The purpose of the Youth Education and Livelihood Officer (YELO) is to ensure the implementation of RFSAs strategies, approaches, tools the areas of youth employment, youth education, training, linkage and asset building activities of the project. YELO will work with MFIs, SMEs, cooperative banks, RuSACCOs, Cooperative Agencies, and government units to ensure access to financial services for targeted youth groups. It is also expected that S/he will work closely with a wide range of business associations, woreda government partners, service providers, private sector, and CBOs to facilitate youth employment linkages.
S/he will conduct feasibility analysis of various on-farm, off/non-farm youth livelihood activities in targeted woredas and analyses the profitability and share the result. S/he will act as the key technical support person and ensure youths are accessing both soft and technical skill trainings for targeted youth groups. S/he will be responsible for creating linkage with TVET, ATVET, DAs, and SME offices to access quality training and technical support with direction given from Advisor. The position holder will also be responsible for capacity-building of field staff and government partners using relevant tools and technical approaches.
S/he will be responsible for internalizing and applying the guidance, approaches, strategies and tools established by the technical leadership team in relation to youth employment and linkages to different services. S/he will be required to work alongside other team members to implement established tools and approaches in order to assist households to access opportunities. S/he will ensure that the RFSA youth employment interventions are performed as planned and to bring about the desired impact through monitoring, evaluation, research and documenting lessons learnt. S/he establishes and maintains effective working relationships with key government partners and NGOs working in the same geographic areas. S/he will work closely with and support the woreda team leaders, as well as other field-based technical advisors, to ensure youth employment linkages are implemented in a coordinated and harmonized manner.
II. ROLES and RESPONSIBILITIES
Job Responsibility #1 Targeting, Training and Implementation
- Leads the implementation of adapted youth approaches, systems and services to ensure the youth are access to opportunities
- Lead targeting of youth for any RFSA related interventions
- Participate in youth intervention modality development for the project
- Collaborate with regional/Zonal and woreda partners to make them understand the project youth modality and participate them in implementation from the very beginning to an end
- Consistently identify gaps and challenges of labor market
- Facilitate life skill training for targeted youth after selecting interested youth
- Facilitate market relevant and youth-friendly trainings on social and business development and technical skills.
- Lead technical skills training for unemployed and underemployed youth to increase their employability, follow up with Partners and CFs during training.
- Ensure youth get required support including, training, coaching, WBL, on job services to be successful in business
- Mapping a range opportunity in the area and link youth with the identified opportunities
- Being with regional team develop an approach and modality for secondary youth school support
- Work closely with woreda/zonal and regional team to develop a criterion for selection of youth for secondary school support scheme in line with government education policy.
- Facilitate youth peer-to-peer learning and participation.
- Support the establishment of youth VESA to promote youth savings and lending associations as a starting point to financial access and inclusion.
- Work with key government partners to access resources that help the youth to be engage in productive work.
- Work with different youth organizations (youth associations, youth league and youth federation) to systematize youth support
- Ensure the implementation of VESA methodology among all youth VESAs, train and coach the CFs and animators on VESA methodology and documentation.
- Defines and executes youth VESA monitoring systems, MIS SAVIX, and monthly reports, and strengthens them.
- Works with MFI and other government partners to locally address challenges of youth access to loan
- Work with other livelihood team so that targeted youth benefit from tother livelihood interventions.
Job Responsibility #2: Learning, linkage and Networking:
- Leads and works with local authorities to facilitate better understanding and coordination among the actors in improving policy environment for youth support and employment at woreda and zone level;
- Takes a leading role in the organization of zone and woreda level workshops on youth employment and education
- Participates in zonal/woreda level working groups dedicated to promote youth workforce development, livelihood and education
- Participates in Technical Working Groups under the Project and share project experience and learning on youth
- Lead different discussion forum at woreda/zonal level to make the partners understand youth and project secondary school support scheme, explore partners’ learnings and scale up best practice
- Keeps up to date with developments in the sector, including best practice examples within the region and ensures ongoing personal development and learning;
- Ensures the communication and application of concepts and approaches of RFSA project related to youth workforce development, employment and secondary school support with stakeholders.
- Document lessons learned, good practices on youth; document case studies on concrete youth inclusion where more young people (male and female) are excelling.; formulate youth inclusion annual learning agenda and make recommendations for improvements as the program evolves.
- Development and disseminate relevant documentation on effective contributions to youth employment to local stakeholders including national governments that influence positive spinoffs to an enabling environment for youth led enterprises, in line with RFSA broader knowledge and learning agenda.
Job Responsibility #3: Capacity Building:
- Develops capacity of implementing partner’s staff on youth workforce development, employment and secondary school support
- Organizes and delivers training courses and/or arranges for the delivery of training programs aimed at RFSA staff, partner staff including government and NGO staff, and project beneficiaries.
- Conduct capacity gap assessment and facilitate different capacity building activities at woreda and zonal level
- Write and submit timely activity reports (monthly, quarterly and annual reports), as well as other Youth Inclusion thematic technical reports, notes.
Job Responsibility #4: Information Management and Quality Assurance
- Designs and develops work plans for field office operations associated with youth training, employment and secondary school education
- Ensures that implementation of field programs proceeds according to approved plans and that immediate corrective actions are taken when required;
- Supports external and internal project reviews for higher-level reflective practices;
- Works with Project M&E Officer to reviews project report, compiles and shares lessons for future project design considerations;
Job Responsibility #5: Other
- Perform other duties as assigned
Job Requirement
A) Education
Required:
- B.A/M.A/M.S.C Degree in Agricultural Development, rural development, Economics and Social Science, youth studies or other related field.
B) Experience:
Required:
- 3 years of work experience for BA and 2 years’ experience for MA in agricultural marketing and/or value chain development, financial linkage/livelihood diversification and promotion, entrepreneurship development.
Desired:
- Experience in private and NGO sector.
C) Technical Skills
Required:
- Ability to lead the implementation of production and market linkage activities in the field;
- Ability to facilitate and encourage collaborative teamwork, experience sharing, effective problem solving and conflict resolution;
- Ability to identify and propose solutions and innovative strategies.
- Proficiency in computer (Word processing, Excel; database management);
- Excellent written and verbal communication in English Language;
- Firm belief in teamwork, gender equality, and participatory approach and sustainable development.
Desired:
- Knowledge of Agricultural Marketing practices,
- Training/experience on production and market linkages
D) Competencies: Respect, accountability, courage, excellence, building partnership, building commitment, contributing to team success, innovation, pro-active problem solving, analytical ability.
E. Problem Solving (Thinking Environment): All the three levels of problem solving apply to the incumbent. But category numbers one, three and four are most applicable to this position because, the incumbent must use interpolative skills to pick and choose the right strategy to address a given problem and also has to deal with variable situations, which need analysis, problem definition and development of alternative solutions.
V. Contacts/Key Relationships
The incumbent is expected to establish and maintain good relations with all staff, stakeholders and partners at all levels. S/he will also be expected to have productive and professional relations with various technical and operation staff in the organization.