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Country/Region Zambia

Sector Heavy trucks, buses, engines and related services

Local Partners Northern Technical College (NORTEC), Ndola, Zambia

Tentative Budget Total: US $ 3,264,911.38

MoHE contribution: $1,060,000.00 Volvo contribution: $ 955,554.00 Sida contribution: $ 1,249,357.38

For more details, please refer to Annex 2.

Tentative Time Period 36 months (2019-2022)

Anticipated Results

New and improved curriculum for trucks, validated and approved by TEVETA;

Modern, demand-driven Centre of Excellence established and operational within NORTEC;

Increased employability in Zambia through the training of 450 students over the course of 3 years in skills relevant for the transport and heavy equipment sector;

Linking of project to a global knowledge sharing platform (Learning and Knowledge Development Facility - LKDF).

Earlier support from Sida:

Previously, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) funded similar PPDP projects in Iraq, Ethiopia and Zambia. The Zambian Industrial Training Academy (ZAMITA), a project established in the Northern Technical College (NORTEC), Ndola, transformed the heavy equipment engineering workforce to meet the job market needs. The workforce has been trained to work competently in modern machinery used in mining and construction sector. By enhancing the institutional capacity through infrastructure upgrades, a modern curriculum, the supply of modern machinery, and staff development programmes, NORTEC is producing quality workforce to meet the job market’s competency requirements. Support to the NORTEC heavy equipment engineering programme by ZAMITA ended in 2018. This proposed project aims to bring similar development into the transport sector workforce development, from 2019 to 2022. The project is also part of the “Learning and Knowledge Development Facility (LKDF)”, which is also funded by Sida and implemented by UNIDO. The LKDF offers a rigorous monitoring and evaluation framework and also serves as a knowledge sharing platform. The LKDF aims to capture best practices and summarize lessons learnt from public private development partnerships by drawing comparisons between different PPDP projects.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

0 Glossary ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5

1 Context ...................................................................................................................................................................... 6

2 Project Description ................................................................................................................................................... 8

2.1 Development Problem ...................................................................................................................................... 8

2.2 Proposed Solution ............................................................................................................................................. 9

2.3 Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) .......................................................................... 14

2.4 Partner Qualification/Experience .................................................................................................................... 15

2.5 Additionality .................................................................................................................................................... 16

3 The Project Strategy ................................................................................................................................................ 17

4 The Project Plan ...................................................................................................................................................... 24

4.1 Objective, Outputs and Activities .................................................................................................................... 24

4.2 Timeline/Milestones ........................................................................................................................................ 25

4.3 Anticipated Results .......................................................................................................................................... 27

4.4 Target Beneficiaries ......................................................................................................................................... 27

4.5 Gender Mainstreaming ................................................................................................................................... 28

4.6 Financial Sustainability .................................................................................................................................... 30

4.7 Environmental Sustainability ........................................................................................................................... 31

4.8 Risk Mitigation Plan ......................................................................................................................................... 32

5 Project Management, Monitoring, and Communications ...................................................................................... 34

5.1 Project Design and Implementation Modality ................................................................................................ 34

5.2 Project Management and Staff ....................................................................................................................... 35

5.3 Application of Lessons Learnt from other LKDF Projects ................................................................................ 36

5.4 Monitoring and Evaluation: Key Metrics and Targets ..................................................................................... 38

5.5 Communications and Outreach Plan ............................................................................................................... 39

5.6 Procurement arrangement .............................................................................................................................. 40

6 Legal Framework ..................................................................................................................................................... 41

Annex 1: Logical Framework ........................................................................................................................................ 43

Annex 2: Project Budget .............................................................................................................................................. 47

Annex 3: Theory of Change.......................................................................................................................................... 50

Annex 4: PSC Terms of Reference................................................................................................................................ 51

Annex 5: MoHE Letter of Support ............................................................................................................................... 53

Annex 6: ToT – Volvo ................................................................................................................................................... 55

Annex 7: TORs for Field office staff ............................................................................................................................. 61

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0 GLOSSARY

ASBS Applied Science and Business Studies

CTA Chief Technical Advisor

DCED Donor Committee for Enterprise Development

EIZ Engineering Institute of Zambia

GIL World Bank’s Gender Innovation Lab

HDECoVA Heavy Duty Equipment and Commercial Vehicles Academy

HER Heavy equipment repair

HOD Head of the Department

MoHe Ministry of Higher Education

MOU Memorandum of Understanding

NORTEC Northern Technical College

PC Project Coordinator

PM Project Manager

PMT Project Management Team

PPDP Public-Private Development Partnership

PSC Project Steering Committee

TEVETA Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority Zambia

ToR Terms of Reference

ToT Training of Trainers

TVET Technical and Vocational Education Training

VTC Vocational training centre

ZAMITA Zambian Industrial Training Academy

ZC ZAMITA committee

ZSC ZAMITA student committee

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1 CONTEXT

Zambia is one of the youngest countries in Africa, with a youth population (15 to 35 years old) of 4.8 million (36.7% of the total population)1. Though the economy has recovered thanks to rising commodity prices, poverty levels and job creation figures have not kept up pace with GDP growth. As a result, unemployment is one of the most pressing challenges for Zambian youth. Therefore, the Zambian government has set the goal of creating a million jobs over the next five years in key sectors in its 7th National Development Plan 2017-2021.2 Next to agriculture, the extractive and transport industries are the biggest employers. Zambia, a commodity-based landlocked economy, moves its extractive industry input and minerals output by road to the seaports of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Durban, South Africa.

In the past twenty years, the production of copper has increased significantly and is likely to rise further. Due to its increasing relevance, Zambia’s mining sector has received cumulative investment and thus has gained macroeconomic significance.

Although railway infrastructure is available, it is seldom used due to the road connectivity available to all seven bordering countries. In order to support the government initiatives to bolster youth employment in key sectors, this project will enhance the transport and heavy equipment sector by fostering systemic change in the development of a skilled workforce.

The majority of the current workforce acquires their skills through vocational institutions accredited by the Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority Zambia (TEVETA). Due to the unavailability of industry linkages and funding constraints, most of these vocational institutions lack the appropriate infrastructure and modern equipment to provide their students with market relevant competencies. Because of this, even the graduates of these institutions are unable to find suitable employment, or, even if they do find work, have difficulty performing and retaining their jobs. The labour market operates with a sizeable expatriate workforce to fill this skills shortage, which affects the private sector bottom-line earnings because of the higher wage requirements of expatriate workers.

This project aims to boost the capacity of a major vocational institution through a multilateral public-private partnership programme to decrease the skills shortage in transport truck sector. By creating a link with Volvo’s truck division for the purpose of a technology transfer, updating the curriculum, supplying the necessary infrastructure and staff development training, these initiatives will close the skills gap and empower youth in finding meaningful employments. In order to target the vulnerable and poor, the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) is planning to implement selective bursary distribution schemes with gender-specific elements. The Ministry

1 https://zambia.unfpa.org/en/news/zambia%E2%80%99s-young-people-and-road-2030

2 http://extwprlegs1.fao.org/docs/pdf/zam170109.pdf

https://zambia.unfpa.org/en/news/zambia%E2%80%99s-young-people-and-road-2030http://extwprlegs1.fao.org/docs/pdf/zam170109.pdf

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has already committed to funding 500 beneficiaries over the next five years3 through the Skills Development Levy Fund as part of their contribution to this project.

