TERMS OF REFERENCE
CALL FOR CONSULTANCY SERVICE FOR PROVIDING LAPIDARY SKILL TRAINING FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN GEMSTONE SECTOR
1. BACKGROUND
MEDA (Mennonite Economic Development Associates) is an organization dedicated to creating business solutions to poverty. MEDA’s Global Affairs Canada-funded EMERTA project (meaning leaping to a great height in Amharic) runs for six (6) years, from 2016 to 2022 with the objective of contributing to increased income and employment opportunities for 16,000 entrepreneurs and 275
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) focusing on three value chains: rice, vegetables and gemstones.
1.2. EMERTA Value Chain Project
EMERTA, is committed to increasing sustainable employment and income generation for women and men in Amhara region of Ethiopia in the three sectors, with a focus on women. The project is committed to increasing sustainable employment and incomes for women and men in Amhara by improving business performance of producers and MSMEs that buy from and supply inputs, equipment, and services to them. Simultaneously, the project will help business service providers, training institutions and government bodies to more effectively reach and serve women and men, providing improved, more gender-sensitive and environmentally sustainable services that foster growth of producers and MSMEs in the targeted sectors.
The focus of the project’s interventions in the gems sector is to help create employment and to support Ethiopia’s increased capture of value from this natural resource. The project will contribute to reduction of the illegal market of gems by facilitating changes that will increase revenues and opportunity for market actors in the legal sector thereby making participation in the legal sector more attractive. Interventions will also support sector actors to provide the quality required by international markets while stimulating demand in local and tourist markets within Ethiopia.
MEDA has conducted research to identify issues that constrain growth of the gems sector. Among the identified constraints of the sector is: lapidary training programs are not providing adequate instruction to develop skills that meet international standards, and training does not include business skills and health, safety and environment management information.
Accordingly, MEDA’s EMERTA project has come with various interventions to fill the skills gap such as working with TVETs to upgrade the existing curriculum and hiring professionals to provide skills upgrading training to lapidaries.
In pursuit of this, MEDA has planned to deliver lapidary skill training for selected women entrepreneurs from North Wollo zone, Gazo woreda.
2. Objective of the Training
The training is aimed at providing quality technical skills training on lapidary work and improving the knowledge and skills of the trainees.
3. Expected Result of the Training
At the end of the training, MEDA expects that the participants will gain the necessary skills anticipated to acquire such as Opal polishing to the required level (market demand), cabochon making using commercial grade level stones/semi-precious stones that could be enable them to make various kinds of jewels used for local market.
4. Scope of Work
The consultant is expected to achieve the following activities
§ Prepare lapidary skill training manuals (both in English and Amharic). The content of the training materials should include:
· Identifying gemstones (based on physical properties)
· Operating machines
· Gemstone slabbing
· Gemstone polishing
· Cabochon making
· Bead making and drilling
· Environment safety/waste disposal mechanism
· Occupational health and safety and finally the trainees would graduate by finishing a final project (e.g. the cutting of a specific shape).
§ Conduct pre-and post-training assessment with participants
§ Submit training materials to MEDA 10 days before the training, to incorporate feedback timely.
§ Deliver training to 20 trainees for 26 consecutive days (excluding Sundays) at Gondar/Kombolcha poly technic college.
§ Deliver final report that shows the process and outcome of the training with challenges and recommendations.
5. Venue, Date and number of participantsThe training will be given to 20 women lapidaries at Amhara National Regional State Gondar/Kombolcha poly technic college, tentatively on September 2018 for one month.
The consultant /trainer must have:
§ Qualifications in one of the following majors: BSc in Geology, Gemology, level III/IV certificate in lapidary profession (preferably level IV), or in related professions.
§ 4-years and above experience as lapidary trainer
§ Level III/IV CoC certificate (Certificate of Competence) in lapidary skill
§ Minimum of two years’ experience in Opal/gemstone cutting and polishing skill, high level cabochon making skill using commercial grade level stones/semi-precious stones and faceting skill.
§ Having mounting/fixing skill gemstone with gold or silver is an asset
Note: The consultant/trainer who will be considered for the training will be required to practically demonstrate Opal/gemstone cutting and polishing, cabochon making, and faceting.