Capacity Building consultant, UNICEF, NIVAM

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, a future.

Scope of Work:

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Slovakia has seen a rapid influx of persons fleeing hostilities and seeking protection. More than 1,2 million of individuals from Ukraine and third country nationals (TCNs) have crossed the borders into Slovakia, 78 per cent of whom are women and children (published as of March, 2023). The refugee population and population on the move also include unaccompanied and separated children and those with disabilities and urgent health needs. The Government of Slovakia has generously kept the borders open, and national, district and local authorities have rapidly responded to the large numbers of arrivals. Local communities have taken a welcoming stance, with humanitarian actors, civil society, the private sector and community volunteers complementing the government-led efforts by providing significant support at border reception points and urban areas. 

Temporary protection (TP) status has been accessible to refugees arriving from Ukraine and their families since 1 March 2022 and as of 24 January 2023, over 107,000 individuals have applied for Temporary Protection in Slovakia, with the Government estimating that an additional 10,000 Ukrainians are benefiting from tolerated stay, within the legal framework, and hence are not registered for protection in Slovakia.  

On 30 March 2022, the Government adopted Act No. 92/2022 Coll (Lex Ukraine) introducing further measures to address the situation in Ukraine, amending in total 32 Acts, including the Asylum Act, Residence of Foreigners Act, and the Health Act. TP holders are entitled to “urgent and necessary” healthcare as well as certain social benefits, including core relief items, childcare allowance for children up to three years of age, or up to six years of age for children with a long-term adverse health condition, subsidies for lunches in kindergartens and primary schools, and for school stationery.  

Despite the favorable protection environment for refugees in the country, there remain major challenges in addressing areas including education and healthcare. Such gaps include comprehensive sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, preventative mother and childcare, including immunization, education, available social protection mechanisms, ensuring specialized services for GBV survivors, and access of persons with disabilities to existing assistance mechanisms.  

While Slovakia welcomed the refugees, moving beyond providing immediate support has posed significant challenges of promoting their integration. Among the main challenges have been to ensure the refugee children’s equal access to education. The Ministry of Education has developed several educational policies and practices that respond to the needs of refugee students and promote their inclusion in schools. Measures aimed at promoting the enrollment of Ukrainian refugee children in Slovak schools included strengthening regional network of school authorities, expansion of preschool capacities, summer camps, language courses for Ukrainian children, as well as new systemic funding scheme (so-called EU normative for Ukrainian children). At the same time, the Ministry allowed refugee children to continue learning in the Ukrainian syllabus by accessing online platforms. Approximately 10,000 refugee children have been enrolled in Slovak schools for the 2022-2023 school year, however, many more continue to learn online with very limited opportunity for peer interactions with the host community. 

UNICEF is working with national systems and institutions as well as non-governmental organization partners in the Slovak Republic to include Ukrainian children in education. The partnerships efforts focus on: (1) strengthening national systems, effective leadership and coordination for quality inclusion of refugee children; (2) promoting and supporting equitable access and quality learning (including early learning) for children and adolescents; (3) supporting establishment of diversified services of early childhood education as well as non-formal opportunities (for all children and adolescents); (4) supporting education system to make the learning environment inclusive, safe and protective; (5) community engagement for positive social and behaviour change.  

NIVaM (National Institute for Education and Youth, Slovakia) and its regional workplaces within the framework of the Recovery and Resilience Plan of the Slovak Republic, creates regional teams at regional branches and provides professional training programs and development and information activities to ensure the education of teachers and to provide methodical support to schools in the introduction of an innovative curriculum with a view to improving students' literacy and skills needed for the 21st century.


How can you make a difference? 

UNICEF Slovakia Ukraine Refugee Response is seeking a Senior Trainer with extensive experience (at least 8 years of experiences) in training of adults.

The purpose is to provide technical support to national partner NIVAM within the framework of UNICEF’s refugee response, with a focus on strengthening the skills of NIVAM professional development trainers to further roll-out the ongoing curricular reforms, including in quality inclusive education (i.e., NIVAM trainers will be equipped to provide training to educators and teachers across Slovakia in the context of the curricular reforms). Focus of the training will be on equipping future NIVAM trainers who are experts in the education topics, with soft training skills.

Consultancy will include development of the hybrid training (online and fact to face), training of trainers (30 persons) and follow up supervision/mentoring. Engagement will last from 1 April until the end of September 2023, 34 days in total.

Recognized adult learners needs and apply methods appropriate for the adult learning
Develop needs-oriented methodology for the training of adults
Identify and apply various learning styles.
Incorporate training methods to address varying learning styles
Write action-oriented, measurable learning objectives
Write an instructional plan
Select appropriate instructional methods based on the content and learning objectives
Determine training materials needed for a training
Able to select and apply  visual aids and their use
Deliver training
Manage a group of learners/trainees (online and in presence)
Develop an evaluation plan
Design pre/post knowledge assessment
Provide effective feedback
It is expected that the Senior Trainer will design the training and supervision/mentoring by clustering thematic areas and combining online learning and face-to face learning.

The Senior Trainer will be home based, with travel to Slovakia for face-to- face trainings. The consultant will report to the Chief Education. The consultant will work in close coordination with Education and ECD colleagues of the Slovakia team, as well as with other colleagues of NIVAM.


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

Minimum of 8 years of relevant work experience in adult learning programme development, adult trainings, andragogy, etc. or a similar field.
Experience in adult learning programmes in the area of education is an asset.
Experience working with state and NGO partners is strongly desired.
Experience working with or in UN organization is an asset.
Fluency in English is required. 
Fluency in Slovak is an asset


For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

  

To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

  

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check. 



Remarks:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts. 

PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION THROUGH THE UNICEF JOB PORTAL. ONLY APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AS SUCH MAY BE CONSIDERED.
https://jobs.unicef.org/en-us/job/560524/capacity-building-consultant-bratislava-slovakia-education-section-4-months

Please make sure that you apply through the UNICEF job site. Only applications submitted as such may be accepted.
https://jobs.unicef.org/en-us/job/560524/capacity-building-consultant-bratislava-slovakia-education-section-4-months