

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The Pakistan National Skills Strategy 2009-2013 proposes a paradigm shift from curricula-based education to competency-based training, but in practice little has been achieved to date in Southern Punjab. Plan International UK

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In collaboration with NTB, the National Institute of Technical Education and public/private Technical Training Centres, NRSP has already prepared revised training modules for various trades and these modules were approved by the concerned Training Institutes and implemented by their instructors.

1.6 Design workforce skills (life skills) training module (Responsible: NRSP) Plan has been supporting workforce or life-skills training as an integral part of vocational and technical training since 2008, and will be revise, pre-test and support the rollout of a training module on life skills to complement the TVET modules supported. In 2008, NRSP also implemented a Life Skills Project in collaboration with the RSPN and International Youth Foundation. The module is considered particularly important to support disadvantaged students who often lack confidence to secure positions. The module will:  Build confidence in communication and presentation skills and personal competencies (e.g. managing emotions, cooperation, personal responsibility, problem solving, and respect for self and others)  Strengthen key livelihood skills including literacy and financial skills, labour laws, negotiations, and effective work habits (e.g. teamwork, workplace protocol, time management, and workers’ responsibilities and rights).  Additional life skills such as gender issues, sexual and reproductive health and right, disaster risk reduction, will also be discussed to compliment the workforce skills and support young people in making a safe and healthy transition into adulthood. Such skills training is rarely taught in public and private TVET curricula, but Plan Pakistan have found workforce and life preparation training have boosted employment prospects, particularly in projects supporting young people with limited formal education. For example, in interventions in Punjab and Islamabad, follow-up interviews with youth who had received life-skills training reported that they had gained new knowledge that enhanced their self-esteem and confidence, especially relating to labour laws and presentation skills. This activity will build on the life skills module of ILO under its livelihood interventions and be led by workforce skills specialists in each district. 1.7 Design and roll-out gender sensitive Enterprise Development Training (EDT) for youth and train 30 EDT Master Trainers linked with TVET institutes (Responsible: NRSP) YEEP will also support the development and testing of an Enterprise Development Training module, and train 30 master trainers in EDT and link them with TVET institutes. Given the challenging environment for identifying employment opportunities and few large employers in target districts, the project will create awareness among the targeted young women and men about self-employment as a career option and nurture the interests of trainees. This ties in with government priorities; the government of Sindh province has recently started an initiative to include business development in the curricula of TVETs. The EDT curriculum will include how to establish or scale up an enterprise, business planning, finance management, accessing credit, market linkages (backward & forward), market research, laws/regulations, and training availability. The curriculum will be gender aware and integrate components of the gender-sensitive ILO entrepreneurship curriculum tested in many Asian countries. This will draw on ‘Business Management Skills’ training which is a standard part of NRSP’s vocational training modules with more than 10,000 people trained to date. In the rural areas targeted, local opportunities often arise in the informal sector, especially for women, where work conditions are often exploitative and wages do not follow national agreed wage standards (although even in the formal sector, labour unions are often politicised and not always effective in enforcing work standards). It is noteworthy that the government of Sindh province has recently introduced a similar initiative to include business development within TVET curricula. Training of trainers (Master Trainers) will be undertaken to prepare trainers for delivering EDT in various public and private TVETs and also as an independent training opportunity for youth interested in starting a new enterprise. This will be done in partnership with the targeted TVET institutes and complement activity 3.6, the pilot introduction of a youth-friendly microfinance facility.

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1.8

Improve access to information by young people in 3 districts about access to and procedures for TVET courses (Responsible: Plan)

YEEP will support the publication and dissemination of information and communication materials for young men, women and their communities in easy to understand local language. 300 YEEP information packs and 300 advocacy information publications will provide information including training types, dates, admission procedures and entrance criteria. Plan’s Youth Follow up study (2009) found that there was a basic lack of knowledge and awareness among the communities in Vehari district of the existence of different TVETs, especially forums amongst rural illiterate youth and young women. The reader-friendly, clearly presented materials will support community awareness sessions, youth forums and work preparation ‘handy skills’ training activities in result 3.

Result 2: Employers formally linked with targeted TVET institutions and contributing to the design of competency-based curricula, and supporting job placements and apprenticeships for trained youth 2.1

Sign MoUs with 40 employers and local enterprises agreeing to formal linkages with targeted TVET institutions, and to contribute to the design of competency-based curricula. (Responsible: NRSP)

Developing linkages between employers and TVET institutions is an essential part of the project’s strategy and it is considered realistic and achievable to target 40 employers in the operational districts or in other districts. The activity will be led by NRSP but handed over to the targeted TVET institutions themselves, as building sustainable relationships is critical to the sustainability of the project and an essential element of the capacity building of institutions. To facilitate these critical relationships, the action will recruit one dedicated enterprise specialist per district targeted. The project team will facilitate private sector employers to input into the design of curricula for TVET institutions. Employers presently report a considerable mismatch between the contents of training courses and skills needs of employers. The quality of TVET education currently emphasises theory and certification aspects rather than skills acquisition or in-depth practical understanding which requires learning by doing and coaching. Vocational students will be encouraged to build a portfolio of projects during training as proof of ability to perform certain professional tasks. 2.2

Work with 40 employers and local enterprises to support job placements and apprenticeships for trained youth (Responsible: NRSP)

Employers and local enterprises will be engaged to support job placements and apprenticeships for trained youth. This on-the-job training will complement competency-based training and facilitate the transition to a professional work environment and possible employment. This is especially important for young people who may have little awareness of the work environment such as out-of-school youth, women and those with disabilities. Indicative labour market information will be gathered from the Chamber of Commerce and Industries, public and private sector employers as well as large NGOs and microfinance institutions. Job placements will be marketed with emphasis of benefit to the company i.e. saving, in recruitment, selection and training time and cost, and the project staff will dedicate time to understanding their needs. Presently, formal sector employers favour older adult staff and there are far fewer opportunities for women (even the 10% stated quota for the public sector is not met) or youth. The MoUs signed with the selected businesses and industries will allocate quotas of formal apprenticeship opportunities, job-placements, and on-the-job training to absorb the graduates trained under the action and reserve employment opportunities for trained young women. Employers will benefit from support to provide candidates that meet their needs. Facilitating the relationship between TVET institutes and employers will be critical to the successful implementation of this activity and accordingly each district will employ separate staff positions; one Enterprise Specialist and one Youth Career Councillor/Job Placement Officer to facilitate these relationships. These facilitators will visit during every placement and follow-up afterwards.

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2.3

Create awareness by potential employers of value of women friendly employment schemes, culturally sensitive women-friendly work places; and promotion of the ILO decent work standard agenda (Responsible: NRSP)

The project will promote awareness among 40 potential employers of the value of women-friendly work places. It is recognised that promoting the employment of women requires working with many stakeholders including young women and men, community gatekeepers and employers because gender inequality is currently so widespread in this sector. Awareness raising will be designed to mitigate employers’ resistance to employing women by addressing issues of gender equality, and practical strategies to promote a womenfriendly workplace, including transport and working environment. These sessions will build on research NRSP is currently undertaking in collaboration with the ILO on Decent Work issues and how to address these. Traditionally, women opt for positions where their reproductive role in the household is not compromised and the female labour force is regarded by employers as semi-skilled, flexible in their attitudes and cheap labour. The low levels of female enrolment in the TVET sector raise questions of the efficacy of the TVET programmes. At national level, several recent policies and strategies9 and recognise that women presently lack education and skills development training opportunities. Women are typically enrolled in limited, stereotypical occupations such as dress making/tailoring, secretarial, computer, craft/cottage industry (garment making, embroidery, knitting, glass and fabric painting etc.), beauty, teaching and nursing.

