Education & Employment
ETF "SME Skills Expertise" - Turin (2015-Ongoing)
Goal: To widen the existing scope of the ETF's work on SME skills, from policy formulation to implementation. The project enhanced SME training modules for ETF partner countries' use.
Services Provided
- Design and delivery of four training modules in the areas of 1) SME policies, their challenges and room for development, 2) SME training support ecosystems, 3) start-up trainings and 4) trainings for businesses with growth and internationalization potentials;
- Examination of 1) the full training cycle, 2) digital online learning, 3) monitoring and evaluation, 4) statistics, 5) access to finance and 6) target groups (e.g. women and youth) throughout all training modules;
- Presentation of three case studies per module;
- Drafting of a set of guidelines for ETF staff when engaging with 1) governments and/or SME support organizations and 2) SMEs interested in training as part of their SBA policy support works;
- Drafting of a final report with recommendations for future SME skills development in ETF partner countries.
ETF “Ex-Ante Impact Assessment of the Priority Medium-Term Deliverables under the 2015 Riga Conclusions” – Albania, FYROM, Montenegro, Serbia & Turkey (2015-Ongoing)
Goal: To support the implementation of an ex-ante impact assessment process in each candidate country for the formulation of various policies that enhance the job market and overall economic growth.
Services Provided
- Drafting of a qualitative assessment covering both policy development and implementation, along with a statement of what the countries (specifically Serbia and the FYROM) want to achieve by 2017 and 2020;
- Collection of all necessary information/data relevant to the ex-ante impact assessment according to ETF guides and mapping results;
- Contribution to workshop designs, content and facilitation, including focus group meetings with key stakeholders;
- Drafting of an impact assessment report.
ETF “Availability of Teaching & Learning Processes in VET” – Montenegro (2015)
Goal: To organize and manage a national event, organized by the ETF in cooperation with the VET Centre, BES and the Ministry of Education, for presenting and disseminating research findings on quality assurance mechanisms used in VET schools throughout Montenegro.
Services Provided
- Facilitation of discussions between the ETF, VET Centre, the Bureau for Educational Services (BES) and the Ministry of Education in Montenegro on internal evaluation and quality assurance monitoring of VET providers and/or VET schools;
- Participation in VET school visits with the VET Centre and BES as a peer reviewer to ensure accurate observations and external expert feedback on the external quality assurance evaluation process;
- Support to the VET Centre and BES in preparation of a TVET school case that will elaborate on the criteria for quality teaching, learning and monitoring.
ETF “Professional Development of Teachers & Trainers in VET” – SEET Region (2014)
Goal: To professionally develop VET teaching and training in Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, FYR Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey.
Services Provided
- Enhancement of quality, demand-oriented CPDs for TTs in VET;
- Improvement of policymaker capabilities in developing CPDs;
- Development of policies and implementation strategies for ensuring CPD sustainability;
- Design and implementation of demonstration projects that exemplify concrete methods for enhancing and extending CPDs.
ETF “Support to ETF Activities in Georgia” – Georgia (2014-2015)
Goal: To support the Georgian Government in drafting an LMIS strategy for inclusion in the EU-financed Employment and VET Program’s policy conditions and to support the capacity of key stakeholders (MHLSA, MES and SSA) in carrying out pilot LM analyses.
Services Provided
- Review and provision of inputs and comments for the draft LMIS strategy on issues related to costing and phasing of actions, definition of roles and responsibilities, capacity building, monitoring and evaluation and setting priorities;
- Support to a small team of government officials/experts in conducting labor market analyses based on existing LMI sources in Georgia and experience of relevant reference countries;
- Facilitation of discussions on the final version of the strategy with key stakeholders.
ETF “Recruitment of Local Expertise to Ensure Completion of Pilot Action Questionnaires” – Jordan (2014)
Goal: To establish a regional cooperation process that develops common tools to support reforms of national qualification systems and achieve transparency and recognition between the countries.
Services Provided
- Review of elements missing in the CS and questionnaires to ensure that all relevant qualifications are included;
- Identification and gathering of corresponding documents necessary for completing the questionnaire;
- Identification of tasks necessary to complete the assignment;
- Drafting of a report that identifies and analyzes the differences and commonalities between the profiles of the four occupations and existing qualifications in Jordan;
- Development of a task checklist, and knowledge, skills and competence elements described in the common profile and compared against the qualifications in Jordan.
ETF “Projecting Reform Impact in VET (PRIME)” – Jordan (2014)
Goal: To support partner countries in assessing the possible advantages and disadvantages of alternatives for policy action towards a strategic objective.
Services Provided
- Drafting of a report on the outcomes of the Torino Process Introductory Workshop and methodology;
- Updating of statistics and available studies/reports by Jordanian institutions and international organizations (published since 2012), including information about the Jordanian T-VET system and labor market;
- Support to the preparation and implementation of the Torino Process validation workshops including providing a presentation on available evidence, taking active part in the discussion and facilitation;
- Support to the preparation and implementation of a PRIME issues paper, assessment framework validation workshop and capacity building workshop, focusing on cofacilitation and adaptation of internationally tested methodologies to the Jordanian context.
