TERMS OF REFERENCE
CONSULTANT FOR BRIDGES TO THE FUTURE: ASEAN YOUTH EMPLOYMENT (BTF-AYE) EMPLOYMENT FAIR IN VIETNAM

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ABOUT THE ASEAN FOUNDATION

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. For more information, visit: https://aseanfoundation.org

BACKGROUND

In 2020, the ASEAN Foundation launched a new programme entitled Bridges to the Future: ASEAN Youth Employment in collaboration with Plan International and with the support of Google's philanthropic arm, Google.org. This programme aims to support ASEAN youth in acquiring the necessary 21st-century skills to (re)enter the workforce and build a more sustainable and secure economy post-pandemic.

The programme will run until August 2022 and will support market-driven vocational training and host job-matching sessions that target vulnerable young people in the region. Additionally, ASEAN Foundation is conducting ongoing, regionwide research on current employment and labour market trends in the ASEAN region, 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.

As part of the Bridges to the Future program, ASEAN Foundation is seeking to organize an employment/job fair, specifically targeting young men and women in Vietnam. As such, AF is currently seeking proposals from local organizations, private businesses, firms or other actors, to act as the consultant that will lead the co-creation, development, and implementation of an employment fair, allowing participating youth to be informed about relevant skills in the current/post COVID-19 environment, hear from various key experts on the industry needs, as well as employment opportunities. This is also reflected by the fact that Vietnam's pandemic has had a heavy impact on the Vietnamese labour market. Most of the affected people are of working age, from 25 to 54 years old, accounting for 73,3% of the total affected workers. In the third quarter of 2021, the youth unemployment rate (15 to 24 years old) was 8,89%, 0.75 percentage points higher than the same period last year and 2.2 times higher than the statutory working-age unemployment rate

OBJECTIVES & LOGICAL FRAMEWORK

The employment fair will function to establish a collaboration platform between ASEAN Foundation, PLAN International, Google.org with local governments in Vietnam, employers from various sectors and youth as the primary beneficiaries.

The two objectives of the employment fair activity are as follows:

1. Establish meaningful engagement and commitments from companies and other relevant actors to participate in the job fair as hiring partners
2. Provide online and blended job matching and employability assistance for youth and job seekers in Vietnam.

The employment fair specifically aims to connect young job seekers, including underserved youth, with job providers or employment opportunities by inviting them to partake in the employment fair. The fair will also include sessions that provide youth information on how to adapt to the current COVID-19 environment, including pandemic-relevant skills, opportunities for reskilling and upskilling from various national or regional opportunities, and other job market information. Therefore, the specific outputs expected from the employment fair in Viet Nam are:

1. Approximately 1000 participants attended the job fair event and participated in a series of activities within the job fair such as roundtable discussion, masterclass, and job matching-fair with employers.
2. Received support and meaningful engagement of approximately 15 hiring partners from private companies, the education sector, non-profit sectors, SMEs, social enterprises, and other relevant actors
3. Received support from approximately four local and national institutions for the implementation of the activities
   As such, the ASEAN Foundation is seeking interested and committed organisations or entities \based in Vietnam to be the consultant of employment fair in Vietnam.

REQUIREMENTS OF THE CONSULTANT

The consultant of the employment fair in Vietnam must meet the following requirements:

• Have access to, and be able to reach, underserved youth and women (individuals, networks, or groups) in Vietnam
• Have established relationships with, or meaningful access to relevant networks of small and medium-sized enterprises, larger private companies and businesses, industry trade groups, or other actors who can participate in the job fair as hiring partners for youth
• Have experience in conducting programmes related to youth and employment
• Have experience in conducting on-site and virtual events involving at least 250 participants
• Have a physical location-based in Vietnam and be registered to operate in Vietnam as an organization, business, or firm.

TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The following are the specific roles and responsibilities consultant has to undertake:

• Provide constructive inputs on employability topics for youth, women, and people with disabilities in Vietnam.
• Through outreach, meetings, networking and advertisement, get a minimum of 15 hiring partners from private companies, the education sector, non-profit sectors, SMEs, social enterprises and other relevant actors to participate in the employment fair in Vietnam
• Engage with relevant key stakeholders in the organization, planning, advertising, and implementation of the job fair
• Conduct an employment fair reaching at least 1000 youth in Vietnam by the end of consultancy The employment fair can be conducted virtually, on-site, or in a hybrid model.
• Follow the monitoring and evaluation guidelines provided by the ASEAN Foundation to collect relevant data and produce a comprehensive activity report of the event
• Promote Bridges to the Future: ASEAN Youth Employment programme and the upcoming regional Job Information Centre to all underserved youths and relevant networks.

DELIVERABLES AND TIME FRAME:

The following table outlines deliverables that the consultant is required to achieve along with their timelines: Any expenses spent on the employment fair will be borne by the consultant and supported by relevant proofs of implementation.

Deliverables Timeline

1. Final Workplan submitted to ASEAN Foundation 13 April 2022
2. Kick Off Coordination meeting with ASEAN Foundation and relevant partners 15 April 2022
3. Submission of First Draft of Implementation Plan & List of hiring partners 18 April 2022
4. Implementation of Job Fair in Vietnam May – July 2022
5. A final report on the employment fair submitted to the ASEAN Foundation By 22 July 2022

The above time frame is subject to adjustments and shall be discussed between the ASEAN Foundation and the consultant.

REMUNERATION

A lump sum quotation is required, including fees for designing and delivering all the required services. The price written in the proposal should indicate a “lump sum amount” which is “all-inclusive” for the tasks specified in the terms of reference. Payment will be linked to deliverables.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE:

Any eligible organisation or entity keen to apply for this opportunity is required to send the following documents:

1. A brief technical proposal (2-5 pages) which outlines the organisation's experience and expertise in carrying out relevant and/or similar activities (e.g., prior job fairs, youth development programmes) along with samples of relevant work
2. A proposed work plan to achieve all the set deliverables
3. Organisational profile, and Copy of the organisation's legal entity (if any)
4. Financial proposal specifying a total lump sum amount highlighting deliverables

The above documents are sent to [email protected] and CC [email protected]

DEADLINE

Friday,1 April 2022.

QUERIES

Send any inquiries to [email protected]