Result 3: 3,694 vulnerable young men and women supported to access free TVET, youth enterprise training, workforce skills training, and job placement support. 3.1

Provide free TVET places to 3,694 young people aged 15-29, of whom 2,350 are female and 100 live with disabilities to facilitate their enrolment in TVET courses, Enterprise Development Training and Workforce skills training (Responsible: Plan)

The project will support free TVET places for 3,694 young people, of whom 2,350 will be women and 100 living with disabilities to access the TVET programmes set out in result 1. These stipends will provide opportunities for disadvantaged youth, the majority of whom will have dropped out of school early, to access TVET services. These will be allocated through a transparent and systematic selection process, using poverty assessment tools such as the Progress-Out-Of-Poverty-Index, but also including the age, the willingness of the young person, and his or her employment and business plans following the completion of the training . The selection criteria will be finalised following the finalisation of the TVET courses to be supported and consultation with community representatives.. Equal opportunities to access free TVET places will be guaranteed irrespective of applicants’ background, caste, religion, or educational status (school dropouts will not be expressly targeted although it is expected that a disproportionate number of beneficiaries will have low literacy levels). At present, there are a limited numbers of free TVET places available but these designed to target educated youth rather than those who are most economically vulnerable. Following the selection process, each young person will undertake a Training Needs Identification where appropriate trades are identified and a Training Needs Assessment to determine their aptitude and willingness and suggest appropriate market-driven vocational and technical training. In the Training Needs Assessment, the young person will prepare a detailed post-training business plan and assess its feasibility in terms of market demand, competitiveness and risk. Participants will be grouped according to trade, profile and gender for training. Every young person selected will commit to an agreement making clear their commitment to the project as well as an individual training and development plan. The scholarship will cover the cost of trainers and workshop/classroom instruction, training material, training equipment, food, stationery, and transport. On completion of the training, all participants will be provided with appropriate training kits and instruction manuals. All graduating students will provided with a toolkit where it genuinely supports their employment or self-employment prospects and is relevant to their posttraining business plan.

9

Including the National Skills Strategy (2009-13), National Education Policy (2010) and National Labour Policy.

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The food stipend will be standard and the transport stipend will depend on the distance to training centres. Other expenses such as the classroom instruction, trainers and equipment will be directly supported by the project. The 100 students supported who are living with disabilities will also be supported with a special equipment or toolkit as required. 3.2

Monitor the quality of training and learning of the 3,694 targeted youth through training and job placements (Responsible: Plan and NRSP)

The quality of training conducted will be assessed by NRSP through a stringent monitoring process that will start with a pre-test of enrolled students through an entrance test, and later through weekly graded tests. Students’ progress will also be monitored by the training instructor and a database detailing student progress will be maintained. At the end of the course, each student’s learning level will be individually evaluated and students will give feedback on their training instructors. Qualitative research techniques will be used by the District Project Coordinators to gauge youth perceptions of the expected and unexpected outcomes of the action. This will give insights into issues such as economic empowerment, increase in skills, employability, income, young people and their families’ assets, confidence, development of leadership qualities, and decision-making potential, especially amongst girls. Such data collection and periodic monitoring will take place with the support the Project Manager in making project implementing decisions and reviewing outcomes on an ongoing basis with the Project Steering Committee. Plan will be responsible for ensuring effective delivery of services by partners including NRSP and assume final responsibility for the delivery of quality services and supporting capacity building as necessary. 3.3

Support targeted youth with career counselling and keep trained youth updated regularly with available job opportunities (Responsible: NRSP)

The action will support two Youth Career Councillor/Job Placement Officers, who will provide quarterly support to 3,694 youth including career guidance and final job placement. The councillors will help youth understand labour market opportunities, the interview process and how to realistically further their career. Guidance materials will be presented in easy to understand language. Career guidance support will be provided on a group basis at community level through dedicated professionals allowing each individual youth – and potentially family members – to interact and discuss their particular circumstances. The career councillor will also be able to link graduates to business development services and finance, alumni who have secured employment and employers with whom the project has signed agreements. A database will be developed to maintain records of the project beneficiaries. 3.4

Identify and support 100 youth with disabilities to participate in TVET (Responsible: NRSP)

The project will identify 100 youth with disabilities and through their Training Needs Assessment and the institutional mapping assessment identify appropriate courses and institutes, generally in courses integrated with youth without disabilities. At present very few schools are providing vocational training for people with disabilities and the schools for people with disabilities focus on pre-vocational courses. The project will support identified institutes to design training for disabled youth trainees and funds will be made available to adapt centres to allow physical access. Given limited resources, institutes supported may include those with some experience to date and might be located outside of target districts, such as in Multan. In addition to skill training the project will also provide financial support for purchase of equipment, tools and provision of cash grants for prosthetic devices, wheelchairs, crutches, hearing aids, aids for the blind and specially modified TVET equipment such as tools. A strong follow up support mechanism will be developed and ensure continuous support until project completion, then focused input will ensure detailed medical assessment will be conducted to all selected trainees, and tools /equipment modified according to trainee requirements will be ensured to enhance their physical activities. Normally, people with disabilities, especially women, face difficulties in the service sector due to mobility issues and community acceptance, so project will work on multiple efforts. Special training on communication for development will be imparted through different sessions and activities to people with disabilities to enhance their motivational level. Meetings with successful disabled people will also be arranged. Employers will also be sensitized to the rights of young people with disabilities and professional approaches to mainstreaming disabled people in their workforce. Plan International UK

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3.5 Support 10,000 young women and men to participate in a 3-day technical and vocational skills and workforce preparation ‘Handy Skills’ training (Responsible: Plan and NRSP) YEEP will engage with a large number of young women and men through a short-duration TVET skills and workforce preparation course; ‘Handy Skills’ training. Training will take place in 133 communities and at high schools and A-level colleges (equivalent). It will include practical skills training related to fields such as improved agriculture practices, pest control, kitchen gardening, livestock management skills, feed & fodder, clothe tie & dying, candle making, tube-well engine maintenance food processing/milk value addition, and integrate elements of the workforce skills curriculum developed under result 1. However, it will also provide relevant information about TVET and enterprise development services offered and promote enrolment of young women and youth living with disabilities. NRSP has extensive experience of implementing such trainings at community level. At the community level the training will be carried out through identifying ‘master trainers’ from the local communities. The selected participants will participate in “Training of Trainers (TOT)” course and after successful completion they will take responsibility for facilitating handy skills trainings in the operational villages. These trainers will be monitored by the technical expert (Handy Skills Training Officers) based in each district who will make payments to the trainers on the basis of the quality of training delivery. To ensure sufficient enrolment of young women, the appointment of female training instructors will be encouraged. The syllabus will cover workplace preparation skills including problem solving and conflict management, time management, workers’ rights, CV preparation, confidence building, presentation skills, interview skills, and communication skills. Depending on the target group, the training might also include short trainings related to home production, agriculture and livestock management and technical knowledge about agriculture-related equipment. These short trainings will provide an access point to vocational education for 10,000 young people and introduce young people to competency-based teaching methodologies. 3.6

Support one youth friendly loan products and saving schemes and link the trained youth to the youth friendly micro finance schemes for establishing micro enterprises (Responsible: Plan and NRSP)

A consultant will be hired to work with one microfinance institution to develop a youth friendly saving and loan product. No credit line will be provided to the micro finance institutions. However, a partnership with local MFIs will be established to encourage them to mainstream the youth loan product. At present, MFIs consider youth as risky clients therefore they do not venture into developing youth specific loan products and services and youth – when able – access microfinance through their parents. Plan International has substantial experience implementing a Village Savings and Loan model, a low-input microfinance methodology well suited to rural communities with basic financial management skills, who do not have sufficient collateral to access finance normally. Currently there are six MFIs working in these districts. These have seven branches in Layyah, 9 in Muzaffargarh, and 6 in Rajanpur. Result 4:

4.1

Increased recognition of the value of vocational training amongst 133 communities particularly for young women and youth living with disabilities.

Organise systematic community-based awareness campaigns in 133 villages and promotion of vocational training. (Responsible: Plan)

The project team and dedicated social mobilisers will organise intensive community mobilization campaigns in the targeted villages in all three districts. Through its long-term presence in communities, Plan and partner NRSP are uniquely positioned to work at community level to undertake mass awareness campaigns and engage CBOs and youth forums in 133 villages of the three operational districts. The awareness campaigns will seek to challenge stigma around vocational education, target community ‘gatekeepers’ to challenge the existing cultural barriers that young women face in terms of mobility, training participation and employment, and tackle negative perceptions associated with women or people with disabilities working outside the house. The awareness activities will promote the value of vocational training beyond those who benefit from free TVET places, and facilitate access to ‘village savings & loans’ and courses supported through the project. Local FM radio and cable TV will also be used in addition to printed materials to convey Plan International UK

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messages about local training opportunities for youth and the availability of free TVET places for disadvantaged groups. Through community poverty mapping, the project will systematically identify 3,694 youth for enrolment in the TVET, Enterprise Development and work-skills training. On average, this represents 15 youth per village targeted.

4.2 Establish youth forums and support them in undertaking advocacy activities to influence local government to prioritise youth (particularly young women) with TVET and implement the National Skills Strategy. (Responsible: Plan) YEEP will support young people to engage with the government institutions, policy makers and the private sector through establishing three district level youth forums. These forums will meet regularly to plan advocacy event targeting government institutions. Each youth forum plan and implement 2 advocacy events over the project period. At present, youth engagement is limited in these districts, as it is at provincial and national level. The majority of youth representatives in youth parliaments presently are highly-educated youth who are not representative of youth in general. Plan has experience of organising youth forums in Chakwal, Vehari and Islamabad for young people to interact with duty bearers and demand their rights to education and employment. Plan Pakistan engages youth organisations on the issues of economic empowerment and employability as prioritised by young people themselves. For example, Plan has an EC funded project on milk value chains as a result of which approximately 586 employment opportunities have been generated for the rural youth in Vehari district.