The MoHE contributed bursaries for two hundred sixty-three (263) beneficiaries through the African Development Bank for the previous project, which provided vocational training for the mobile heavy equipment workforce in order to meet market demands. The previous project, the Zambian Industrial Training Academy (ZAMITA) focused on training students in the operation and maintenance of heavy machinery at one of the leading technical vocational colleges in Zambia, the Northern Technical College, NORTEC. This academy is also funded by Sida and implemented by UNIDO. ZAMITA was established since 2016 to train youth in industry-relevant skills; it now has more than six hundred students, with a 13% jump in female enrollment since its inception (1% to 14%). The graduates of the academy are received positively by the extractive industries. Due to the lack of skilled workers in transport and construction equipment in Zambia, the academy graduates are also placed in these sectors. Therefore, linking the transport sector to ZAMITA will supplement the academy’s efforts to broaden its scope in serving the job market skill demands across sectors. It will also save on costs and effort to build on the existing academy rather than establishing a new one.

The integration will further create-cross cutting synergies among the heavy equipment and transport sector workforce. This proposed project will link ZAMITA to the heavy equipment, mining, transport and construction sector employers, thereby stimulating the learning environment and employment opportunity for the academy’s youth. Both the heavy equipment and automotive cohorts will be exposed to wider opportunities across sectors to find meaningful employment opportunities upon graduation.

The ultimate goal of this project is to support the Zambian government’s 7th National Development plan to foster cooperation between the government, ministries, and provinces and accelerate “development efforts towards the Vision 2030 without leaving anyone behind”.4

Because of its complex and multidimensional nature, sustainable development requires interventions to be implemented in coordination with each other—an idea that is at the core of the second phase of the ZAMITA project.

3 The GRZ has agreed to commit to this, using the funds collected through the Skills Development Levy Fund (established after the 2016 Skills Development Levy Act).

4 http://www.mndp.gov.zm/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/7NDP.pdf “Ultimately it is envisaged that the integrated

development approach in the 7NDP will help change the focus of government line ministries and provinces from

competing with each other to coordinated harmonisation (working together).”

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2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION

2.1 DEVELOPMENT PROBLEM

Zambia faces significant socio-economic challenges and high levels of poverty. At the heart of these challenges is the lack of productive employment and income opportunities, with four-fifths of those living in poverty working (mainly) in subsistence agriculture. The work is mainly low productivity and low skills. Studies have shown that higher levels of education provide access to better employment opportunities and higher income, but in Zambia, as in many African countries, the vocational education system faces significant challenges. The majority of the population has not completed basic education, and internationally comparable assessments suggest that the quality of education is inadequate even for those who attend. Vocational training schools have had issues particularly with training students in the skills demanded by the labour market. If the systems were improved, vocational training in Zambia could have positive externalities: a more skilled workforce would be more productive and more capable of innovation, encouraging sustainable economic growth.

Current problems include:

- Insufficient institutional capacity to identify gaps in vocational skillsets - A lack of interaction between educational and training institutions - Insufficient levels of core skills, even among high school graduates - Limited funding - Limited access to new technologies and good teachers - A lack of practical training with supervision and guidance - A lack of standardized, competency-based certifications, which should be addressed in

more detail through training policies and institutions, - Specific needs that women might face in accessing training (mobility depending on their

geographical location, permission to attend the training in case of societal/family pressure, etc.)

In the 7th National Development Plan 2017-2021, the Government of Zambia describes the challenges as follows:

Achieving diversification in Zambia will require a labour force that has functional skills and qualifications that support the development of practical skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training (TEVET) will play an important role in contributing to building human capital that will effectively support economic diversification. There are, however, several constraints that Zambia faces in attaining this objective, some of which include low access to skills training, poor quality of skills training and skills mismatch caused by the peripheral role played by industry in the development and implementation of TEVET curriculum5.

5 http://extwprlegs1.fao.org/docs/pdf/zam170109.pdf, page 94

http://extwprlegs1.fao.org/docs/pdf/zam170109.pdf

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As a land-locked economy with high transport costs, Zambia especially needs qualified labor for its transport sector, which comprises of over 60 companies with 2100+ vehicles.6 The transport and communications sector has been the fastest growing one in terms of value added in the recent decade, with a growth of 27.2% annually between 2008 and 2014.7 In 2008, the sector created close to 30,000 formal new jobs, which has risen to over 70,000 in 2014.8

2.2 PROPOSED SOLUTION

The main purpose of this project is to support the Government of Zambia in achieving the objectives outlined in the 7th National Development Plan 2017-2021. In particular, the project will support Development Outcome 2 (“Improved Education and Skills Development”) and Strategy 2 (“Enhance access to skills training”), which calls for the establishment of centres of excellence, the construction or rehabilitation of training institutions, and inclusive vocational training promotion. The project will also support Strategy 3 (“Enhance private sector participation”), which calls for the development of a curriculum and materials, the pre-service and in-service training of teachers, and the provision of training equipment.9

The objective of the proposed project is to contribute to Zambia’s economic development and diversification by aligning TVET training standards with the needs of the private sector. Thereby, the project will also enhance youth employability in the transport sector in Zambia and to help bridge the skills gap that many Zambian companies are currently facing. The opportunity to employ skilled workers will allow industrial firms to increase their productivity and rate of innovation.

The project will also help lower the costs currently carried by the transport industry in the form of high wage requirements for skilled expatriate workers in Zambia. Because the industry faces an acute shortage worse than ever before of local workers with the skills to work on more complex trucks, the wages of skilled workers are high in relation to other sectors. This, in turn, increases the pressure to offer the cost of higher wages in other areas, including the public sector. Because this project will produce skilled workers, the market supply of skilled workers will increase, and therefore we can reasonably expect wage levels to stabilize in the medium term.

On the one hand, the number of young Zambians trained under this project (450) is not sizeable enough for systemic change and a wider impact on overall unemployment figures in Zambia. On the other, the premises, curricula, and educational standards of a well-established VTC (NORTEC) will be upgraded and technology transfer sessions will be held at other VTCs across the country. These actions provide a clear perspective that the project will have larger ramifications on Zambia’s transport sector, and the skills development endeavors outlined in the 7th NDP.

6 Vilakazi, Thando (2018): The causes of high intra-regional road freight rates for food and commodities in Southern Africa. In: Development Southern Africa, Volume 35, 2018 - Issue 3, pp. 388-403. 7 Ravillard, Pauline (2017): Zambia’s Employment Outlook: Diversification, Formalization and Education. International Labour Organization (ILO), Employment Policy Department, Employment and Labour Market Policies Branch, Geneva. 8 Ibid. 9 http://extwprlegs1.fao.org/docs/pdf/zam170109.pdf, pages 94-96

http://extwprlegs1.fao.org/docs/pdf/zam170109.pdf

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Overall, the proposal contributes to (a) an increase in the competitiveness of Zambian exports through a reduction of transport costs - trade capacity-building + (b) provides training to 450 young Zambians with a high likelihood of finding a job after training, and dedicated career service support - reduce poverty. The project aims to achieve this on the basis of three pillars:

1. Bridging the gap between employers’ expectations and current educational standards for the transport sector through the development of a competency-based modern curriculum

The project management team (PMT) will ensure that all courses offered are relevant to the requirements of national and international transport truck industry players currently operating in and expanding in Zambia. This will be accomplished through the following steps:

- Conduct a survey to determine the following

o Curriculum input

o Demand for skilled technicians

o Qualification levels desired by the industry

o Labour force data

- Develop competency-based curriculum jointly with private sector

- Validate curriculum

- Obtain national accreditation

An expert will be hired to conduct this survey. The hiring process will begin with the PMT sending the CVs of the shortlisted experts to the stakeholders, who will then select their preferred candidate. The selected expert will then coordinate with the field office and complete the survey within the prescribed timeline, and then submit a report on the results. Based on this report, NORTEC and the PMT will appoint another expert from industry to draft a curriculum in collaboration with Volvo. Volvo engineers will assist the expert by demonstrating the company’s own curriculum and relevant training materials with the aim of examining their transferability to the Zambian market. The expert will then conduct a curriculum validating workshop involving suitable certifying authorities and the private sector. TEVETA and the MoHE will link these courses to universities through which our graduates can pursue higher education.

