Capacity Building in Project Management and Facilitation Skills – Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan)

Background

Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) in Kenya is implementing among other programs the Young Africa Works in Kenya- TVET Program, a 5-year initiative (2020-2024) that is aimed at strengthening the quality and relevance of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions and systems in Kenya. The program is based on a partnership between Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan), the Kenyan Ministry of Education, the private sector, and the Mastercard Foundation, through its Young Africa Works in Kenya- TVET initiative. Its objective is to help young Kenyans, particularly women, find dignified and fulfilling work through formal training and a focus on the recognition of prior learning.

The program objectives are:

1. Support TVET institutions to deliver high quality CBET courses linked to labour market demands
2. Equip TVET trainers with CBET methods to deliver up-to-date curricula hence improve their technical competence
3. Create Pathways from unemployment through training to employment and self- employment

CICan partners with Kenya School of TVET (KSTVET) to deliver Competency Based Education Training to trainers in 25 TVET institutions across the Country. This training is delivered through 26 accomplished Master Trainer Leads from KSTVET.

CICan through its office in Nairobi invites proposals for the provision of Consultancy Services for the capacity building of 26 Master Trainer Leads from KSTVET in Project Management and Facilitation Skills.

Objectives of the KSTVET Facilitation and Project Management Training

The following are the specific objectives for the training:

1. Enhance Master Trainer Leads (MTLs) ability to create comprehensive project plans, including defining tasks, establishing timelines, and allocating resources effectively to ensure successful project completion within designated timeframes.
2. Develop Master Trainer Leads (MTLs) skills in producing clear and concise reports that align with project deliverables, ensuring accurate documentation of program data and outcomes for stakeholders.
3. Equip Master Trainer Leads (MTLs) with the knowledge and tools necessary to implement robust monitoring and evaluation systems, enabling them to assess project progress, identify successes, challenges, and lessons learned, and make informed decisions for future activities.
4. Foster an understanding of decision-making levels and empowerment within teams, encouraging Master Trainer Leads (MTLs) to promote collaborative decision-making processes that empower team members and enhance overall team effectiveness.
5. Enhance Master Trainer Leads (MTLs) emotional intelligence by increasing their awareness of their own emotions and those of others, enabling them to manage professional relationships more effectively, foster inclusivity, and embrace diversity within teams and trainees.
6. Equip Master Trainer Leads (MTLs) with effective coaching and mentoring skills, including active listening, empathy, and providing constructive feedback, to enable them to support the development of other Master Trainers (MTs) in enhancing their skills and abilities within the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) context.

Scope of Work

While utilizing participatory adult learning approaches, the consultant will focus the capacity building training in the following areas:

Project Management

• Planning and proper time management
• Report Writing
  • Aligning reporting with project deliverables to capture relevant program data
  • Identification of success and challenges/lessons learned to incorporate into future activities.
• How to write a funding proposal and how the proposal translates into reporting (clear, metric-based deliverables, etc.)
• Monitoring and Evaluation

Organization and Team Management

• Focus on levels of decision-making / empowerment to make decisions. Perhaps they could consider this in terms of managing decisions within their own facilitator team.
• 4 levels of empowerment = 1) mgmt. decides, then informs staff; 2) mgmt. decides and gets staff input before deciding, 3) employees decide & recommend; 4) employees decide and act.

Note: Observations during co-facilitation sessions is that KSTVET is, for the most part, operating a level 1 – progress towards level 2 or 3 (with more independent decision making my team members would be a reasonable goal.

• Options for coming to consensus
• Effective decision-making behaviours
• Symptoms and causes of and resolutions for poor decision-making
• Conflict resolution – conflict may arise during facilitated sessions, so facilitators should be equipped with conflict, mediate disputes, and promote constructive dialogue
• Effective delegation – identifying the strengths of team members

Emotional Intelligence

• Personal awareness and awareness of others
• Ability to recognize one’s emotions and those of others – and how this impacts those around you – as well as one’s perception of others.
• Using this awareness to more effectively manage professional relationships both in collaborative work and in a leadership role
  • Being inclusive and embracing diversity among team members and trainees. Facilitators should strive to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome and valued. They should consider accessibility issues such as, visual, auditory and mobility impairments when designing activities and selecting materials.

Facilitation

• Facilitation 101 – exploration of the principles of facilitation: facilitators as neutral, active listeners, ask questions, paraphrase always, summarize discussions etc.
• The stages of facilitation: starting, during and ending a session
  • Creating conditions for full participation, removing blocks to participation (break the ice, clarify your role, clarify the topic, create buy-in etc.), using humor, making eye contact, setting up the learning space to encourage participation etc. (Note: we covered a lot of this.)

Coaching and mentoring

MTLs often serve as coaches and mentors to other MT helping them develop their skills and abilities. They should therefore possess strong coaching and mentoring skills such as active listening, empathy, and providing constructive feedback.

The consultant will also be required to provide transportation and accommodation for the resource persons, if applicable.

Facilitators/Resource Persons Requirements

Proven track record of extensive consultancy experience of at least 5 years in facilitation of project management and facilitation skills training for master trainers.

• Have practical experience in coaching and mentoring within the TVET context
• Possess strong coaching and mentoring skills, including active listening, providing constructive feedback
• Have a solid understanding of facilitation principles, techniques, and methodologies
• Proficient in guiding group discussions
• Familiar with different learning styles and be able to adapt their facilitation approach accordingly
• Excellent verbal and non-verbal communication skills
• Engage participants effectively
• A sound understanding of the TVET sector
• Sound understanding of project management and reporting

Training Approaches

The training should utilize participatory adult learning approaches that include and not limited to peer learning circles, action learning sets, experiential learning activities, role plays, case studies, observational learning, simulation exercises among others.

Lecture method to be avoided.

An inception meeting will be held between the successful consultant, CICan team, and the KSTVET CBET delivery training coordination team.

Location:

The venue of the event will be communicated to the successful consultant.

1. Letter of expression of interest and demonstration of capability
2. At least three most recent training institution clients with whom you have engaged in similar assignments and their contact information, to act as references and description of previous team building events facilitated
3. Both a technical proposal (how you propose to undertake the assignment and content) and a financial quotation (cost in Kenyan shillings). The financial proposal should include the terms of payment. The technical proposal should include at least three video links of similar assignments
4. Curriculum vitae of key personnel
5. Proposed daily rate in Kenya Shillings with applicable taxes.
6. Company/Organization Profile and or valid Business License
7. KRA PIN certificate and valid KRA tax compliance certificate

Documents should be submitted as one PDF file of not more than 30 pages.

Phone calls or in-person visits will not be accepted.

NOTE: Short-listed candidates will be asked to give a presentation including a brief introduction of the company / facilitator, proposed themes and activities, methodology and how the capacity building shall be managed / conducted.

Questions or clarification with regard may be sought in writing to nragai@ke.collegesinstitutes.ca by 6th March 2023 at 5 p.m.