0. Other Activities 0.1 Recruitment of staff and project orientation The first 2 months of the project will be used for staff recruitment. All Plan staff will be in place by the start of month 2 and all NRSP staff will be in place by the start of month 3. Once all staff are in place a start up workshop will be conducted to orient all staff on the details of the project, undertake detailed activity planning and orient staff on EC contract management. 0.2

Establish Project Management Offices for the ‘Youth Economic Empowerment Project’ (YEEP) in three districts, conduct baseline household survey and project start-up activities (Responsible: Plan)

During the project inception period, the following activities will be undertaken, overseen by Plan:  Recruit YEEP staff and Plan Country Office project support staff  Establish three YEEP field offices in the three operational districts ensuring appropriate security  Facilitate security training for all staff employed under the action  Collect baseline data to profile youth skills and unemployment  Support selection of project and control group villages in each district  Draft and sign contracts with selected public and/or private TVET institutes  Organise project start-up and operational planning workshop  Provide tenders for procurement of machinery and equipment to TVET institutions An action start-up and operational planning workshop will be facilitated with the support of a grants specialist from Plan UK who will also provide specific training to all administration and finance staff on compliance with EC regulations. All tenders will be carried out by the Plan Country Director in association with the Plan Livelihoods Advisor and YEEP Manager. The YEEP M&E Officer will be responsible for designing and carrying out the project baseline through outsourcing data collection and supported by management teams and the project steering committee. 0.3 Baseline household survey, final evaluation and establish project monitoring structures and systems for programme review, continuous learning and improvement Plan International UK

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A baseline survey will be conducted during months 2 and 3, prior to project implementation, in all of the target villages. The baseline will establish benchmarks at household level against the indicators set out in the project log frame. This will help in establishing the project’s results and outcomes on completion of the project, through the end of project evaluation study. The baseline survey will also include a gender analysis regarding the gendered division of labour and condition of TVET access and employment prospects for disadvantaged young men and women. In contrast the market analysis and TVET capacity assessment will directly feed into the design of the the curriculum A Project Steering Committee will be established including representatives from Plan, NRSP, NTB, TVET institutes, communities, youth and employers. The committee will meet every 6 months to discuss progress and obstacles. The overall monitoring and supervision of the project will be overseen by the proposed Project Steering Committee and the Project Management Unit. A monitoring plan will be developed in line with procedures for follow-up and internal/external evaluation in the methodology section of the proposal. The project will hire a Monitoring Officer and 2 MIS officers, coordinated by a Project Monitoring Officer at the provincial headquarters of NRSP. The YEEP team will be supported by the MER team of NRSP, and M&E staff at Plan Pakistan and Plan UK. A final evaluation will take place in the final month of the action and will use the baseline survey findings and monitoring information collected to measure the outcome of the action. 0.4 Visibility actions The action will ensure EC visibility through a number of methods including:  Signboards will be put in a prominent place at each of the 15 TVET institutes strengthened through the project  Media coverage (print, TV, radio spots)- this will be used to highlight certain key activities during the action. Local journalists will be called upon to cover these activities in the media.  Posters, banners, leaflets, and other printed identity materials will be produced to advertise and mark key events in the action. The EC logo will be printed in a prominent place on all of these materials.  Stickers for visibility- these will advertise the project and the EC funding amongst youth in the target areas  Project souvenirs (keyrings, diaries, mugs etc)- these will be produced at the sart of the action and distributed amongst project stakeholders at key events throughout the project period.

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2.2.2. Methodology (max 4 pages) Methods of implementation and reasons for the proposed methodology The action design is underpinned by the principles of Plan’s rights-based approach, known as ChildCentred Community Development, in which young people and their communities are at the heart of their own development to create sustainable changes in their lives. It is guided by Pakistan’s National Youth Policy (2008) and supports this policy’s ‘Plan of Action’ objectives relating to i) enabling employment through skills development and vocational training, entrepreneurship, micro-finance, and job placements, ii) supporting marginalised and vulnerable youth, youth with special needs and balancing the gender imbalance and iii) involving youth in national policy formulation. By adopting a rights-based approach, the action’s design reinforces the responsibilities and accountabilities of government ministries, TEVTA in Punjab and TVET institutions to deliver equitable and effective TVET services. YEEP recognises the principles of inclusion and non-discrimination; that all young people hold equal rights and seeks to address gender imbalances in access to services and economic opportunities. Participation is central to the action’s design; young people and their communities will participate in decision-making processes, and youth will be supported to undertake advocacy campaigns and organise district-level advocacy events. Youth Economic Empowerment Project (YEEP) will adopt the following methodologies:  Strengthen vocational curricula based on analysis of the local demands and absorption capacities of local labour markets and competencies demanded by employers  Support TVET institutes to adopt student-centred learning methodologies appropriate for vocational education and students with limited formal education to ensure they are active, responsible participants in their own learning.  Support work readiness training, work placements and apprenticeships to provide employability skills to young people, experience of work settings and create linkages with the formal and informal sectors. The action will monitor progress in increasing the participation and integration of women in training and employment and hold government accountable for the equitable intake of women;  Promote youth entrepreneurship and access to finance for young people in recognition of livelihood opportunities and limited number of medium and large-size enterprises in rural areas. The project will support a Village Savings and Loans model. This low-input microfinance methodology is best suited to poor rural communities, and provides an entry point to financial services for young people generating relatively low incomes. No credit line needs be provided to the micro finance institutions. This methodology is appropriate to support adolescents to cover ongoing expenses where earning patterns can be irregular and complements the empowerment, confidence-building and financial management skills trainings that will be supported. In addressing issues of relevance, quality, access and equity, the action systematically considers gender at all stages of the project cycle. The 42 month timeframe was formulated to provide support during three complete academic years following initial market and institutional assessments. Explain how the action is intended to build on the results of previous actions. Where the action is part of a larger programme, explain how it is coordinated with this or any other planned projects This action evolves from an ongoing partnership since 2008 between Plan and NRSP in improving access to TVET services for young female domestic servants and male sanitary workers in Islamabad slums and marginalised rural youth in Vehari district, near to the districts targeted. In the first phase, the project supported local and residential TVET and business management skills training. NRSP directly delivered trainings because the government TVET curricula had proved unsuitable for rural youth with limited formal education. From 2009, NRSP then introduced a life skills training component building on an ILO module. At the same time, Plan introduced Enterprise Development Training (EDT) building on previous experience from Plan’s Enterprise Activist Program in Vehari and Islamabad. The project was successful at supporting young people to establish enterprises and in Islamabad the project successfully linked trained young male sanitary workers to small scale loans. The actions included intensive three tier research at industry level (to assess market demand), TVET Institutes level (to assess capacity, services, linkages and curricula) and community level (to assess demand for training, and barriers to accessing services). Similar research is currently underway in Vehari district with international consultancy HTSPE. This action also builds on learning from the EC-funded food facility project in Vehari district which supports the livelihoods of 3,000 subsistence and semi-subsistence farmers in the dairy sector. Whilst still underway, Plan International UK

