RFP for External evaluation of Youth Skills Development Programme in Gujarat and Bihar

Working in India since 1983, the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme India (AKRSP-I) is a non-denominational, non-government development organization. AKRSP-I works as a catalyst for the betterment of rural communities by providing direct support to local communities. Over the years through their various community development programmes – i.e. water resources development, women empowerment, conservation agriculture, farmer’s collectives, village institutions, youth skills and entrepreneurship development, health and education etc. – it has impacted lives of over 1.5 million people from marginalized sections of society.

Yuva Junction Programme:

Yuva Junction is a unique youth skills development initiative of AKRSP-I with an exclusive focus on rural youths, particularly young women. The trainees in these centres are primarily school and college dropout youths of the low income strata and majorly from agricultural and daily wage earning family backgrounds. The programme is designed for rural communities and youth, providing them training, counselling, placement, post-placement support and other coaching/handholding to ensure a successful transition into work, often involving migration from rural to urban areas.

Yuva Junction started in 2007 with the aim to provide computer training to rural communities and bridge the digital gap between rural and urban India. Over the years, the programme evolved and adopted a market driven approach with a focus on training and placement in courses for growth professions such as retail sales, business process outsourcing (BPO), account assistant, stitching and beautician that could benefit both young men and women.

Reach and Impact to Date:

At present, Yuva Junction has 17 active centers: 13 in Gujarat and 4 in Bihar, together maintaining a dedicated team of around 60 professionals working to enhance skills and employability of youth. In the last one decade of its operation the programme reached to more than 30 thousand people. In the vocational skills since 2012 more than 7500 youths received training and around 70% of them get placed on entry level jobs in the sectors like retail, hospitality and banking etc.

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External Evaluation of Yuva Junction:

The key objective of this evaluation is to assess the effect of the Yuva Junction project on the social and economic development of trainees and their families, particularly in terms of increase in family income, creation of assets, and investment in agriculture, education of siblings, decision making by females, age of marriage for both male and female, mobility to urban areas and skilled migration etc.

A secondary objective is to help inform AKRSP-I management to potentially augment and expand Yuva Junction programme over the coming years, with a vision for 10,000 youth placements per year in 5 years and at least 70% of trainees securing meaningful work. This evaluation is expected to take stock, critique and challenge, as well as validate aspects of Yuva Junction, ultimately informing it to position for greater scale, relevance, efficiency and effectiveness for rural disadvantage young women and men.

Deliverables:

Research methodology, work plan, and budget, prior to commencement of assignment
Draft Evaluation Report and Presentation to AKRSP-I and AKF Management
Final Evaluation Report and Presentation (i.e. 15-25 pages, plus annexes; 10-30 slides)

Expected Outcomes of the Evaluation:

Insights into the current situation of, and potential improvements to, Yuva Junciton regarding:

Relevance of the programme to meet the employment needs of the target groups.
Effectiveness of the overall programme: its design, methods and methodology, content and curriculum, course topics, in achieving the skill enhancement and capacity building of male and female trainees for employment opportunities.
Effectiveness of the placement and post-placement support in improving male and female trainee placement transitions, workplace retention and employer relationships.
Impact on the economic, social and cultural aspect of male and female trainees, their families and their local communities.
Efficiency of the programme, and its overall value for money, vis-à-vis comparable initiatives, given Yuva Junction focus on rural and disadvantaged youth.

Scope of the Study:

The study should not be limited to but cover at least the following points:

Training Program

Relevance of training courses, with respect to industry demand
Effectiveness of training curriculum – degree of usefulness and relevance for improving skills
Effectiveness of training methodology – degree of improvement in the relevant skills

Effectiveness of training program to cater industry demand and rural to urban transitions

Extent to which training programme meets industries skills demand
Ability to provide placement opportunities in relevant industries
Quality of jobs offers, starting salary etc. (gender wise analysis)
Retention rate of the trainees in the job (gender wise analysis)
Improvement in trainee’s income, and to their career progression (gender wise analysis)
Handling of the placement process, including identification of job opportunities in relevant markets, engagement/involvement of employers, interview processes, etc.
Post placement support, housing, commuting, and counselling support

Socio-economic and cultural impacts

Impact on the trainee’s income
Impact on financial status of the family
Impact on the quality of life of families
Empowerment of girls and female youth in decision making and career choices
Use of income and savings by the trainees and family members
Support to other youths of community in training or career planning

Methodology (proposed)

For the research design and sampling, 17 Yuva Junction centres can be grouped in two 3 distinct geographies, central Bihar, South Gujarat and Swarsatra in Gujarat, based on social, cultural and economic structure of the society. A decent sample size from each of these geographies of relevant populations (trainees, parents, employers) should be analyzed to prepare area specific and overall trends on outcomes. To get macro view, industry trends and perspective of different stack holders the study should engage donors, nodal agencies and industry bodies.

The evaluators should involve the following steps during the process of designing and conducting their work:

Preparation of study methodology
Preparation of tools
Fine-tuning the methodology and process
Data collection
Data analysis and compilation of results
Identifying key findings and recommendations

Qualifications:

At least 10 years’ experience undertaking high quality evaluations in the skills and employment sector in India;
Proven expertise on youth employability in India, particularly for disadvantaged segments;
Good understanding of the rural context, particularly of tribal and marginal communities;
Demonstrated expertise on labor market and trends in India;
Lead consultants with a master’s degree or PhD in relevant discipline.
Experience undertaking evaluations in Bihar and/or Gujarat, is preferred.

Application Specification: Proposals with, profile, concept note and detailed time line and budget should be send to pmtyi@akrspi.org by 10th of April 2020. Website- akrspindia.org.in/