Experience from other PPDPs shows that the sub specialization of technicians tends to lower their employability and mobility in the labour market. The private and public sectors also expressed a need for multi-purpose skill profiles rather than restricting the workforce to only one sector. Bearing this in mind, a curriculum will be developed on the basis of common competencies that can be adopted throughout the transport, heavy equipment, mining, construction, and forestry sectors. Through a competency-based, modern curriculum, the assessment and certification mechanisms will be harmonized across the Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) system to allow a better response to this demand for multi-purpose training.

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2. Creating a regional centre of excellence at NORTEC through the provision of modern equipment and Training of Trainers (ToT) as well as the scaling up across Zambia through the provision of relevant equipment and technology transfer trainings

In line with the needs of the curriculum, infrastructure upgrades will be devised in a way that is suitable to accommodate all advanced training materials and equipment to safely demonstrate to the cohorts. The upgrade will be carried out in such a way that the host institution’s operational budget will allow for the upkeep and maintenance of the equipment. There will not be an additional burden on the institution’s operating expenses, thereby avoiding a premature failure of the infrastructure. During Phase I of the project, the heavy equipment engineering department infrastructure at NORTEC was adapted to meet international standards; Phase II of this project will attempt the same for the automotive department’s infrastructure.

The requirements for the new machinery and tools will be determined by the ZAMITA Committee under the guidance of UNIDO experts. UNIDO will also coach them in preparing suitable terms of reference (ToR) for international procurement, thereby allowing the host institution to develop the capacity to carry on such procurement after the project’s completion. The strategy that will be used for equipment procurement will be a bottom-up approach, as the host institution and TEVETA will draft the initial requirements in alignment with Volvo’s equipment supplies. UNIDO will match the host institution requirements to the Volvo contributions and source equipment that will complement and fill the gap for an effective technology transfer.

Based on the lessons learned from Phase I, some of the Volvo equipment requires special fixtures to enable usage according to the safety standards. Without such fixtures, the equipment cannot be used. The project team developed some of these fixtures locally by sourcing the engineering drawings from Volvo. Phase II will continue this activity in an effort to localize the procurement and avoid expensive imports. The ZAMITA committee will be coached to identify and develop the ToR. They will also be involved in the UNIDO procurement process by supporting the technical evaluation of offers. The committee will also decide on the items which the host institution can manufacture, and the items that need to be sourced through external vendors.

The ZAMITA committee (ZC) will carve out a commissioning plan in line with the project plan timeline and involve trainers from the supplier to train the teaching staff from the host institution. This will empower the teaching staff to familiarize themselves with the new equipment and enable them to ensure safe usage and maintenance. In the absence of such arrangements, chances of non-usage or damage due to improper usage are high.

The project aims to define and implement a relevant instructor training programme based on the needs assessed and provide support to existing institutions. It aims to support NORTEC in implementing a new programme through the provision of a package of staff development. The plan is to use advanced equipment in order to enhance the services of NORTEC. The training programme will include the following:

- ToT programme for equipment/ machinery/special tools procured and commissioned by various international/ local suppliers

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- ToT programme for training equipment / machinery/ special tools supplied by Volvo - ToT on pedagogical skills for teaching staff - ToT on multimedia skills for teaching staff - Development training programme for management staff - E-Learning programmes for management and 10 teachers - Study tour for management and teaching staff - Participation in relevant conferences/seminars/events - ToT for teachers from other VTCs to strengthen inter-institutional coordination

The outcome of the staff development programme is to enable technology transfer to trainers, teachers and instructors to enhance the consequent delivery of the modern curriculum under the supervision and guidance of international experts. However, the supervision and guidance will be less intensive where it is expected that the local teams will be able to work autonomously.

The ZC will introduce a merit-based system for nominating teachers who meet the qualification criteria outlined by the committee. The committee will then nominate the suitable candidates for technology transfer sessions. With this system in place, we aim to develop two specialists in each of the core subjects such as Engines, Transmissions, Electrics, Hydraulics, Pneumatics and Chassis Systems. These two specialists will be used to develop other national vocational institutions trainers across Zambia.

In addition, the project aims to develop and strengthen the institutional capacity of other VTCs through a “Heavy equipment engineering scaling-up programme”. This programme will be funded by the MoHE with the assistance of the AFDB. NORTEC will host ToT for preselected VTC heavy equipment instructors across Zambia. The selected institutions will be awarded suitable training equipment, such as Volvo engine and gear boxes. A NORTEC specialist will be deployed to these institutions to commission the engine and transmission and roll out the training to beneficiaries successfully. This programme will enable NORTEC to expand the benefits it had gained through the 1st phase of this project to other VTC’s across Zambia thereby increasing the numbers of Zambian graduates who have the necessary skills that meet the job market’s requirements.

The ZC will put in place a policy and governance framework. This committee will work alongside TEVETA to identify the national vocational institutions across Zambia and nominate suitable technical trainers to participate in the technology transfer sessions. These technology transfer sessions will be delivered by the host institution teachers who were trained by ZAMITA at the NORTEC campus. Phase I of this project created a centre of excellence in heavy equipment engineering at NORTEC and will be used as a base for transferring technology across the national TEVETA institutions.

Based on the completion of these technology transfers, the ZC will determine the equipment that needs to be donated along with a commissioning support plan to enable an effective technology transfer to the beneficiaries across Zambia. This strategy will eventually save capital spent in empowering the national TEVETA institutions to offer industry relevant skills, thereby making Zambian youth job-ready. It is envisioned that by the end of Phase II, heavy equipment and trucks

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engineering education will be fully aligned to produce a skilled workforce. The Ministry of Higher Education is providing the funding for logistical support and technology transfer costs incurred by the host institutions. Volvo is contributing to the supply of advanced equipment that is relevant for the current job market skill demand.

3. Providing training and career services to 450 young Zambians, with a particular focus on female and disadvantaged students

This project recognizes that sustainable development cannot be realized without the full and equal participation of youth at all levels of education.

With the objective to enroll and integrate vulnerable and underprivileged youth into the formal sector, the ZC will carry out special recruitment efforts. The Ministry of Higher Education has agreed to fund 500 students starting in the last quarter of 2020 until the year 2023. The committee will carve out a recruitment policy that will include a regionally specific target in line with the MoHE bursary policy. The regionally specific targets dictate the inclusion of villages in economically underdeveloped regions in order to spread the government funds across the nation and stimulate economic activity.

The ZC will conduct the recruitment drive through the NORTEC recruitment office. The ZC will strive to mitigate gender stereotyping and uneven geographical distribution of the bursary funds. Efforts will be included in the strategy to narrow the gender gap and to address the other inequalities. To achieve this result, the PMT will organize gender-sensitive information sessions to:

1. Attract vulnerable and underprivileged students to the formal sector 2. Dispel the negative perception of vocational education and create a more positive and

desirable image, taking gender-specific challenges into account 3. Engage with the labour market’s needs, creating higher potential for job opportunities

for all genders 4. Familiarize interested applicants with the risks and rewards connected to their future

occupations, taking gender-specific challenges into account.

Special support will be extended to underprivileged youth and women. A detailed roadmap that elaborates on a variety of programmes targeting different groups will be co-created by the PMT and the ZC. Experience from the past ZAMITA project shows that a strong social media presence is paramount for successful outreach. Therefore, this project will continue its social media outreach and expand into other marketing channels such as print media, radio shows, television programmes, etc.