ETF “Provision of Local Expertise for the Collection & Analysis of Country Information about Employment Policies” – Israel (2014)
Goal: To provide good quality analysis of existing employment policies implemented in Israel, focusing mainly on youth employment, skills development and ALMP policies.
Services Provided
- Collection of information about country employment policies (availability and sources of information, examples of policies and actions to be included, meetings and analyses to be used, suggestions for missing points, etc.);
- Organization of meetings with key national policymakers and researchers from Israel’s employment sector to collect necessary information;
- Revisions of the country note based on ETF’s comments and completion of missing information/data as deemed necessary.
Governance & Home Affairs
EU “Final Evaluation of the Support Programme to Parliaments (PAP)” – DRC (2015-2016)
Goal: To promote democracy through parliamentary reform in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The specific objective was to provide the EU and Government of the DRC with an analysis of the PAP’s relevance, performance and impact.
Services Provided
- Analysis of the PAP (focusing particularly on relevance, performance and impact) for the Government of the DRC and European Union;
- Assessment of the efficiency and effectiveness of the project’s methodology and approach, as well as its organization and overall functionality (paying specific attention to PMU operations);
- Evaluation of the project’s performance at all three levels of its response strategy (hardware equipment, modernization and improvement of inter-institutional relations);
- Assessment of the program’s impact on beneficiaries;
- Evaluation of the program’s overall ownership and sustainability;
- Identification of lessons learnt for future programs;
- Drafting of a final report on the evaluation’s observations, conclusions and recommendations.
EU “Support to Public Sector Reform for the Delivery of Speedy Services to Citizens” – Jordan (2015-2016)
Goal: To identify and execute five feasibility studies for the formulation of a citizens’ service delivery reengineering report. The project also contributed to the overall objective of the “Reinforcing the Rule of Law for Enhanced Accountability and Equity in Public Service Delivery” Single Support Framework (SSF) (2014-2017).
Services Provided
- Identification of all relevant ministries/agencies in the shared service target group;
- Development of a new shared services model that curtails cost benefit analyses, legislative changes required, stakeholder feedback, etc.;
- Development of blueprints for the layout and flow of citizens through the new shared service window, including locational and infrastructural changes.
EU “Final Evaluation of the Regional Political Integration & Human Security Support Programme” – Djibouti, Tanzania & Zambia (2015)
Goal: To provide decision makers of IGAD, EAC, COMESA and the European Union with information sufficient enough to 1) make an overall assessment about the project’s past performance, paying particular attention to impact of actions against their objectives and activities that made a difference for beneficiaries, and 2) identify key lessons and propose practical recommendations for use in the framework of future similar actions in the ESA region.
Services Provided
- Conduction of interviews with EU Delegations in Djibouti, Tanzania and Zambia, along with other key partners across the three countries;
- Verification, analysis and assessment of the integration and impact of cross-cutting issues;
- Provision of adequate contact and consultation with different stakeholders and beneficiaries, working closely with relevant government authorities and agencies throughout the entire duration of the assignment;
- Evaluation of the programme using indicators that qualitatively assess the services provided, including the relevance and effectiveness of utilized consultative processes.
EU “Mid-Term Review of Support to Non-State Actors Program” – Mozambique (2015)
Goal: To carry out a mid-term evaluation that will provide decision makers of the Government of Mozambique, relevant external cooperation services of the European Commission and general public with sufficient information to make an overall independent assessment of the performance of the program, paying particular attention to the results already achieved or expected to be achieved and potential impact of the project against its objectives.
Services Provided
- Assessment of the program’s value creation, taking into consideration its design and implementation, as well as its value added hand-in-hand with other donor programs supporting civil society in Mozambique;
- Formulation of specific recommendations for the PAANE project and possible future interventions;
- Analysis of the delays and challenges the project may face and provision of arrangements to adapt the project to its dynamic environment, taking into careful consideration the technical assistance contract’s D+3 constraint.
Health
EU “Mid-Term Evaluation of the Primary Health Care Sector’s Policy Support Programme (PrimCare SPSP)” – South Africa (2015-Ongoing)
Goal: To provide decision makers in the South African Government and EU with information sufficient enough to make informed judgements about the programme’s performance, addressing strengths, weaknesses and sustainability. The specific objective was to evaluate the progress of direct budget support against the project’s overall objectives, outcomes and M&E indicators.
Services Provided
- Review of the programme’s approach and implementation, including overall donor coordination and national government ownership;
- Execution of case studies addressing cost effectiveness and scalability of five pilot CSO grants;
- Assessment of available school health services, primary health care information systems, health care enrollment, facility linkages and provincial support to financial and human resource management;
- Evaluation of the way budget support and CSO components have interacted with and influenced one another;
- Facilitation of a pragmatic, results-oriented discussion via joint inclusive workshops to share and discuss evaluation findings.
