Terms of Reference

 

BACKGROUND  

Three decades after ASEAN was established, ASEAN leaders recognised that: there remained inadequate shared prosperity, ASEAN awareness and contact among the people of ASEAN. It was of this concern that ASEAN leaders established ASEAN Foundation in Jakarta, Indonesia, at ASEAN's 30th Anniversary Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 15 December 1997.  

The ASEAN Foundation is an organisation from and for the people of ASEAN. The Foundation exists because of one vision: to build a cohesive and prosperous ASEAN Community. As an ASEAN body, the Foundation is tasked to support ASEAN mainly in promoting awareness, identity, interaction, and development of the people of ASEAN.  

In 2020, the ASEAN Foundation launched a new programme called Bridges to the Future: ASEAN Youth Employment in collaboration with Plan International and with the support of Google.org, which aims to support ASEAN youth in not only acquiring the necessary 21st-century skills to (re)enter the workforce but also building a more sustainable and secure economy post-pandemic.

The programme, which will run until August 2022, will become a host to market-driven vocational training and job-matching sessions that targets vulnerable young people in the region. One of the key deliverables of the programme is regionwide research on Youth Job Market and Skills Demand that has been being conducted by ASEAN Foundation. The research aims to explore current employment and labour market trends in the ASEAN region. The research covers data collection and analysis across 10 ASEAN member states: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The research findings will be summarised in the form of an official report covering topics such as skills that are currently most needed by the industries and existing barriers that create difficulties for young people to secure a decent job.

RESEARCH OVERVIEW  

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought severe disruptions to economies and labour markets worldwide. In April, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) warned that the pandemic would threaten the employment of 68 million workers across Asia if the outbreak goes on until the end of the year. As for young people who had faced a tough labour market even before the coronavirus crisis began, the pandemic has had disproportionate impacts on their employment prospects. 

The COVID-19 has further exposed the large skills gap across the ASEAN region on the youth side. Skills development is key to fostering young people's resilience when facing rapid changes in prospects for employment and entrepreneurship in the sectors that are hit hardest by the crisis. While some sectors will continue to suffer due to COVID-19 for years to come, others will see a spike in recovery and growth (e.g., health, personal care and ICT); there is a timely and tremendous need to identify and match labour market needs with proper skills development to effectively address the skills gap challenge in the post-COVID era. 

This research will help the ASEAN Foundation understand the job market and skills demand for the future in the ASEAN region, especially the life post-COVID-19 recovery. The research will also support the ASEAN Foundation in designing better vocational training for youth and increasing job-matching conversion rates. 

The research aims to assess the current state of the labour market in the midst of COVID-19 and job market and skills demand for the future. The research will include data collection and analysis across 10 ASEAN member countries: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. 

OBJECTIVE OF THE CONSULTANCY

As an important milestone for the Bridges to the Future: ASEAN Youth Employment Programme, the ASEAN Foundation is seeking a consultant in charge of reviewing the research report to produce a comprehensive and compact final research product. The final product of the report is expected to be clearly structured, and the analysis should be clearly expressed and communicated to different stakeholders ranging from government agencies, private entities and the general public such as youth.

The report review consultant will go through the Lead Researcher's draft report and work in close contact with the Lead Researcher and ASEAN Foundation to finalise the report.

DUTY AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

Under the supervision of the Project Coordinator of Bridges to the Future: ASEAN Youth Employment Programme and Head of Communications of the ASEAN Foundation, the Consultant will undertake the following assignments: 

• Consult with ASEAN Foundation to review the report from the research.
• Ensure that the report has a clear structure and communicates the research findings to the expected audience.
• Incorporate comments (related to comment and/or language) of the research report that should be upgraded, edited and rewritten.
• Proofread the report on the design draft is ready to confirm whether the final product is print-ready from an editorial standpoint.
• Provide suggestions on the best style, structure, and presentation for the research report.
• Finalise the research report for publication.
• Provide any other support, as needed.

EXPECTED OUTPUT/DELIVERABLE[1]

The consultant is expected to produce a final report with concise and formal language that will be made available to the public after the finalisation of the research. In addition, the consultant is also expected to provide feedback regarding the overall report. The consultant is expected to provide a minimum of three revisions based on the inputs and suggestions from the ASEAN Foundation. 

DUTY STATION AND DURATION OF ASSIGNMENTS 

This consultancy will be done remotely. The duration of the consultancy is from 20 March 2022 to 30 May 2022. The estimated timeframe does not reflect the actual number of days worked but the recommended time needed to complete those tasks. Moreover, it is noted that due to the nature of the assignment, there will be periods when no actual writing or research will occur because the Consultant will be waiting for the updated report from the lead researcher and ASEAN Foundation. 

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 

All information about this assignment belongs to the ASEAN Foundation. Meanwhile, duties under this assignment shall remain the property of the ASEAN Foundation, Plan International and Google.org, who shall have exclusive rights over their use. Except for purposes of this assignment, the information shall not be disclosed to the public nor used in whatever without written permission of the ASEAN Foundation in line with the national and International Copyright Laws applicable.

QUALIFICATION, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

• University degree in English literature, communications, social sciences, or other related fields
• The minimum requirement is four years of demonstrated experience in writing and reviewing publications related to the development. Experience in writing and reviewing publications related to labour and youth issue is desirable.
• Preference is for candidates with demonstrated experience in producing the research report for publication, report for NGO/not-for-profit marketing material, including annual reports.
• Previous experience in copy-editing and fact-checking
• Demonstrated strong writing and editing skills and attention to detail
• Superior English-language skills, of publication standard
• Strong interpersonal skills, willingness to respond to suggestions within the review and feedback process. Ability to listen and commit to producing the agreed deliverables, as articulated by the client

REMUNERATION

A lump sum will be paid for the consultancy, and the payment will be linked to the deliverables.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE 

The interested Consultant is required to submit a CV/profile outlining relevant experience (portfolio), minimum 1 full sample of previous work, proposed fee to [email protected], copying barnev.soukotta@aseanfoundationorg before 31 March 2022.

APPLICATION INQUIRY   

All inquiries pertaining to this application is addressed to [email protected]

[1] The deliverables can be adjusted by ASEAN Foundation reflecting on the needs and urgency from the programme implementation.