The project will also continue its support in strengthening the operations of the career services centre. The first phase of the ZAMITA project assisted the career services centre by providing funding for a dedicated staff along with the travel expenses incurred as part of placing the

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ZAMITA beneficiaries in the industry. The project also provided a brand-new vehicle dedicated to the use of career services. While these initiatives showed progress in career services centre operations, the centre still needed assistance to enhance its offerings to the beneficiaries due to the higher volume of students throughout. Adopting the lessons learned from the Phase I, this project will introduce more value-added services to enhance industry institution collaboration, thereby improving the employability of the beneficiaries. The career services centre will focus on the following areas:

1. Private sector engagement 2. Gender campaigns 3. Computer skills 4. Social media profiles & professional networks 5. Job market preparation

As outlined in the project strategy section on page 17, the PMT will support the activities of the career services centre by appointing three dedicated team leaders who will transfer the suitable know-how/processes from other best practices and PPDPs to NORTEC. Besides this support, travel expenses and logistical expenses will be provided to the career services staff for the duration of this project

Ensuring sustainability is one of the mandatory goals of this project. NORTEC has demonstrated its commitment in the past by taking over the payroll of the career services staff from the project since 2019. Therefore, the project hopes that NORTEC will also absorb the team leaders from Phase II into its payroll before the end of this project.

2.3 CONTRIBUTION TO THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGS)

This project aims to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in particular, SDGs 4 and 9.

First, the sub-targets 3-5 of SDG 4 aim to accomplish the following by 2030: Ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical,

vocational and tertiary education, including university;

Substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship; and

Eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations.

Second, the sub-targets 2 and 9a of SDG 9 call to

Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and, by 2030, significantly raise industry’s share of employment and gross domestic product, in line with national circumstances, and double its share in least developed countries; and

Facilitate sustainable and resilient infrastructure development in developing countries through enhanced financial, technological and technical support to African countries,

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least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States

By providing effective and relevant skills training to 450 Zambian youth and women, ZAMITA directly contributes to SDG 4.

2.4 PARTNER QUALIFICATION/EXPERIENCE

The training academy will be established through a PPDP between the Volvo Group, a global manufacturer of heavy trucks, buses and engines, as the private sector partner; the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) of Zambia, the Embassy of Sweden in Lusaka/the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

To achieve the intended objectives, the project will build on the infrastructure and staff of an existing vocational training centre (VTC), the Northern Technical College (NORTEC) in Ndola. This VTC will serve as the training hub and centre of excellence where the core activities will be concentrated and delivered. A management training structure will be developed, integrating current VTC trainers. The facilities will be modernized to meet the technical requirements for course delivery in the intended training areas. Upon integration of all training systems (facility infrastructure, equipment, curriculum development, training of trainers, etc.), the academy will be fully capable of delivering modern courses. NORTEC is foreseen as an implementing partner and some resources will therefore be channeled through the VTC (e.g. career services).

The Embassy of Sweden/Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Sida will provide funding for this PPDP project and has the overall responsibility to supervise its contribution, monitor and analyze project reporting, and to participate in the biannual PSC meetings. Further, the Embassy/Sida will support the project through advice and guidance, in a similar fashion to the other PPDP projects with UNIDO.

The Volvo Group will provide trucks and suitable training materials, using state-of-the-art technologies along with the necessary technology transfer programme. The company will also be involved in job placement activities, building on its local network of customers.

United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is the specialized agency of the United Nations that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalisation and environmental sustainability. The organization is implementing PPDP projects on vocational skills development in other countries10, for example:

10 In the recent past, UNIDO established vocational training academies in Ethiopia, Morocco and Zambia, which are very similar to the one proposed in this document. In addition, UNIDO has previously organized vocational skills trainings in several countries, such as Iraq, South Sudan, Somalia, Liberia and Lebanon.

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Morocco (ACCES): a 4-year PPDP project with Volvo, USAID, and the Moroccan government. Focus on heavy-duty commercial vehicle driver training;

Morocco (AGEVEC): a 4-year PPDP project with Volvo, USAID, the OCP Foundation and the Moroccan government. Focus on heavy equipment technician training including soft skills;

Morocco (H2O Maghreb): a 2-year PPDP project with Festo Didactic, EON Reality, the Moroccan National Office of Water and Electricity and the Moroccan Government. Focus on “Aquatronics” training;

Ethiopia (HDECoVA): a 5-year PPDP project with Volvo, Sida and Selam Vocational Training College. Focus on heavy equipment technician and driver training;

Ethiopia (MISALE): a 5-year PPDP project with Sida, Volvo, and the Ethiopian government. Focus on heavy-duty and industrial vehicle driver training;

South Africa (SADC): a 2-year PPDP project with Small and Medium Sized Enterprises, the Government of Finland, and Cedara College of Agriculture. Focus on training along the wood value chain including entrepreneurship training;

Iraq (SAT): a 4.5-year PPDP project with Scania, Sida and the Swedish Academy of Training. Focus on heavy duty equipment technician and driver training, IT, English language;

Liberia (JHEOS): a 4-year PPDP with Komatsu, the Government of Japan and the Brooker Washington Institute. Focus on heavy equipment technician and operator training.

The proposed project will become part of the “Learning and Knowledge Development Facility (LKDF)”, a UNIDO industrial skills development resource that captures best practices and summarizes lessons learned from PPDP projects. The LKDF encourages knowledge creation and exchange between Vocational Training Centre/training school managers and key policy makers from different countries through workshops, trainings, and a knowledge sharing platform.11 The proposed project would be the eleventh PPDP to join the LKDF.

2.5 ADDITIONALITY

This project is committed to good practices in additionality, as set forth by the Donor Committee for Enterprise Development (DCED).12 Donor support is justified by the fact that this project will contribute to inclusive economic development by supporting youth employability and provide better linkages between employers and the educational sector. It would not be feasible through a private-sector-only approach. Without a public sector partner, the private sector partner would not be able to implement the proposed training programme on this scale as (i) the operation of trainings on this scale would not benefit the company and (ii) there would be doubts about undue competition and involvement in an area that is essentially governed by the public sector. The

11 For more information on the LKDF, please refer to www.lkdfacility.org.

12 https://www.enterprise-development.org

http://www.lkdfacility.org/https://www.enterprise-development.org/

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cost-sharing project does not displace other companies operating on the Zambian market, as graduates are free to choose their prospective employer, and the private sector partner will not be able to absorb all graduates.

3 THE PROJECT STRATEGY

The overarching goal of the proposed project is to contribute to the creation of productive employment opportunities, which will enable Zambian youth to respond to its employment needs and the opportunities provided by the growth in the mining and transport sector.

This goal will be achieved through a six-step process as illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig 1

Project Management: The project management team (PMT) will act as a guiding coalition to implement the necessary changes that are required to achieve the project objectives. The changes will be effected through the establishment of a working committee for ZAMITA comprising of a cross-functional mix of NORTEC and UNIDO staff members at different hierarchy levels. This committee will be established and tasked by the PMT to make recommendations on the procurement decisions and suitable localization of the various change processes that the PMT is recommending throughout this six-step strategy. The committee will work to attain the necessary stakeholder willingness and remove internal resistance for change.

Curriculum

Equipment

Infrastructure

Staff Development

Beneficiary Training

Career Services

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Project Coordinator

M&ETeam Leader

Career ServiceTeam Leader

PublicityTeam Leader

Team Members – ZAMITA Student Committee

CTAProject Manager

UNIDO

Field

HQ

Fig 2

The PMT is comprised of two staff members from UNIDO HQ and four staff members from the project site (field office) at NORTEC, Ndola. Figure 2 illustrates the organization structure of the PMT. UNIDO’s Project Manager (PM) is the back stopping officer in Vienna, and the Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) is the overall architect of the project and is responsible for the project deliverables and milestones. The CTA will conduct regular meetings and frequent missions to the project site to ensure a quality outcome in line with the project document. The project coordinator will head the day-to-day operations in the field office. The field office will have dedicated team leaders to implement the necessary monitoring & evaluation, career services and publicity activity processes. These team leaders will act as change agents and work in line with NORTEC staff to create synergies.