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in March the action was favourably evaluated by an EC external monitor.10 586 employment opportunities have been generated for rural youth to date and targeted 400 vulnerable women to produce value-add milk products. The action included market assessments, Value Chain Analysis and supported cooperatives to formulate business plans. The monitor concluded that the action had “fast-paced implementation involving several partners” and that due to “well-coordinated activities”, it had “achieved an important women empowerment impact” and contributed to the “ambition to produce more milk and develop business” amongst targeted farmers. Plan and NRSP will co-ordinate all activities with the following ongoing programmes:  Punjab Dairy Development Board; Training livestock workers and placing them in their own villages to provide livestock services, with a focus on local women.  Apprenticeship Training Centre; providing training to unskilled trainees according to the market demand. Support industry placements for on-the-job training with stipend provided  National Internship Program; financial support for internships for educated skilled youth  National Commission for Human Development (NCHD); Teacher training and placement centre  Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Youth Development Programme (BBSYDP); Vocational and professional skills training services  Punjab Government programme for Entrepreneurship Development  CARE’s EC TVET programme to be established at the same time as this action. A meeting was held with CARE on 28th December 2011. It was agreed to constructively coordinate to ensure wider coverage in targeted districts and maximise opportunities for cross-sharing and learning. To ensure no overlap in target areas : 1. In Muzaffargarh district Plan will work in Muzaffargarh tehsil only and Care will work in Kot Addu and Alipur tehsils. 2. In Rajanpur district Plan will work in Rajanpur and Rojan tehsils and CARE will work in Jampur Tehsil only. 3. Plan will work in Layyah district (can select any or all tehsils of the district). Given the overlap in activities including building linkages with the private sector, strengthening local TVET institutes and working at community level with youth groups, Plan and CARE have agreed to coordinate to create regular forums to share learning and ensure close coordination at district and national level. Procedures for follow up and internal/external evaluation; Project monitoring and evaluation will be based on the indicators assembled in the logframe and community participatory monitoring. Baseline survey data specific to beneficiary groups will be collected at project inception and a final evaluation conducted by a locally-engaged external M&E consultant. A Project Monitoring Officer will be engaged national level (NRSP) and Monitoring Officer in each district. Data will be collected through the following tools as detailed in the logframe: Monitoring Tool Objective Frequency Unit of Assessment External Baseline Survey, Track Survey-Based Impact Indicators 3 and 42 Household level Final Evaluation months TVET Institutional Mapping Progress Out of Poverty Index TVET Institutional Data Project Management Information System (MIS)

10

Mapping + Capacity Assessment of TVET institutes Target and monitor poverty levels using participatory objective poverty scorecard developed by Grameen Foundation Monitor institute level data relating to access, quality and equity of training delivered (e.g. enrolment, completion) Monitor employer linkages, job placement services and community level trainings and activities.

3 months

TVET institute level

Annually

Household level

Monthly

TVET institute level

0, 6, 12 and 18 months

Employer level Individual level Village level

Graded ‘B: good’ overall. ‘Efficiency of implementation’ & ‘impact prospects’ were graded as ‘A: very good’ (Mar11).

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All monitoring tools will be designed to be owned by TVET institutions support community ownership through participatory monitoring. Institution level data will be designed to periodically feed into existing TEVTA monitoring systems Project progress will be monitored through quarterly internal reports by Plan and NRSP field officers and the project coordinator ahead of quarterly stakeholder review meetings with NRSP, NTB, TVET Institutes and youth representatives to review project implementation. A project inception workshop will be held within the first month of start-up and Plan UK will conduct 3 monitoring visits during the project period. Financial monitoring will be ensured through Plan’s General Ledger accounting system, which logs every financial transaction. Field Audits will also be conducted by internal controllers.

Role and participation of various actors and stakeholders Plan International will be responsible for overall coordination, monitoring and implementation of the project. Plan has specialist grants and M&E staff who will closely monitor activities and collaborate with partners. Plan will lead on community mobilization at the grass root level, improving access to information about TVET services, organising youth groups, undertaking awareness campaigns targeted at community gatekeepers and providing free TVET places to 3,694 young people. Plan will lead on organising youth forums at district, provincial and national level. NRSP will assume responsibility for field research and capacity assessments of local TVET institutes. Based upon these findings, NRSP will support the development of new competency based curricula and ToT training programmes, development and delivery of the work skills and enterprise development modules as well as workforce preparation ‘handy skills’ training. NRSP will facilitate signing of MoUs with 40 local enterprises, and facilitate their involvement in curricula design, job placements and establish linkages with targeted TVET institutions. They will also create awareness of the value of women-friendly employment schemes, access for those with disabilities, and the ILO decent work standards agenda. TVET Institutions will be central to the implementation of activities under results 1 to 3. They will make commitments in formal MoUs to adequately resourcing and sustainably integrating support provided through the project. They will commit to full participation in capacity building activities and mechanisms to share and sustain the training modules produced following the end of project funding. At least 40 Private Sector employers will commit to input into the design of competency-based training curricula for TVET institutions. Employers presently report a considerable mismatch between the contents of training courses and, support work placements and apprenticeship schemes. It is hoped that employers will contribute in various ways throughout courses so that they build relationships with potential candidates and an understanding of the quality of instruction and the syllabus’ being used. Job placements will be marketed with emphasis of benefit to the company such as savings, in recruitment, and training costs and 3 dedicated enterprise specialists will devote time to understanding their needs. It is considered essential to build pragmatic collaboration between TVET providers and formal and non-formal sector based industry and business. Communities will play an active role in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the project. Beneficiaries have had involvement in the project design process and participatory methods used to ensure the involvement of young men and women. Relative to other youth employment training programmes, YEEP’s niche includes its focus on disadvantaged rural youth, including young women, and its communitybased approach to addressing needs and understanding barriers at community level. Young people in all communities will benefit from the basic workforce preparation training. Youth groups in different communities will be supported to interact with government policy makers and employers, organise advocacy events and advocate for their right to decent employment and financial and non-financial support. Organisational structure and the team proposed for implementation of the actionNational level teamThe project will be lead by a Plan Project Manager and NRSP Team Leader. A Plan Project Admin & Finance Coordinator and NRSP Project Monitoring Officer will support the project from the national offices. The fulltime YEEP team will be supported by the Plan country office team. This will include 1 Senior Livelihood Advisor (15%), Program Support Managers (Strategy & Implementation). NRSP will be supported by their Finance and Admin Officer (60%). Plan International UK

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District level team 2 Plan District Project Coordinators will be responsible to supervise the Plan implemented social mobilization component and will hold overall responsibility for ensuring smooth implementation of all activities. 3 NRSP District Training Coordinators will develop linkages with employers, TVET institutes other key government stakeholders and ensure training design and delivery is according to market requirements. 1 NRSP TVET Capacity Building Officer will carrying out capacity assessment and capacity building of TVET institutes and maintain constant liaison with partner institutes and ensuring that capacity building and strengthening activities are carried out according to planning. 1 Plan District Monitoring Officer will be responsible to support baseline data collection and carry out regularly periodic moniotor of all activities including drafting of periodic progress reports. In the last year he will also support the final evaluation. 2 NRSP Youth Career Councilors/Job Placement Officers will carry out career counseling and job-placement activities for youth provided financial support and also to other youth interested in enrolling in TVET institutes. They will be supported by the social mobilization of Plan in establishing communication and linkages with communities, employers and by other concerned staff responsible for TVET institutional strengthening. 2 NRSP Enterprise Specialists will implement enterprise development related activities in 3 districts with the trained youth including training 30 Master trainers of EDT and link these with TVET institutes. The position will also oversee the implementation of EDT module in each of the strengthened TVET institute and periodically access the knowledge of the trainees. 5 Plan Social Mobilizers will carry out community mobilization in the villages including organizing youth groups and district youth forum activities are carried out according to planning. The will also interact with parents and other stakeholders in the communities and will support the mapping of existing TVET market analysis. 2 NRSP MIS Officers will maintain project related data including the data of direct target group 3,694 youth and the PPI score card. These positions will be supported by 6 Project Office Support staff and 2 Project Admin Officers. 6 security guards will be hired. The attitudes of all stakeholders towards the action in general and the activities in particular Plan and NRSP have extensive experience working in the targeted areas, and this proposal builds on this experience and previous research and consultative sessions with a number of stakeholders. Plan has met with TEVTA and NTB at provincial level and they are supportive of the proposed action and collaboration. The action has been designed to support NAVTEC’s National Skills Strategy (2009-13) and the plan of action in the National Youth Policy. Communities and youth groups have identified sustainable livelihoods opportunities as a priority and welcome the project emphasis on supporting the quality of TVET services and opportunities for meaningful, well paid employment for young people. There is appreciation that the action will provide stipends to a targeted vulnerable group including young women but will support a larger number of beneficiaries through workforce preparation courses. Community leaders valued their involvement in the selection of targeted youth beneficiaries. Main means proposed for implementation of the action     

Rent of nine vehicles. Three vehicles will be necessary for each district given staff numbers and required travel. YEEP offices will be established in each district and equipped with one generator, office furniture (six desks, one meeting table), computers & internet network (17 in total), one printer, telephone, one photocopier, one water cooler, three air conditioners, and security equipment. 100 youths living with disabilities who benefit from a scholarship will be supported with start-up equipment of value of €45 shortly after completion of the training. TVET institutes will be supported with equipment to support their delivery of new curricula, but this will only be finalised in response to available market research and the mapping of TVET institutions. For further information, please refer to the budget and activities section of the logical framework

Planned activities in order to ensure visibility of the action and the EU funding The project will undertake a wide range of documentation and visibility activities, and publications foreseen are listed on page 10. Plan will ensure a consistent communication to all stakeholders in all of its media, publications, materials and activities. A YEEP communication and visibility plan will be finalised and coordinated with the all implementing organizations during the inception period.  Project stakeholders will be informed through inception workshops and public events and visits that the EU is providing funding towards the project. All activities that promote the action in communities – awareness sessions, work skills training, district-level youth forums and advocacy seminars – will Plan International UK

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

  

acknowledge EU support. Training participants of training will always be informed that funding for this project has been provided by the EU. Many publications will be produced through the action. IEC communication materials in local languages, project publications, YEEP information packs, and employer seminars for the promotion of women friendly employment will clearly display the project and EU logos. At least 8 case studies of successful young people will be published. Strengthened TVET institutions will display signboards describing the action and EU contribution. The project will be visible through media coverage (print, TV, radio spots) and posters, banners, leaflets, and other printed materials such as stickers. In all coverage and printed matter, EU support will be acknowledged and the funding amount mentioned where appropriate All equipment and assets acquired through the grant will display EU stickers. All press releases, leaflets, brochures, and newsletters will mention EU funding and flag. Photographs will be taken to monitor progress and made available should the European Commission wish to publicise the results.