EU “Technical Assistance to Ensure the Visibility & Communication of Activities of the Reduction of Social Inequalities & Health Care Services for Disadvantaged Regions Programme” – Tunisia (2015-Ongoing)
Goal: To develop a communication and outreach strategy for the PAZD II Programme, specifically targeting beneficiaries and other relevant audiences. The specific objective was to support and strengthen the capacity of Tunisia’s Ministry of Health for communicational and relevant institutional matters.
Services Provided
- Elaboration and finalization of a communication plan defining detailed steps regarding the project’s implementation;
- Preparation of communication documents (leaflets, posters, banners, etc.) and other necessary material for the organization and delivery of relevant infodays, events and workshops;
- Preparation and delivery of a workshop for 30 staff members of the Ministry of Health on institutional communication techniques;
- Provision of media coverage of the organized events through main media channels (radio, press, TV, etc.) in Tunisia and throughout the EU;
- Development of press releases and reports on the events and infodays.
EU “Mid-Term Evaluation of the Support to Enhance Maternal & Newborn Health Outcomes for the States of Northern Nigeria Programme” – Nigeria (2015-2016)
Goal: To assess the overall relevance, efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of supporting the states of Adamawa and Kebbi (and relevant stakeholders) in improving maternal, newborn and child health.
Services Provided
- Assessment of the scope, design and logic of the programme’s link between specific objectives and expected results;
- Assessment of the effectiveness of organizational structures in place, including implementation procedures and key beneficiary/stakeholder/development partner relationships;
- Assessment of the relevance of existing indicators (process, result and impact) and mechanisms;
- Formulation of recommendations for the improvement of the programme’s overall implementation;
- Exploration of the feasibility of introducing a state-level sector reform contract in Adamawa.
EU “Identification & Formulation of the European Union Support Program to the Health Sector” – Niger (2014-2015)
Goal: To support the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance and European Union Delegation in Niger in identifying and formulating projects under the 11th EDF National Indicative Program (NIP) for healthcare and nutrition.
Services Provided
- Analysis of the sector and confirmation of the feasibility and appropriateness of a health sector budget support (SBS) plan with regard to specific domains (sexual/reproductive health, nutrition and prevention);
- Raising awareness of stakeholders from the Ministry of Health and the National Authorizing Officer regarding the implications of the budget support instrument;
- Identification of the conditions necessary for implementing the SBS, along with institutional support for important sectoral issues (finance, fiscal management, health system management, devolution, National Health Information Systems (NHIS) and strengthening the capacity of health services for mother and children);
- Formulation of a health sector reform contract, indicating the implementation modalities and monitoring elements and drafting of a proposal document and its technical and administrative provisions according to EU standards;
- Formulation of a support project in sexual and reproductive health and nutrition, proposing ways of implementation (terms of technical support, links with UN specialized agency programs, needs assessments, NGO engagement, etc.).
Trade & Private Sector Development
EU “Identification & Formulation of a Program for EU Support to Private Sector Development” – Paraguay (2015)
Goal: To design an EU support program for the agricultural sector in Paraguay within the framework of the Bilateral Cooperation Strategy (PIP) 2014-2020. The specific objective was to formulate an intervention that 1) ensures the adequate and sustainable participation of institutional and private sector actors throughout the process, and 2) takes the productive and commercial context of Paraguay, as well as the existing AIESRP Project in the country into account (including approaches and lessons learnt).
Services Provided
- Analysis of the country’s development priorities against those of the EU, taking economic, production and commercial contexts (e.g. competitive markets, skills, trade agreements, preference systems, etc.) into consideration;
- Identification of cross-cutting issues (e.g. gender, governance, environment, etc.) for the integration of actions that promote green economy;
- Provision of consistency between both the Paraguayan and European institutional frameworks throughout all stages of the project;
- Formulation of an action fiche for the program in standard EU format (taking context, risks, assumptions, lessons learnt, complementarity and cross-cutting issues into account).
EU “Market Study for the EU Business Group of the United Republic of Tanzania” – Tanzania (2015)
Goal: To support an enabling business environment in Tanzania and expands its private sector in order to encourage investment from European companies.
Services Provided
- Development of a suitable methodology for the market study and policy briefs;
- Research on engagement with Tanzanian authorities, such as the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Tanzania Investment Centre, Confederation of Tanzanian Industries, etc.;
- Provision of activity choices to be carried out in the short, medium and long-term for the EUBG;
- Support to the EUBG on further technical assistance interventions to sustain the operational plan;
- Assistance to the EUBG in statistical trade, business and investment content for dialogue;
- Production of an economic diagnosis (market study and mapping) of EU businesses operating ni Tanzania.