The PMT proposes the actions needed to achieve the project deliverables to the ZC, showcases lessons learned and best practices followed by other PPDPs, and allows the committee to recommend/implement a localization processes. Therefore, is expected that local implementing partners such as MoHE, TEVETA, and NORTEC will build their institutional capacity and contribute to the sustainability of the changes effected through this PPDP. NORTEC will be advised to institutionalize these change processes and absorb the PMT team leaders as soon as possible. In order to ensure a smooth transition, the team leaders will be recruited in line with NORTEC’s recruitment policy and pay scale.

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Curriculum Revision

Equipment Sourcing/Commissioning

Infrastructure Staff Development

Beneficiary Training Career Service

Fig. 3

The PMT will sequence the six-step process as illustrated in figure 3. Curriculum revision will commence following the receipt of the 1st tranche payment from Sida. Based on the curriculum, equipment sourcing and infrastructure planning will be deployed in tandem. Once commissioning of the equipment is completed according to the project’s safety standards, beneficiary training will commence. Career service activities will be running throughout the duration of the project. Until the beneficiaries for this project enrol, Career Services will continue their support for the heavy equipment engineering beneficiaries from Phase I. Volvo had already shipped few pieces of high-tech equipment. Therefore, staff development can also commence along with curriculum revision, and will continue until the end of the project. A detailed plan of action along with the estimated timeline is provided in chapter 4.2, page 26.

Curriculum: In order for the graduates to find meaningful employment, they should be able to demonstrate their competency in line with the job market technological standards. Therefore, measuring the job market competency requirements and adjusting the current curriculum to meet this demand would be a rational step to start with. The PMT will engage an expert to conduct a labour market competency survey for the transport sector targeting businesses that access truck maintenance workforce. The gender dimension will be considered in the survey. Based on the survey findings, the existing curriculum will be revised. Once the revision has taken place according to the TEVETA guidelines, national accreditation will be obtained. This task will require close collaboration between NORTEC and TEVETA. The MoHE will allocate appropriate resources and facilitate approval protocols within TEVETA for timely national accreditation. In order to support NORTEC through this process, Volvo will assist with the necessary technological know-how and advisory service, either by appointing a dedicated expert to liaise with or through knowledge sharing sessions and documentation support, or a combination of both.

The survey will also be designed to provide insights into the estimates of the potential demand for highly qualified technicians at different levels, labour force data, information on employment

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structure in large transport enterprises. The expert conducting this survey will hold discussions with the trucker’s associations, the private sector, and other stakeholders in order to establish the reasonable level of demand for workers from the transports sector. The results of these outcomes will be presented to the project steering committee (PSC) for making necessary amendments to the project deliverables.

UNIDO will manage the overall process for timely completion and facilitate the operational and financing processes in line with the agreed budget.

Equipment Supply: Based on the accredited curriculum, NORTEC will be audited to determine the necessary equipment and tools that are required to deliver a modern curriculum. This list of audited tools and equipment inventory, clearly specifying the available and required items along with its quantity, will be circulated to the stakeholders for approval and order placement. Based on the agreed funding limits, necessary items will be supplied by Volvo. Upon the agreement of the stakeholders, UNIDO will supply the items that are not part of Volvo contribution, depending on budget availability. NORTEC will use its existing resources such as machine shop, welding shops, students and staff to fabricate the necessary tools and fixtures that are not part of Volvo contribution, some Volvo equipment may require modification so that it can either be safely stored or used effectively for training purposes. UNIDO will drive the order processing and importation. UNIDO and NORTEC will jointly conduct the required commissioning of the equipment.

Based on Volvo’s international market know-how, it has already shipped items with advanced technology such as powertrains and used trucks to NORTEC. This will enable the project to start the staff development training upon receiving the initial tranche payment from Sida.

Infrastructure Upgrade: The imported equipment should be properly commissioned to allow safe usage. The design should encompass enough space for safer demonstration according to the standard cohort size. Based on the order placed for the necessary tools and equipment, the workshop will be redesigned to accommodate the new arrivals. Suitable modification work will be completed before the arrival of the tools and equipment, which will facilitate the proper and safe operations without delays. UNIDO will coordinate with the stakeholders and complete the necessary commissioning in line with the agreed budget.

Given that few items have already arrived, NORTEC has begun planning the layout. The project management team (PMT) has arranged a dedicated area to store these items safely until commissioning can be completed. The PMT is also in touch with Volvo to obtain the list of item that they plan to ship in order to avoid repeating work on the layout planning. Upon receipt of the confirmation of the curriculum, renovation work will begin immediately. We aim to complete this activity before the accreditation of the curriculum so that beneficiary training can be started immediately upon receipt of the national accreditation, which is scheduled to receive validation in less than four months from the date of the curriculum.

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Staff Development: Introduction of an advanced curriculum and new technology equipment requires training the NORTEC teaching staff. The Automotive and Heavy Equipment Department has 15 teaching staff including the Head of the Department and Head of the Sections. The project will endeavor to involve all teaching staff in training. In order to ensure fair selection, we will use a merit-based nomination process. The process makes it necessary for the teaching staff to complete the required e-Learning courses as a prerequisite. The names of the eligible staff will be presented to NORTEC management by the ZAMITA committee. Based on NORTEC’s recommendation, the PMT will create a shortlist of candidates for participating in the in-house and external staff development programmes. The PSC will make the final decision. The PMT will also nominate management staff for suitable seminars/events/trainings depending on fund availability. Though NORTEC has excellent staff retention records, experience from other PPDPs commands the compelling need to have a policy on staff retention, especially for those who goes through this development programme, Therefore NORTEC is expected to mitigate this risk in compliance with the bylaws. The quality of the graduates is a key determinant factor for the success of this project, Therefore the PMT will make its best effort to orient the staff through the various programmes as mentioned in Fig 4.

Fig 4.

A detailed plan for the Training of Trainers (ToT) programme from Volvo is provided in Annex 6, “ToT – Volvo”. Volvo is committed to train ten teachers through this ToT programmes. These ToTs will be a held at NORTEC, Ndola. Volvo had also committed to providing online training access to these ten teachers to complete the pre-requisites and various other courses. A total of

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eight courses is scheduled over a period of two years, with each course lasting for five working days.

Beneficiary Training: The Ministry of Higher Education will contribute bursaries through the Skills Development Fund in order to include the poor and vulnerable youth into the programme. The gender dimension will also be reflected by addressing the particular needs and concerns of potential female beneficiaries and a dedicated outreach, as mentioned under Activity 3.2. NORTEC will drive the recruitment process in line with the guidelines set by the project stakeholders. UNIDO will provide the necessary logistical support to ensure the timely recruitment of students. MoHE has already submitted a written commitment; for details, refer to Annex 5. The PMT will implement student feedback metrics to notify the stakeholders on the effectiveness of the training, data for which will be collected at the end of the final term for each cohort. In order to closely monitor and control the quality of training delivery throughout the programme, the PMT will coach NORTEC and recommended institutionalizing data collection through this feedback metric at the end of each term for all cohorts. Obtaining feedback metrics each term will allow NORTEC to monitor the progress continuously and improve its course delivery for the cohort graduates, which in turn will ensure the effective delivery of competent graduates into the labour market within the duration of the project.

The PMT will mobilize students to participate in the ZAMITA student committee (ZSC) through which they will be assigned to work with the respective team leaders, managing social media, career services and monitoring/evaluation work. Outstanding performers will receive certificates or awards. This will ensure that a pool of trained talent is available for NORTEC to draw from once the project has concluded. NORTEC will be able to either hire these trained students or absorb the current team leaders in the final year of the project to ensure sustainability.

