British High Commission Nairobi launches Skills for Prosperity Programme

Deadline: 14-Jun-2020

The British High Commission Nairobi has launched a Skills for Prosperity (S4P) programme in Kenya focuses on reducing poverty by providing support to tackle skills deficits which are holding back sustainable and inclusive growth.

The UK Government announced a Prosperity Fund which will run through March 2023. Its primary purpose is to promote the economic reform and development needed for growth in partner countries, in accordance with Official Development Assistance (ODA) rules, the International Development Act (2002) and the Gender Equality Act (2014). It will contribute towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.

Following a series of scoping studies and consultations with stakeholders in government, business and civil society, the British High Commission Nairobi designed the Kenya S4P programme. The programme will deliver three core strands of activity:

Strand 1: Strengthening education to industry links at the institutional level, tailored to priority sectors key to county or national development.
Strand 2: Developing an enabling environment for a strong skills eco-system through technical assistance and capacity building – including enhanced institutional capacity and capability.
Strand 3: Improving access to HE and TVET education for marginalised and unemployed youth.

The Global Skills for Prosperity Programme was announced in August 2018. It is an ODA (Official Development Assistance) programme operating across nine countries including Kenya.

The programme’s expected outcomes are: Improved skill levels, employment rates and productivity of beneficiaries (HE and TVET students), particularly for the priority target groups of women, low-income youth and people with disabilities.

The programme’s intended impact is: increased capacity for inclusive economic growth due to increases in labour productivity, which will contribute to poverty reduction.

Objectives

Specifically, the national education strategy (2018 – 2022) proposes the following key objectives:

Etablish the Open University of Kenya (30 percent of degree programmes available through an e-learning mode by 2022).
Enhance quality and relevance of training and research.
Increase access to STEM programmes to 60 percent of the student population by 2022.
Enhance equity and inclusion in higher education, especially for females and for students from low – income families.
Increase the gross enrolment ratio in university education from 7 percent to 15 percent.

In the TVET education sector, the TVET authority strategic plan (2018 -2022) has identified four key strategic objectives in line with the big 4 agenda and Vision 2030, these include:

To improve TVET education Quality and Relevance
To enhance TVET education Equity and Access
To improve TVET education Governance and Management
To improve TVET education Funding and Financing

The S4P programme in Kenya will align with the plans and strategies of the Kenyan government and key stakeholders. The proposed programme activity areas will be:

Support implementation of the new competency-based education and training (CBET) curriculum. The beneficiaries of this activity will be TVET colleges in the five counties of operation and this activity will be done in partnership with Curriculum Development, Assessment and Certification Council (CDACC).
Development and review of national TVET/HE policies. Working in collaboration with Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA), TVETA, CDACC and the State Department for Post Training and Skills Development.
Design and set-up of the national Open University of Kenya.
Development of a functional Labour Market Information Framework with a focus on Labour Market Information for Skills Development. Working in collaboration with TVETA and the State Department of Labour.
Establish links between a select group of TVET institutions and industry partners in key economic sectors.
Strengthen existing digital online education capacity for select Public Universities.
Capacity building for TVET agencies and TVET teachers.
Capacity building for TVET institutions for learners with special educational needs and disabilities.
Supporting career and work-readiness training for women and lowincome youth in the selected counties of Kenya.

On a County level, the programme will support sector-specific industry – TVET college partnerships. Working in Mombasa County, Nairobi County, Kisumu County, Trans -Nzoia County and Busia County. The programme will focus on the following sectors:

Building and Construction;
Automotive technology;
Agriculture/Agro-processing;
Maritime sector; and
Hospitality and Tourism sector.

These partnerships may take the form of innovative internship or apprenticeship models, institutional leadership and governance training programmes, and industryrelevant training for TVET instructors.

Funding Information

The value of the project proposal should not exceed £5,000,000 (GBP). (Foreign exchange rate at the time of writing is 130 Ksh to £1 GBP). Enclose an activity-based budget (ABB) to show clear budget allocations across the three strands of work. Co-funding schemes can be enclosed showing funding/donor entity. If a project proposal is part of a wider initiative with other core or grant funding sources, this must be disclosed.
Programme is expected to run to March 2023 including end-line evaluation to complete programme delivery. Proposals to expand delivery will be taken into consideration based on needs assessment and presenting clear exit strategy for programme sustainability.

Evaluation Criteria

The British High Commission Nairobi invites proposals for projects that would improve the quality, relevance, equity and cost-effectiveness of TVET and HE in Kenya. Bids will be assessed against the following criteria:

Demonstrate strong value for money;
Alignment with programme strategic objectives;
Compliance with OECD criteria for ODA funding;
Evidence on impact and successful delivery of similar programmes/projects from key stakeholders e.g. government, private sector, donors, development organisations, universities, TVETs et al;
Project viability, including bidders capacity, experts’ networks, and track record;
Demonstrate an understanding of the Skills for Prosperity programme theory of change and how activities contribute to it.
Demonstrate strong technical understanding of the national and county level education programme design and implementation.
Demonstrate strong international networks in higher education including UK networks.
Project design, including clear and achievable impact, outcomes, outputs and planned interventions/activities.
Provide evidence on stakeholders’ engagement and management. Demonstrate ability to forge strong networks with key beneficiaries.
Provide evidence on collaborating with government and Kenyan state entities, and strong record of accomplishments working with TVETs and Universities.
Demonstrate experience and expertise in developing and delivering online learning programmes in the HE sector.
Risk assessment and management plan.
Sustainability plan.
Provide strong MREL framework, GESI methodology and clear reporting mechanism.