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Duration and indicative action plan for implementing the action (max 4 pages) The duration of the action will be 42 months. Year 1 Activity

Semester 1 Semester 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Implementing body Result 1: TVET institutions deliver accredited, market-driven, competency based training curricula and work skills training appropriate for rural youth, women, and young people with disabilities. 1.1 Conduct market research/sectors value NRSP - Plan chain analysis supporting in the research design. 1.2 Capacity assessment of the local NRSP - Plan public/private TVET institutes supporting in the research design. 1.3 Strengthen update training curriculum, NRSP & NTB enhance instructor capacities and training facilities of selected TVET institutes. 1.4 15 public or private sector TVET NRSP institutes supported to develop training modules 1.5 Ensure accreditation through a NTB, TEVTA recognized government body and the TVET institutes 1.6 Design workforce skills (Life-skills) Plan & NRSP trainings module. 1.7 Design and roll out Enterprise Plan & NRSP Development Training (EDT) module for youth including Training of Trainers for 30 Master Trainers and link with TVETs institutes. 1.8 Improve access to information by young Plan people in 3 districts about access to and procedures for TVET courses Result 2: Employers formally linked with targeted TVET institutions, and contributing to the design of competency-based curricula, and supporting job placements and apprenticeships for trained youth. 2.1 Sign 40 MOU with the local enterprises NRSP/ local and employers to formally link with targeted enterprises, TVET institutions TVET institutes 2.2 Work with 40 local employers to support NRSP/ local job placements and apprenticeships for enterprises trained youth 2.3 Create awareness of potential employers NRSP/ local for promoting a women friendly employment enterprises schemes, Result 3: 3,694vulnerable young men and women supported to access free TVET, youth Enterprise and workforce skills training, job placement support and linked to youth-friendly micro-credit scheme. 3.1 Provide free TVET places to targeted Plan/NRSP/ youth for TVET instruction, EDT and TVET institutes workforce skills preparation. 3.2 Monitor the training to ensure fulfillment Plan/NRSP/ of quality training standards and job TVET placement institutes/NTB 3.3 Provide career counseling support to NRSP/Plan/ youth and regular updates to trained youth TVET institutes regarding available job opportunities. Plan International UK

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3.4 Identify 100 youth with disabilities and organize specially designed TVET courses and equipped them with necessary tools/equipment.

Identification by Plan social mobilization team. Verification and enrolment by NRSP NRSP, Master Trainers identified from villages

3.5 10,000 young people participate in ‘Handy Skills’ workforce preparation training: - Identify potential trainers from villages. - Carry out TOT for the Master Trainers - Conduct Handy Skills Training through the Master Trainers - Handy Skills Training Officer (NRSP) monitor the quality and outreach of the training conducted. Undertake awareness session in schools. 3.6 Establishment of one youth friendly loans and saving product for trained youth

Consultant to develop loan product in consultation with the implementing MFI/network. Result 4: Increased recognition of the value of vocational training amongst 133 communities and 10,000 young people, particularly for young women, and 100 young people living with disabilities 4.1 Carry out TVET awareness raising Plan community mobilization in 133 villages 4.2 Build capacities of the youth forums to Plan undertake advocacy campaigns with government (National, provincial and local) Other Activities (cross-cutting) 0.1 Establish Project Management Offices Plan for the ‘Youth Economic Empowerment Project’ (YEEP) in 3 districts 0.2 Baseline survey, final evaluation and Plan project monitoring 0.3 Establish project monitoring structures, Plan/NRSP and systems for program review, continuous learning and improvement 0.4 Documentation and visibility activities Plan Activity

Semester Semester Semester Implementing body 3 4 5 Result 1: TVET institutions deliver accredited, market-driven, competency based training curricula and work skills training appropriate for rural youth, women, and young people with disabilities. 1.1 Conduct market research/sectors NRSP value chain analysis 1.2 Capacity assessment of the local NRSP - Plan supporting in public/private TVET institutes the research design. 1.3 Strengthen update training NRSP & NTB curriculum, enhance instructor capacities and training facilities of 15 selected TVET institutes. 1.4 15 public or private sector TVET NRSP institutes supported to develop training modules Plan International UK

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1.5 Ensure accreditation through a NTB, TEVTA and the recognized government body TVET institutes 1.6 Design workforce skills (Life Plan & NRSP skills) trainings module. 1.7 Design Enterprise Development Plan & NRSP Training (EDT) module for youth including Training of Trainers for 30 Master Trainers and link with TVETs institutes. 1.8 NRSP Result 2: Employers formally linked with targeted TVET institutions, and contributing to the design of competency-based curricula, and supporting job placements and apprenticeships for trained youth. 2.1 Sign 40 MOU with the local NRSP/ local enterprises, enterprises and employers to formally TVET institutes link with targeted TVET institutions 2.2 Work with 40 local employers to NRSP/ local enterprises support job placements and apprenticeships for trained youth 2.3 Raise awareness amongst potential NRSP/ local enterprises employers of value of women friendly workplaces Result 3: 3,694 vulnerable young men and women supported to access free TVET, youth Enterprise and workforce skills training, job placement support and linked to youth-friendly micro-credit scheme. 3.1 Provide free TVET places to Plan/NRSP/ TVET targeted youth for TVET instruction, institutes EDT and workforce skills preparation. 3.2 Monitor the training to ensure Plan/NRSP/ TVET fulfillment of quality training standards institutes/NTB and job placement 3.3 Provide career counseling support NRSP/Plan/ TVET to youth and regular updates to trained institutes youth regarding available job opportunities. 3.4 Identify 100 youth with disabilities Identification by the Plan and organize specially designed TVET social mobilization team courses and equipped them with and verified and enrolled necessary tools/equipment. in training by the NRSP 3.5 10,000 young people participate in NRSP, Master Trainers ‘Handy Skills’ workforce preparation identified from villages training: - Identify potential trainers from villages. - Carry out TOT for the Master Trainers - Conduct Handy Skills Training through the Master Trainers - Handy Skills Training Officer (NRSP) monitor the quality and outreach of the training conducted. - Undertake awareness session in schools. 3.6 Establishment of one youth Consultant to develop friendly loans and saving product for loan product in trained youth consultation with the implementing MFI/network. Plan International UK

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Result 4: Increased recognition of the value of vocational training amongst 133 communities and 10,000 young people, particularly for young women, and 100 young people living with disabilities 4.1 Carry out TVET awareness raising Plan community mobilization in 133 villages 4.2 Build capacities of the youth Plan forums to undertake advocacy campaigns with government (National, provincial and local) Other Activities (cross-cutting) 0.1 Establish Project Management Plan Offices for the ‘Youth Economic Empowerment Project’ (YEEP) in 3 districts 0.2 Baseline survey, final evaluation Plan and project monitoring 0.3 Establish project monitoring Plan/NRSP structures, and systems for program review, continuous learning and improvement 0.4 Documentation and visibility Plan activities

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2.2.4

Sustainability of the action (max 3 pages)