Career Services: The development activities carried out by the project must to be marketed to the private sector in order to receive buy-in from the graduates. The starting point of this marketing action will be a labour market survey. The PMT, through NORTEC career services, will engage as many entities as possible to be part of this survey and curriculum validation, they should also be called in for a knowledge sharing session to NORTEC and show case the development activity the project has delivered. The plan is to start the knowledge sharing sessions as soon as the start of the beneficiary training to achieve maximum coverage. In order to enable placement of students across qualification levels, the career services staff will be targeting local businesses and SMEs as well as MNCs. Engaging the private sector throughout these development processes and implementing their recommendations will help us build a stronger relationship and easier placement of our graduates. This will also include a gender-sensitive approach to ensure inclusion and equal opportunities. Specific needs that women might face in accessing jobs (mobility depending on their geographical location, etc.) will be considered by the career services staff.

Through career services, the PMT will introduce the following areas of improvement as mentioned in Figure 5.

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Fig. 5

The PMT will allocate sufficient resources to enable the career services staff to complete necessary field missions to industry and other relevant players as approved by the ZAMITA committee. In order to scale up and broaden the private sector coalition, the field mission will include extractive industry, heavy equipment, forestry, agriculture and transport sector across Zambia. The field mission will also include organizations such as the Engineering Institute of Zambia (EIZ), as well as similar organizations in Zambia and other potential stakeholders. The PMT will dedicate a vehicle with operational expenses budgeted for the exclusive use of the department. The PMT will also arrange a list of registered businesses and other entities that are potential for scaling up. The list will be obtained from the Ministry of Commerce and Industries to enable maximum coverage. The broadening of the private sector coalition across these sectors will open up more opportunities for the beneficiary industrial attachment and job placement.

The PMT will assign sufficient funding to conduct gender sensitization campaigns in schools and public locations across Zambia. Career Services will spearhead this activity and plan their field missions to include gender sensitization programmes while planning for private sector coverage. The PMT will also identify and recommend suitable events to showcase ZAMITA and gender inclusion aspects to achieve gender targets.

As part of the current curriculum, students of all levels will have to complete mandatory computer classes. The PMT will amend this computer class curriculum to include resume creation and maintaining a digital portfolio so that the students can learn to market themselves through social media platforms. LinkedIn will be used as a source to connect the students, alumni and private sector. The PMT will also integrate the teaching staff into this platform and encourage them to endorse outstanding students’ competencies. Career services will be coached on how to use this page as the main vehicle to publish job placement opportunities and create suitable competition among the graduates.

Work readiness sessions will be delivered to cohorts before deploying them on industrial attachments; these sessions will be organized by the career services team in collaboration with the head of the department (HOD). Students will be oriented on the objectives, performance measurement metrics, grading implications on the performance results, etc. External speakers

Private sector engagement

Gender Campaigns Computer skills

Social media profiles &

professional networks

Job market preparation

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from public and private sectors (including alumni) will be invited to deliver training on workplace etiquette. The PMT will make sure to add these sessions to the NORTEC academic calendar.

4 THE PROJECT PLAN

4.1 Objective, Outputs and Activities

The overall objective of the project is to align TVET training standards with the needs of the private sector in the Zambian transport industry, thereby contributing to Zambia’s economic development and diversification. The underlying measure is to improve satisfaction of Zambian companies in the transport sector with their involvement in TVET curricula development, training standards at Zambian VTCs, and the knowledge of new hires.

The outcome of the project is to provide effective and relevant industrial skills training to young Zambians; and help them transition into gainful employment by becoming more skilled, and therefore more employable.

The following outputs and activities will take place under the proposed project:

Output 1: Gap between employers’ expectations and current educational standards for the transport and heavy equipment sector bridged through the development of a competency-based qualification framework and modern curriculum

Activity 1.1 Conduct a survey to determine curriculum input and labour data;

Activity 1.2 Develop a competency-based curriculum;

Activity 1.3 Validate the curriculum;

Activity 1.4 Obtain national accreditation for the new curriculum through TEVETA;

Output 2: Regional centre of excellence created by improving NORTEC’s institutional capacity through the provision of modern equipment and Training of Trainers (ToT) as well as scaling up across Zambia through the provision of relevant equipment and technology transfer trainings

Activity 2.1 Upgrade existing NORTEC training facilities in the automotive department by procuring and installing modern equipment

Activity 2.2 Manufacture fixtures and accessories to handle the training equipment/ machinery/tools according to safe work practices;

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Activity 2.3 Develop a staff development plan for conducting skills upgrading for all trainers in teaching methodologies and technical skills, including gender-sensitive approaches;

Activity 2.4 Provide trainers with technical and pedagogical skills necessary to deliver upgraded and new training curriculum (incl. e-Learning);

Activity 2.5 Identify VTCs across Zambia for knowledge-sharing and relevant technology transfer programme;

Activity 2.6 Determine relevant equipment, logistical support and budget for effective technology transfer;

Activity 2.7 Commission and deliver the relevant equipment and technology;

Activity 2.8 Deliver technology transfer sessions for other VTCs to equip trainers with technical and pedagogical skills necessary to deliver upgraded and new training curriculum

Output 3: Training and career services provided to 450 young Zambians, with a particular focus on female and disadvantaged students

Activity 3.1 Provide 450 young men and women with training programmes for the transport sector work force;

Activity 3.2 Promote gender equality through the dedicated and targeted actions to increase the enrolment of female students in a traditionally male-dominated industry;13

Activity 3.3 Provide bursaries for vulnerable and underprivileged youth across Zambia to increase their participation in the training activities;

Activity 3.4 Establish a career services centre at NORTEC to help institute industry linkages to technical and soft-skills training and arrange professional and relevant internships for trainees;

Activity 3.5 Establish a performance management system to collect feedback from trainees doing company internships, from recent graduates as they transition into the workforce, and from employers hiring students, to ensure that the trainees’ qualification meets companies’ needs.

4.2 TIMELINE/MILESTONES

The project has a duration of 3 years, starting in October 2019 and ending in December 2022.

13 Details on this activity will be specified in the workplan (e.g. radio ads, handing out leaflets, social media promotion). Further examples of such actions are referenced in international best practice guide entitled “Encouraging more female trainees in Vocational Training in traditionally male-orientated areas: What are we learning?”, based on the lessons learned from other LKDF PPDPs.

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Planned 2019 2020 2021 2022

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

Activity 1.1 Conduct a survey to determine curriculum input

Activity 1.2 Develop a competency-based curriculum

Activity 1.3 Validate the curriculum

Activity 1.4 Obtain national accreditation

Activity 1.6 Ensure linkages between accreditation and entrance requirements for tertiary education

Activity 2.1 Upgrade existing facilities in the automotive department

Activity 2.2 Manufacture fixtures and accessories

Activity 2.3 Develop a staff development plan

Activity 2.4 Provide trainers with technical and pedagogical skills

Activity 2.5 Identify VTCs across Zambia

Activity 2.6 Determine equipment for effective technology transfer

Activity 2.7 Commission and deliver

Activity 2.8 Deliver technology transfer sessions

Activity 3.1 Provide 450 young men and women with training

Activity 3.2 Promote gender equality

Activity 3.3 Provide bursaries for vulnerable and underprivileged youth

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Activity 3.4 Expanding and running the career services centre at NORTEC

Activity 3.5 Establish a performance management system

4.3 ANTICIPATED RESULTS

The following are the anticipated key results:

New and improved curriculum for transport trucks, validated and approved by TEVETA;

Modern, demand-driven Centre of Excellence established and operational within NORTEC;

Contribute to increased employability in Zambia by training 450 students over the course of 3 years in skills relevant for the transport sector;

Link project to a global knowledge sharing platform (Learning and Knowledge Development Facility - LKDF).

For more details, refer to Annex 1: Logical framework.

4.4 TARGET BENEFICIARIES

The project beneficiaries can be split into five groups:

Zambian youth, who will be trained under ZAMITA at NORTEC (see activity 3.1.)

Trainers at NORTEC, who will benefit from ToT (see activity 2.4.)

Trainers at other Zambian VTCs, who will be trained by NORTEC staff (see activity 2.8.)