2.2.4.1. Describe the expected impact of the action with quantified data where possible, at technical, economic, social, and policy levels At a technical level, the action will strengthen 15 TVET institutes to become local centres of excellence in the delivery of competency based, demand-led skills training in a financially sustainable way. Each institute will introduce at least one new competency-based training module, identified through existing market research, and accredited through competent government authorities (NTB and TEVTA). The institutes’ technical staff will benefit from training in active, participatory, practical teaching methodologies. Workforce preparation training will be incorporated into the curricula of strengthened TVET institutions, with 30 master trainers trained to deliver workforce preparation and Enterprise Development Training (EDT). Permanent linkages will be facilitated with at least 40 local employers and 2 microcredit institutions. The action will have an immediate impact on TVET institutes through providing labour market information, higher enrolment and higher completion rates. The action is expected to have a significant, direct economic impact on the households of the youth supported. The project will support 3,694 of the poorest young people to participate in TVET, EDT and workforce preparation training, and it is anticipated that at least 75% of non-disabled youth (and 50% of disabled youth) will secure employment or self-employment and increased monthly income. 10,000 young people will benefit from workforce preparation training and 9,000 additional young people are expected to benefit from new curricula over the project period. YEEP will contribute to the local economy through increased labour force participation rates and increased availability of skilled labour. It will contribute to lower household dependency rates and empower the burgeoning youth population in districts targeted to become economically active family members. At a social level, the action will work directly with local communities and parents to recognise and encourage youth, and particularly young women to become socially and economically active family members. Through intensive community awareness campaigns in 133 communities, engagement with community gatekeepers and workforce preparation courses for 10,000 young people, YEEP will increase social recognition of TVET courses (target youth awareness rate 75%), and encourage rural youth and women to explore job options in non-traditional sectors. YEEP’s niche includes its roots at community level with systematic community-based awareness and engagement in 133 communities. YEEP will profile successful partnership models between private and public TVET institutes and challenge barriers to employment for young women with youth living with disabilities. At policy level, the action is designed to reinforce the ‘Plan of Action’ of the National Youth Policy and Skills Strategy 2009-13, which has yet to be widely implemented. In support of the Plan of Action, the action will engage youth in national policy formulation. Youth forums will be organised in each district to provide opportunities to interact with policy makers through existing networks accessible at national, provincial and districts level with Plan and NRSP’s support. 2.2.4.2. Describe a dissemination plan and the possibilities for replication and extension of action outcomes (multiplier effects), clearly indicating any foreseen dissemination channel. YEEP is designed for scalability and multiplier effects are expected; both in improving community perceptions and demand for TVET and increasing government prioritisation and accountability to deliver the National Youth Policy and Skills Strategy. In particular multiplier effects are foreseen through i) the new curricula, workplace preparation and Enterprise Development training which will be readily replicable and widely shared through government institutions, ii) training 30 master trainers who will further share new curricula and toolkits, iii) publication of at least eight case studies and radio and TV broadcasts to share best practices, iv) supporting alumni, including young female alumni, to provide role models in communities and v) support of one youth-friendly microcredit facility. The results and learning from the action will be shared directly with district level TVET institutes and NAVTEC, but disseminated more widely through youth forums, district level government meetings and provincial and national youth parliaments. The project will generate many publications with different dissemination channels, listed on page 10. A communication and visibility plan will be drafted after the initial market and baseline assessments, specifying target audiences and messages or asks. 2.2.4.3. Provide a detailed risk analysis and contingency plan. This should include a list of risks associated with each proposed action, accompanied by relevant mitigation measures. Plan International UK

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Considerations of risk reduction are central to understanding how vulnerable communities can maintain sustainable livelihood strategies. YEEP builds on previous Disaster Risk Reduction interventions in target districts implemented by Plan in coordination with provincial and district government authorities.

Precond.

Political insecurity, sectarian violence, terrorism restricts operations of Plan and partners. (Risk M, Impact H)

Targeted communities are politically stable. Plan has a comprehensive security policy in place that prioritises staff safety and security. Budget allocated to hire security related staff, security training provided to staff.

Environment

Climatic uncertainty, flooding or cyclones do not impact household income, particularly from agriculture and fisheries (Risk M, Impact H)

These risks will be actively considered in choice of curricula. TVET presents opportunities to diversify livelihood sources. Plan is already implementing Disaster Risk Reduction, flood response and Cash for Work program in all 3 districts. Plan has established a Flood Response program unit in Multan.

Economic

Public budget allocations to TVET services are maintained. Provincial and national government policy frameworks continue to support youth education and the TVET sector (Risk L, Impact H)

At present this appears realistic. YEEP is designed to implement national frameworks and political and donor support is strong. In 2011, Punjab drafted a Youth Policy. Plan and NRSP have strong links with government.

Limited scale/capacity of local enterprises to absorb trained young people (Risk, L, Impact H)

The project will support larger number of curricula to ensure sufficient absorption capacity using existing market research. Promote enterprise development in parallel to employment, and support youth loan product.

Political

Mitigation Measures/Contingency Plans

Government bureaucracy in publicsector TVET institutes causes delays (Risk, L, Impact M)

Social

Risks / Assumptions

Community members support the project and participation (and employment) of young women and youth living with disabilities (Risk, M, Impact H)

As project associate NTB will support partnerships with concerned national, provincial and district level authorities. Project will support more private TVET institutions were bureaucracy to cause excessive delays. Plan and NRSP have extensive community level experience. Awareness raising is built into the action’s design. Workshops will be arranged for community gatekeepers. Pro-active engagement with religious leaders. Gender sensitization training provided to project staff. Distances and timing of trainings will be appropriate for young women and youth living with disabilities Dedicated Job Placement Officers will market benefits to employers and awareness activities are built into the project design. Plan and NRSP have substantial past relevant experience in establishing local business service providers organization (NGOs), implementing similar ILO funded projects, and linkages with the local Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Employers are supportive and participate in the project and investments in job placements and apprenticeships (Risk, L, Impact H)

Targeted public and private TVET institutes – and male and female teachers – are supportive of capacity building and revision of curricula (Risk, L, Impact H)

Considered in institutional capacity assessments. Specialized monitoring staff are in-built to the project design for monitoring including one Project Monitoring Officer and one Monitoring Officer to independently monitor project progress. Female alumni encouraged to assume roles as mentors or teachers.

2.2.4.4. Explain how sustainability will be secured after completion of the action. Financial sustainability will be secured by strengthening the capacity of the target households to maximise their opportunities for employment or self-employment, diversify income and build sustainable asset bases.11 The design will be market aware, and cognisant that the majority of employment options, particularly for young women, will lie in the informal sector and self-employment. YEEP will provide selective grants to 3,694 targeted young people, targeting economically vulnerable youth (for whom there is a low cost to participation itself), and young people identified through community mechanisms with willingness and business potential (for whom greater returns are expected). The free TVET places have been set at a level 11

A recent Plan study on youth financial behaviour found that the vast majority of youth share their earnings with parents to support family subsistence. Their earnings often also support the education of younger family members. Plan International UK

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considering scalability and sustainability; to maintain cost per beneficiary as low as possible relative to returns to actively promote replication by others. To maximise the financial sustainability of free TVET places, the project will: (a) Support targeted TVET institutions to apply for scholarship funds from established government scholarship programmes; Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), the DFID-funded Government of Punjab’s Skills Development Fund (PSDF) and Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal stipends. (b) Advocate for existing government funded free TVET places to target the poorest, most deserving youth on the basis of objective poverty assessment tools. The project will generate evidence effectiveness of targeting using the Progress-Out-Of-Poverty methodology proposed. Only BISP currently uses the World Bank’s poverty scorecard to target students. YEEP will support youth forums to engage all actors to adopt sustainable funding mechanisms, such as cost-sharing, loan schemes and expost fee structures. (c) Encourage 40 targeted private sector companies to provide total or partial subsidies to stipends, and so contribute to the costs of training a workforce with relevant skills. (d) Require supported private-sector TVET institutes to fund at least 5 free TVET places through their own funds. This will be a requirement in MOUs signed with institutes who will financially benefit from the action. Increased enrolment will also bring scale economies for the TVET institutes concerned Beyond those benefitting from grants, results 1, 2 and 4 will strengthen the quality, relevance and demand for TVET services. The minimal investment in classrooms and tools will only be made after ascertaining that infrastructure can be maintained by institutions involved following the project. All activities are designed to achieve institutional sustainability. YEEP will support existing TVET institutions and structures to a) develop demand-led, competency-based, accredited, curricula; b) establish operational linkages between employers and institutes, who support job placements and apprenticeships, c) introduce workforce skills and enterprise development trainings, d) introduce current instructional methods, including problem-based learning, e) introduce quality assurance mechanisms through establishing systematic monitoring and evaluation systems,f) instruct staff on new course material and pedagogies and g) engage management and teachers of TVET institutes to improve access by disadvantaged youth and particularly young women and those living with disabilities. Training programmes for the poor have often been donor initiated and implemented as separate projects, but YEEP will work through and engage existing TVET institutions to strengthen themselves and enrich existing modules, which should ensure better institutional sustainability than if the institutes had been created solely for the purpose of the project. The intervention will facilitate TVET institutes to create sustainable partnerships in the job market and promote self-employment options. At present, entrepreneurship training has not been introduced as a subject in TVET institutions, although 26% of Punjab’s population is self-employed. NTB’s role as associate will support YEEP to institutionalise evidence and learning from the project. Although few activities will be directly implemented by Plan and NRSP, a detailed phase-out and handover strategy would be developed 12 months before the action end to ensure a sustainable transition of responsibilities from project staff. At Policy Level, the project is implemented in line with the Action Plan for the National Youth Policy and skills policy at district levels. At present, policy legislation is comprehensively designed but very limited implementation has taken place. Recently, skills training has been devolved to the mandate of the provincial government. The project will provide evidence for and represent a flagship programme at district and provincial level, providing recommendations to the Government of the Punjab. YEEP will support advocacy seminarsand support district level youth forums advocating for the implementation of – and inclusiveness – the National Skills Strategy. Environmental sustainability will be considered in the choice of vocational subjects to support. Plan and NRSP will work with young people and TVET institutes to consider that vocational practices are environmentally sustainable and mitigate disaster risks. For example, during trainings participants will be asked to complete an environment checklist to ensure that no adverse environment consequences are occurring due to the use of technology or production methods.