TEVETA, who will benefit from a new curriculum that is aligned with the demands from the labor market (see activity 1.4.)

Private sector companies, who will have access to a better-trained workforce (see activity 3.5.)

Zambian Youth: The academy will aim to attract both high school dropouts and graduates with a Grade 12 Certificate. Ideally, candidates who have taken courses in subjects such as science, mathematics, physics, chemistry or technology during high school and graduated with a minimum grade can complete technical diploma in 3.5 years and progress to obtain a bachelor’s degree in another 3 years. High school dropouts would have various choices starting from a three-month programme to a six-year programme that includes industrial experience to attain diploma levels. To ensure that the selection process is transparent and that equal opportunities are given to all applicants, a set of selection criteria will be developed for high school dropouts.

The MoHE will select candidates to be granted bursaries, targeting in particular high school dropouts and unemployed young men and women between 17 and 30 years of age. They should

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be able to prove that they are hardworking and eager to learn. In addition, they must prove that their command of written and spoken English fulfils the academy’s minimum requirements. The project strives to achieve a female participation rate of at least 15%. NORTEC student recruitment staff will be deployed across Zambia for the recruitment. The bursaries will be announced on the local radio and television stations; the respective village chiefs will also be involved.

Based on previous experience, the training academy might offer a combination of longer and shorter training courses so as to meet the requirements of diverse trainee profiles and interests.

As outlined in Section 4.5, the project will make a strong effort to attract women to the training programmes. In addition, UNIDO will promote the integration of a bursary scheme for skills training activities to which MoHE would contribute. This would allow the poorest young men and women, who might not be able to attend the academy otherwise, to participate in the trainings.

Moreover, by expanding the career services centre, the project aims to counteract nepotism. The centre will offer services such as job-readiness seminars, CV writing courses, interview trainings and information about job and employment trends.

4.5 GENDER MAINSTREAMING

Gender aspects are of the utmost importance for vocational training in traditionally male-dominated fields. LKDF, the global knowledge sharing platform of which this project will also be a part, has previously published an international best practice guide entitled “Encouraging more female trainees in Vocational Training in traditionally male-orientated areas: What are we learning?”14, based on the lessons learned from other TVET PPDPs. In addition, the World Bank’s Gender Innovation Lab (GIL) and UNIDO have undertaken a study at the Heavy Duty Equipment and Commercial Vehicles Academy (HDECoVA), the UNIDO-Volvo PPDP in Ethiopia, to find out more about preferences and prospects for female enrollment in male-dominated vocational training courses.15

This project recognizes that sustainable development cannot be realized without the full and equal participation of women at all levels. With the objective to enroll and retain rates of female students and vulnerable persons, the gender stereotyping and uneven geographical distribution of the training infrastructure, efforts will be included in the strategy to narrow the gender gap and to address the other inequalities as well.

In order to achieve this goal, it will be necessary to attract female students into male-dominated sectors, in particular by encouraging them to join vocational training programmes. This project will attempt to dispel negative perceptions of certain trades and provide information about the potential benefits of working in this industry. In the long term, sustainable success can only be

14 https://www.lkdfacility.org/resources/encouraging-more-female-trainees-in-vocational-training-in-traditionally-male-orientated-areas-what-are-we-Learning

15 https://www.lkdfacility.org/resources/worldbankunidostudy

https://www.lkdfacility.org/resources/encouraging-more-female-trainees-in-vocational-training-in-traditionally-male-orientated-areas-what-are-we-learninghttps://www.lkdfacility.org/resources/encouraging-more-female-trainees-in-vocational-training-in-traditionally-male-orientated-areas-what-are-we-learninghttps://www.lkdfacility.org/resources/worldbankunidostudy

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achieved through reforms that make these sectors more inclusive and open to women, but this project intends to take the first steps towards this goal.

To ensure that gender considerations are taken into account to the greatest extent possible, the proposed project will include a gender perspective in the development of a curriculum, training of trainers, the performance management system and the employer surveys. Moreover, when recruiting project management and staff, UNIDO will undertake efforts to achieve a fair gender balance and to ensure that all recruited personnel either have existing knowledge on integrating a gender perspective, or that their capacity will be built in this area. For this purpose, gender-related tasks will also be incorporated into the job descriptions. To ensure that gender considerations are taken into account to the largest extent possible, the proposed project will include a gender perspective in the baseline study, the training needs assessment (TNA), curriculum development, training of trainers, and the endline study, if this is deemed feasible. Moreover, when recruiting project management and staff, UNIDO will undertake efforts to guarantee a fair gender balance and to ensure that recruited personnel either have existing knowledge on integrating a gender perspective or that their capacity will be built in this area. Building on the lessons learned from other LKDF projects, and the increase in female trainees achieved so far in the first phase of ZAMITA (from 1% to 14%), the project aims to increase the number of female trainers, where and if possible. In turn, female trainers could serve as role models for potential female trainees and thereby support a further increase the number of female applicants and beneficiaries.

With regard to gender balance among trainees, it is worth pointing out that the ongoing UNIDO-Volvo Group vocational training programme in Ethiopia (HDECoVA) shows a fair gender balance, with female students making up 51% of the student body. However, women are proportionately overrepresented in commerce, accounting, and courses focusing on textiles and hospitality, and underrepresented in technical training courses. Taking into account that the proposed project will have a focus on training truck technicians, there must be realistic expectations in terms of what can be achieved over the medium term for gender balance in an occupational area with strong male domination.

The project will include possible strategies to increase inclusivity and to translate the policies into actions and ensure equitable access to female students, to attract more young women. In order to attract more women to the training programmes, publication material will be produced featuring female trainees. The project will work closely with students, trainers and VTC management to establish a female-led mentoring / role model scheme.

The mentoring / role model scheme will be developed to encourage female participation in the training courses. In UNIDO’s projects involving the development of trainings, junior female instructors are selected for extensive training of trainer courses. These junior female instructors subsequently deliver training to a predominantly male audience and act as mentors and role models for female students who have enrolled in the courses. In addition, they can participate in recruitment initiatives to create awareness for opportunities for women to join these largely male-dominated courses. This model will be expanded for this project to increase the number of female teachers and to institutionalize a female-led mentoring / role model recruitment scheme.

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Moreover, the PMT will ensure that workplace requirements for female trainees are adopted. For example, separate sanitary facilities and changing rooms will be provided at workshops and near classrooms for women and men respectively. In addition, the training academy will introduce mandatory sensitization courses to raise awareness regarding sexual harassment, gender stereotyping, and other issues that could create barriers for fair and successful participation of all students.

The PMT will also encourage enterprises, which hire female trainees for apprenticeship programmes, to fulfil similar requirements. As this is a private-sector driven initiative, the probability that the female graduates will find employment in the industry is expected to be high. Volvo Group, Sida and UNIDO will help reach out to potential female students and promote the training programme through their networks.

The project management team will organize information sessions to familiarize interested applicants with both the benefits and the risks of their future occupations. Special support will be extended to female applicants.

Overall, the project is expected to increase the chances of women in a traditionally male-dominated sector, and it carries the potential to change the mindsets of people in the industry as well as create new possibilities for young women to join the Zambian workforce.