2.2.5. Logical Framework Please refer to Annex C.

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2.3.

APPLICANT'S EXPERIENCE OF SIMILAR ACTIONS Maximum 1 page per action. Please provide a detailed description of actions managed by your organisation over the past three years. Project title: Partnership to strengthen youth employment and empower youth voices

Sector (see Section 3.2.2 of Section 3): 11330 Vocational training

Ref: ONG-PVD/2010/249-157 Location of the action Uganda

Cost of the action

lead manager or partner

932,867 EUR

Plan Uganda, Concerned Parents Association (Lira District), Bukedi Diocese (Tororo District)

Donors to the action EC NSA-LA

Amount contributed 699,650 EUR

Budget line: 23.03.01

Dates 01/10/2010 to 30/09/2014

Objectives and results of the action

The overall objective of this action is to increase decision-making and economic opportunities for marginalised youth in Lira and Tororo districts of Uganda, contributing to community rehabilitation, reintegration and development. The action’s specific objectives are: 1) To support 3,000 young people in Lira and Tororo districts to acquire non-formal and vocational skills for job placement/self employment 2) To equip 3,000 young people with the skills and confidence to engage with public and private sector actors and exercise their rights and responsibilities as citizens on issues affecting them 3) To strengthen local training institutions and businesses (including master craftspersons) to offer market-orientated courses, apprenticeships and job placements

The expected results are: 1) 2) 3) 4)

An increase in the number of youth who have the skills necessary for gainful employment An increased number of youth starting or expanding self-employment The most marginalised youth contributing to local authority decision-making process related to skills development and vocational training Local businesses and vocational training institutions are equipped to provide quality technical apprenticeships and offer market-orientated courses

The project recognises that high youth unemployment erodes community stability and threatens social cohesion. Both of the districts targeted by this action have been adversely affected by 20 years of conflict in Northern Uganda, and have extremely high poverty indicators relative to the rest of Uganda. Activities include six month apprenticeships with local businesses for 960 marginalised young people, a nine month vocational training programme for 800 young people and capacity building with 10 non-state actors to support them in delivering training to, and engaging with, young people. The action works with training institutions, local businesses and private-sector enterprises to increase their capacity to provide market-driven employment opportunities to marginalised young people.

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Project title: Improving livelihoods of rural households to mitigate the effects of severe price increases through improving the productive output and supply mechanism of the livestock sector Ref: DCI-FOOD/2009/214-202 Location of the action Pakistan

Cost of the action (EUR)

2,180,500 EUR

Sector (see Section 3.2.2 of Section 3): 31163 Livestock 31194 Agricultural cooperatives 31195 Livestock/veterinary services lead manager or partner Plan Pakistan

Donors to the action

EC Food Facility Budget line 21.02.03

Amount contributed (by donor) 1,962,450 EUR

Dates

01/01/2010 to 31/08/2011

Objectives and results of the action The overall objective of the action is to mitigate the effects of increases in food prices and increase household food security through improved productivity and quality in the dairy sector. The action’s specific objective is to promote modern animal husbandry and improved commercial dairy practices among rural subsistence/semi-subsistence livestock farmers. The expected results are : 1. Improved per animal milk productivity of subsistence/semi-subsistence farmers in production methods 2. Strategic stakeholders are aware of, and are correcting, key weaknesses in the marketing of milk 3. Improved quality of milk available for customers 4. Improved household nutritional intake and decreased gender discrimination 5. Direct government regulatory and dairy policy reform processes incorporate consultations with communities, lessons learnt from this project, and research results In 2008 to 2009 high food price inflation caused the average Pakistani household spend on food to rise 19% which placed millions of families, especially in rural areas, at risk of extreme poverty. The majority of rural families depend on livestock for their livelihoods (90% of Vehari District, where the action took place, is given over to agriculture), and within agriculture, the dairy sector has shown continuous growth in recent years despite supply chain inefficiencies. This action was designed to address poor milk output, handling and market practices in the previously disjointed supply chain. In doing so it aimed to both improve nutritional intake through increased milk yield and also to create a dependable cash source for poor families. Activities included the establishment of farmer’s milk cooperatives with 3,000 subsistence and semi-subsistence farmers, as well as training 200 village veterinary workers and 25 artificial insemination technicians, and working with 50 university agricultural students who provided support to the farmer’s milk cooperatives. The project was graded positively in a March 2011 EC Results Oriented Mission with an overall B grade.

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Project title: Local institution participation towards livelihood empowerment of the Mangyan indigenous peoples of Occidental Mindoro Ref: DCI-NSAPVD/2008/172-229 Location of the action Philippines

Sector (see Section 3.2.2 of Section 3): 31120 Agricultural development 32140 Cottage industries and handicraft 43040 Rural development

Cost of the action

lead manager or partner

1,428,611EUR

Plan Philippines, Non-Timber Forest Products Exchange Programme (NTFP-EP), Anthropology Watch, Vicarial Indigenous Peoples Apostolate Coordinating Office

Donors to the action

Amount contributed (by donor)

EC Non-State Actors and 1,000,000 EUR Local Authorities in Development Budget lines: 21.03.01, 21.03.02

Dates 01/03/2009 to 28/02/2014

Objectives and results of the action The overall objective of the project is to contribute towards poverty reduction amongst Mangyan people through livelihoods development, community empowerment, building the capacity of local institutions, sustainably utilising natural resources, ancestral domain management, the recognition of Indigenous People’s rights and reducing discrimination against Mangyan, especially women and children. The specific objective is to develop community managed farm enterprises that provide sustainable food and income for 178 deprived Mangyan communities (totalling over 17,000 people) which will be capable of engaging with mainstream markets; as well as improving the ability of the Mangyan to uphold their rights in owning and managing their ancestral domain. The key expected results are: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Increased income generated by more sustainable livelihoods Security of tenure through the award of Certificate of Ancestral Domain/Land Title Local Authorities and Mangyan working together to develop local development plans Strengthened local institutions for better delivery of services to Mangyan people

The Mangyan are a group of indigenous Filipinos who have been marginalised to such an extent that families earn on average just $0.34 per day. They have inadequate means to produce food for their families and also face being evicted from their ancestral land unless they can prove they are the owners through a Certificate of Title. Plan Philippines is establishing ten community-managed farm enterprises so that 178 communities can provide themselves with sustainable food and income. The action is also creating two marketplaces for timber and local food, as well as supporting the Mangyan to obtain title to their land. The action was graded as ‘very good’ (A grade) in a 2010 EC ROM, and the monitor commented that “results are already good and prospects of impact very high, especially in terms of livelihood and Human Rights awareness. At present, potential sustainability is good as indigenous people consider this project as theirs”.

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3.

THE APPLICANT

EuropeAid ID number

GB-2007-CSA-2711178158

Name of the organisation

Plan International UK

Please refer to PADOR file number GB-2007-CSA-2711178158

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4.

THE PARTNER

4.2. PAGES TO INSERT FROM PARTNER -

Page 1

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Page 2

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Page 3

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Page 4

5.

PARTNERSHIP STATEMENT

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6.