4.6 FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY

One of the primary reason an institution such as NORTEC was selected as a local implementing partner is because of the financial sustainability of its operations for the past several decades. More than 95% of its operations are funded through student fees. The automotive and heavy equipment department attracts 500 students per year, the majority of whom are self-sponsored, with very few backed by government bursaries, for which NORTEC will receive payment through the MoHE. Like the majority of the Least Developed Country (LDC) economies’ vocational education systems, NORTEC lacks the financial means to invest in capital expenditures and human resource development. It also suffers from non-availability of industry linkages to keep up with technological advances. This project aims to fill these gaps, thereby enabling NORTEC to ease access for qualified youth with market-relevant skills to decent jobs. The PMT will ensure that the funds necessary to maintain the capital goods it is importing will be in line with the NORTEC maintenance budget. It will also do its best to source locally in order to access after-sales support. In the absence of local vendor, the PMT will connect NORTEC with an overseas vendor by involving the ZC throughout the supply chain process. This will ensure longevity and maximize the usage of the supplied capital equipment until the technology in the market changes. The project will also invest in human resource capacity building; staff who have undergone capacity building have to be retained by NORTEC in order to transfer technology to the beneficiaries. The PMT will also coach NORTEC to mitigate the risk of losing staff through suitable contractual clauses in line with the bylaws. The PMT will also involve NORTEC during the staff nomination process for capacity building programmes to ensure that suitable compliance mechanisms are enforced.

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Due to the absence of an ecosystem to link the industries and the educational institutions either through research grants or through policy enforcement, institutions like NORTEC have to build a close collaboration with the businesses and other public institutions to ensure it supplies work force with market relevant skills. As outlined in the project strategy, page 17, the PMT will put systems and processes in place along with suitable resources such as human resources, technology and logistics to achieve industry-institution linkage. The PMT will also introduce suitable digital technology to upkeep this established industry-institution relationship within the operational budget of NORTEC. The project will recruit and develop team leaders to implement the necessary systems and processes. These team leaders need to be retained beyond the duration of the project by NORTEC to ensure sustainability of the various value added services that are offered through the career services centre.

In summary, the project will be implemented to enhance the value offering of an established institution, NORTEC, rather than building something new. The PMT will act as a guiding coalition to implement the necessary changes that are required to align NORTEC to market demand. NORTEC systems and process will be reformed and suitable capital goods, infrastructure and human resource support will be provided to meet market demand. These supports will be ingrained in NORTEC’s existing system, which does not require many resources to sustain. Therefore, the financial sustainability risk is mitigated.

4.7 ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

One of the objectives of this project is upgrade the automotive department’s infrastructure at NORTEC, in order to improve the quality of the vocational training provided on site.

The environmental impact resulting from project interventions will be minimal because vocational training usually does not have adverse impacts on the environment. To reduce the potential impact from training with industrial machinery, all equipment provided will be in accordance with market needs and private sector industry standards. Volvo’s involvement in the project will ensure that the standards applied are in line with stringent international market standards. Overall, it can be assumed that training the students in the maintenance of heavy equipment and vehicles will have an overall positive effect on the environment. The reason is that correctly operated and maintained industrial machinery and vehicles cause less pollution than machinery that is not handled properly.

In addition, environmental responsibility will play a key role in training activities, which will raise the students’ awareness of sustainability issues. For example, students taking courses in vehicle maintenance will learn how to dispose of contaminated and hazardous materials correctly, and the collection of used oils during the training will be embedded into the curriculum to be developed by the project. Volvo’s and UNIDO’s involvement in this project will ensure that working conditions at the training academy will be in line with local market standards.

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Once students start working in the industry, the awareness created will spread more broadly as students apply the environmentally friendly methods they were taught in practice. Moreover, as graduates will be employed not only by heavy equipment and vehicle manufacturers, but also by buyers, they can communicate to the buyers that modern equipment can be maintained more effectively, which creates cost savings. This will provide buyers with an incentive to replace their old vehicles with modern ones that are more environmentally friendly. The decommissioning traders in Zambia also employ technicians who need to handle decommissioning of trucks in responsible manner, which our graduates are certified to perform. With time, this should mitigate the industry’s environmental impact.

As per UNIDO Environmental and Social Safeguards Policies and Procedures (ESSPP), the Environmental and Social screening template has been completed and this project has been categorized as ‘’Category B’’. Category B projects are likely to have less adverse impacts on human populations or environmentally important areas than those of Category A projects. Operational Safeguards 8 (Labor and Working Conditions), 9 (Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention) and 10 (Community Health, Safety and Security) have been identified as applicable to the proposed intervention. As such, an Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) will be developed within the first two months after project start.

4.8 RISK MITIGATION PLAN

The main risks and mitigation measures are explained in the table below.

MAJOR RISK MITIGATION ACTIONS

Force majeure – political, economic, and business developments

The security context can change abruptly and significantly.

Risks related to security cannot be mitigated, only monitored, and contingency plans made.

Worsening investment climate may reduce demand for technical skills.

Risk cannot be mitigated, only monitored, and school intake and focus potentially adapted.

Impact on markets

Competition bias: In the case of external funding, co-funding could be seen as subsidization of private sector companies’ skills development needs.

Training is not unique to the private partner or other firms and transferable across many parts of the industry and services sector. After training, students may take up employment where they choose to, including in other (competing) firms or set up their own businesses. The programme will be accompanied by employment services or business training to facilitate such search. Broader partnerships with more firms around these schools lower the risk of perceived firm-specific advantages.

Impact on existing markets for provision of training: Other vocational schools will exist, and in particular,

Key purpose is to provide a (high) standard and model for other schools: Outreach and collaboration with other schools (training of other schools’ trainers) is

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other private initiatives in training sector may be affected by competition from the new schools.

possible and could help raise standards. When the approach and results adopted by this project (PPDP) are disseminated, this may lead to a replication of the approach in other schools, contribution to the scaling up and positive impact.

Implementation

Interference by political counterparts; uncertainty about roles and contributions.

Joint development and signing of the Project Document (identifying the roles and responsibilities as well as in-kind contributions) among collaborating partners will be important.

Capacity constraints: Sustainable schools depend on local ownership. At the same time, capacity to implement complex projects and familiarity with modern management and training techniques may be low.

Early warnings systems in place with strict and frequent monitoring and performance assessments. Structuring the projects with strong support and capacity building, especially in the start-up, but also during project, will help address such shortages.

Corruption. Screening of procurement partners.

Clear procedures for procurement, accounting and audit. UNIDO has strict operational rules in terms of procurement, financing and internal oversight.

Training and employment

Difficulties in student recruitment due to low value placed on vocational-training-related jobs.

Strength of publicity and advocacy campaigns, information on potential earnings and employment opportunities. The project will address specific needs that women might face in accessing training (mobility depending on their geographical location, etc.) and project management will assure that workplace requirements of female trainees are taken care of.

Challenges due to social pressure in the selection process.

Provision of a transparent, fair and clear selection process. As above, the project will address specific needs that women might face in accessing training (e.g. permission to attend the training in case of societal/family pressure, etc.)

Student dropouts due to lack of motivation and the bad reputation of vocational training.

Strength of application and intake process, focus on motivation in addition to academic achievements, rapid exposure to hands-on work and workplaces through internships.

Use of modern, attractive learning aids, such as the LKDF Interact16.

Commitment of the project partners to make this a flagship programme.

High trainer turnover due to high demand from private industry or other private training institutions.

Strength of application and intake process, focus on motivation.

Competitive conditions of work.

16 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.EON.UNIDO&hl=en

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Prepare for turnover (recruit and train additional trainers).

Low employability of trainees. Strength of application and intake process.

Close links to labour markets through private sector defined curriculum, practical training/apprenticeships.

Close follow up of labour market outcomes and adaptation of curriculum and training modes.

Establish job placement / career service modalities to link up the students with employers

5 PROJECT MANAGEMENT, MONITORING, AND COMMUNICATIONS

5.1 PROJECT DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION MODALITY

Project design is driven by the necessity to guarantee project sustainability, for which local ownership is a key factor. When establishing vocational training centres, therefore, UNIDO tries to build on existing institutions to the largest extent possible. The proposed project aims to integrate the new training academy in an existing vocational training centre. The ZAMITA academy has already been established at NORTEC and has trained the heavy equipment engineering department over the last four years. This project will improve the automotive department’s ability to cater to the truck market, thereby making it part and parcel of Zambia’s vocational