ASSOCIATES OF THE APPLICANT PARTICIPATING IN THE ACTION Associate

Full legal name

National Training Bureau, Islamabad. Pakistan

EuropeAid ID number:

n/a

Nationality

Pakistani

Legal status

Public Organization (Government of Pakistan)

Official address

Contact persons

Government of Pakistan Ministry of Professional and Technical Training National Training Bureau (N.T.B) Plot No. 39, Sector H/9, Near Shalimar Recording Co., Islamabad Fax No. 051-9258802

1. Director General 2. Director

Telephone number:

+92-51-9258802

Fax number: E-mail address

[email protected]

Number of employees Experience of similar actions, in relation to role in the implementation of the proposed action

National Training Bureau (N.T.B) was established in 1976 as an attached department of Ministry of Labour & Manpower. The National Training Bureau (N.T.B) has the mandate to assess existing and future training needs, develop training syllabi, specifying training standards, and conduct trade testing. Since its inception, keeping in view the local & foreign labour market needs, National Training Bureau has implemented & completed different training projects on vocational training. The Govt. recognized technical education and vocational training as driving force for human resource development. Therefore at the national level, National Training Board was constituted under National Training Ordinance 1980 for coordinating vocational training. National Training Bureau provides the secretariat services to National Training Board.

a. National Vocational Training Project Phase -I (1981-86) Cost

Rs.529.610 Million

Donors IDA, UNDP Established 6 new Technical Training Centres renovated and upgraded 23 existing training centres and also additional equipment was provided to 28 existing training centres.

b. National Vocational Training Project Phase -II (1987-96) Plan International UK

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Cost = Rs.2882.19 Million including Donors IDA, EEC, UNDP, GTZ, CIDA

       

c)

Established 20 new Vocational Training Centres including 5 Women Technical Training Centres in the country Equipped newly established 20 Vocational Training Centres and made operational in the country and handed over to the respective provincial governments. Provided additional equipment to existing 20 training centres in the country. Established and made operational a National Staff Training Institute at Islamabad and three Provincial Staff Training Institutes at Karachi, Quetta and Peshawar. Established 5 Skill Development Councils, one in each province and Islamabad (details are given in next paragraphs). Implemented Crash Training Programme (1976-82) for overseas employment and trained 26300 persons. Implemented federal programme for skill development and trained 230 instructors and 93 managers and provided equipment to 11 Technical Training Centres in the Country. Developed National Occupational Skill Standards (NOSSs) in 46 trades, Curricula in 28 trades, Trainee Manuals in 22 trades and Instructor Manuals in 20 trades for o ne year while Curricula in 14 trades and Trainee Manuals in 5 trades for two years courses. Vocational Training Programe for Rural Youth with collaboration National Rural Support Programe, Pakistan 1998- date

Youth Trained in Skill Training = 4,000  Training Need Assessment  Designing of Tailor Made Training Programe  Organization and conduction of skills training  Training of Trainers  Training of Master Trainer  Trade testing and certification History of cooperation with the applicant

Plan International UK

Since 1998 to date NRSP and NTB have also signed a MOU in December 2009 under title “Public, Private Partnership between NRSP and NTB”.

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7.

CHECKLIST FOR THE FULL APPLICATION FORM SUPPORTING TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING (TVET) SECTOR IN PAKISTAN (GRANT COMPONENT) BUDGET LINE: BGUE-B2011-19.100101-C1-DEVCO DELPAK

ADMINISTRATIVE DATA Name of the Applicant

Plan International UK

EuropeAid ID number

GB-2007-CSA-2711178158

/

Nationality Country registration

and

date

of UK. 20th April 1978.

Legal Entity File number

6000057475

Legal status

Non Profit Making

Partner 1

Name/EuropeAid ID number: National Rural Support Programme / PK-2009-GAU-1103464841 Nationality/Country of registration: Pakistan Legal status: Company Limited by Guarantee

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BEFORE SENDING YOUR PROPOSAL, PLEASE CHECK THAT EACH OF THE FOLLOWING POINTS IS COMPLETE AND RESPECTS THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA: Title of the Proposal: Provision of access to market-driven training and employment opportunities to vulnerable youth and women in rural districts of southern Punjab PART 1 (ADMINISTRATIVE) 1. The correct grant application form, published for this call for proposals, has been used 2. The Declaration by the applicant has been filled in and has been signed

To be filled in by the applicant Yes No

 

3.

The proposal is typed and is in English.



4.

One original and 3 copy(ies) are included



5.

An electronic version of the proposal (CD-Rom) is enclosed



6.



7.

Each partner has completed and signed a partnership statement and the statements are included. Please indicate “Not applicable” (NA) if you have no partner. The budget is presented in the format requested, is expressed in € and is enclosed

8.

The logical framework has been completed and is enclosed





PART 2 (ELIGIBILITY) 9. The duration of the action is between 24 months and 30 months (the minimum and maximum allowed) 10. The requested contribution is between 1,000,000 EURO and 3,000,000 EURO (the minimum and maximum allowed)

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11. The requested contribution is between 50 % and 90 % of the estimated total eligible costs (minimum and maximum percentage allowed)

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Plan International UK

Youth Economic Empowerment Project

Grant Application Form

Page 43 of 45

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8.

DECLARATION BY THE APPLICANT

The applicant, represented by the undersigned, being the authorised signatory of the applicant, in the context of the present call for proposals, representing any partners in the proposed action, hereby declares that  the applicant has the sources of financing and professional competence and qualifications specified in Section 2 of the Guidelines for Applicants;  the applicant undertakes to comply with the obligations foreseen in the partnership statement of the grant application form and with the principles of good partnership practice;  the applicant is directly responsible for the preparation, management and implementation of the action with its partners, if any, and is not acting as an intermediary;  the applicant and its partners are not in any of the situations excluding them from participating in contracts which are listed in Section 2.3.3 of the Practical Guide to contract procedures for EU external actions (available from the following Internet address: http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/work/procedures/implementation/index_en.htm. Furthermore, it is recognised and accepted that if we participate in spite of being in any of these situations, we may be excluded from other procedures in accordance with Section 2.3.5 of the Practical Guide;  the applicant and each partner (if any) is in a position to deliver immediately, upon request, the supporting documents stipulated under Section 2.4 of the Guidelines for Applicants.;  the applicant and each partner (if any) are eligible in accordance with the criteria set out under Sections 2.1.1 and 2.1.2 of the Guidelines for Applicants;  if recommended to be awarded a grant, the applicant accepts the contractual conditions as laid down in the Standard Contract annexed to the Guidelines for Applicants (annex G);  the applicant and its partners are aware that, for the purposes of safeguarding the financial interests of the EU, their personal data may be transferred to internal audit services, to the European Court of Auditors, to the Financial Irregularities Panel or to the European Anti-Fraud Office. The following grant applications have been submitted (or are about to be submitted) to the European Institutions, the European Development Fund and the EU Member States in the last 12 months: No actions in the same field as this proposal The applicant is fully aware of the obligation to inform without delay the Contracting Authority to which this application is submitted if the same application for funding made to other European Commission departments or European Union institutions has been approved by them after the submission of this grant application. Signed on behalf of the applicant Name

Marie Staunton

Signature

Position

Chief Executive, Plan UK

Date

Plan International UK

Youth Economic Empowerment Project

Grant Application Form

Page 44 of 45

9.

ASSESSMENT GRID OF THE FULL APPLICATION FORM

(TO BE USED BY THE CONTRACTING AUTHORITY) YES

NO

OPENING &ADMINISTRATIVE CHECK

1. The submission deadline has been respected 2. The checklist of the Application form has been duly completed The administrative verification has been conducted by: Date: DECISION : The Committee has decided to evaluate the full application form after having passed the administrative check. The administrative verification has been conducted by: Date:] EVALUATION OF THE FULL APPLICATION FORM DECISION

:

A. The Committee has recommended the proposal for Eligibility verification after having been provisionally selected within the top ranked scored proposals within the available financial envelope. B. The Committee has recommended the proposal for Eligibility verification after having been put on the reserve list according to the top ranked scored proposals The evaluation of the proposal has been conducted by: Date: ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION

3. The checklist of the Application form has been duly completed. 4. The supporting documents listed hereunder, submitted according to the Guidelines (Section 2.4), satisfied all the eligibility criteria of the applicant and its partner(s) (if any) a. The applicant's statutes b. The statutes or articles of association of all partners c. The applicant's external audit report (if applicable) d. The Legal Entity File (see annex D of the Guidelines for Applicants) is duly completed and signed by the applicant and is accompanied by the justifying documents requested. e. A Financial Identification form (see annex E of the Guidelines for Applicants). f. Copy of the applicant’s latest accounts. The assessment of the eligibility has been conducted by: Date: DECISION:

The Committee has selected the proposal for funding after having verified its eligibility according to the criteria stipulated in the Guidelines for Applicants.

Plan International UK

Supporting TVET Sector in Pakistan

Grant Application Form

Page 45 of 45