Adolescent Development Officer (Skills and Employability)

Description of assignmenttitle: Adolescent Development Officer(Skills and Employability)

Assignment country: Thailand

Expected start date: 02/15/2023

Sustainable Development Goal: 16. Peace, justice and strong institutions

Volunteer category: International UN Youth Volunteer

DoA reserved for persons withdisabilities: No

Host entity: UNICEF

Type: Onsite

Duration: 12 months(with possibility of extension)

Number of assignments: 1

Duty stations: Bangkok

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Mission and objectives

UNICEF works in some of the world’stoughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To savetheir lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfilling their potential.Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere,every day, to build a better world for everyone. And we never give up.

In the East Asia and Pacific Region,UNICEF works to uphold the rights of all children. This means the rights ofevery child, irrespective of their nationality, gender, religion or ethnicity,to:

- survival – to basic healthcare,peace and security;

- development – to a good education,a loving home and adequate nutrition;

- protection – from abuse, neglect,trafficking, child labour and other forms of exploitation; and

- participation – to expressopinions, be listened to and take part in making any decisions that affect them

Recognizing children, adolescentsand youth have a right to participate in decisions that affect their lives, a rightto a healthy and safe environment, and a right to protection from harm, UNICEFis calling for governments and businesses to address the climate crisis throughreduction in greenhouse emissions, increased investment in children’s awarenessand climate literacy, and by engaging young people in environmental and climaterelated policy making.

Context

Thailand has made impressiveprogress over the past few decades, both in economic and social development,and has the potential to become a High-Income Country and to lead the region inshaping a future of health, education, and prosperity for its people. However,Thailand is at risk of ‘getting old before getting rich,’ as its demography israpidly shifting towards an aging society. By 2045, the age dependency ratio inThailand will have easily surpassed 50 per cent, from a 2017 ratio of less than20 per cent.

A key factor in ensuring Thailandcan navigate this transition to the ranks of ageing developed nations isensuring its children develop healthily in their early years, and receive aneducation and skills preparing them for the 21st century world of work. Whilekey steps have been taken, the journey is not complete. Gaps and challengesremain across the spectrum of children’s development, which if not addressedcan limit the academic attainment, skills acquisition, and future readiness ofmajor proportions of Thailand’s young population. Youth transition to decentwork also remains problematic, with high numbers of young people aged 15–24(over 1.4 million or nearly 15%) who are Not in Education, Employment orTraining (NEET); while skills mismatch is a major issue in the Thai labourmarket.

One area of focus for UNICEFThailand is ensuring all children receive a quality education, and skills andopportunities for the transition to work. UNICEF is working to address keychallenges facing young people to become future-ready, and drivers of aprosperous future Thailand. UNICEF has developed extensive experience insupporting skill development of the most marginalized youth including teenmothers, children in contact with the juvenile justice system, ethnicminorities and migrants in the North and youth from the conflict-affected DeepSouth.

The Adolescent Development Officer(Skills and Employability) provides operational assistance to support thedelivery of Output 2 of UNICEF’s Young People’s Resilience, Connectedness andEmpowerment Outcome of UNICEF Thailand Country Programme (2022–2026). Namely,to support the implementation of programmes to strengthen national and localcapacities for the equitable provision of alternative pathways and secondchance opportunities for youth NEET and other vulnerable youth groups.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of theChief of Adolescent Development and Participation, the UN Volunteer willundertake the following tasks:

1.Supports programme implementation and delivery of results:

a. Supports the AdolescentDevelopment Officer in the implementation of skills and employability relatedprojects including in the delivery of integrated package of services for youthNEET; development of Youth Work; and provision of skills development andplatforms for employability and lifelong learning – particularly the Thailand’sE-Workforce Ecosystem Platform (the first lifelong learning platform in thecountry).

b. Assists in the preparation ofrelevant programme reports for management, donors and partners and keep recordof reports and programme assessments for easy reference to capture andinstitutionalize lessons learned.

c. Reports on criticalissues/findings to the direct supervisor to ensure timely resolution bymanagement/stakeholders.

2.Supports networking and partnership building:

a. Assists the AdolescentDevelopment Officer in identifying, cultivating and sustaining partnershipswith government counterparts and national stakeholders, particularly theMinistry of Labour, Thailand Professional Qualification Institute (TPQI), theOffice ofVocational Education Commission (OVEC), civil society organizations,and young people (including UNICEF’s Young People Advisory Board or YPAB) inthe area of youth employability, through active consultations and sharing ofinformation and knowledge to facilitate programme implementation and capacitybuilding of stakeholders to achieve and sustain programme results.

b. Supports the drafting ofcommunication and information materials for UNICEF Thailand Country Officeprogramme advocacy to promote awareness, partnership development and resourcemobilization.

c. Participates in relevantmeetings/events and conducts field visits when required.

3.Contributes to innovation and knowledge management

a. Assists in identifying,capturing, synthesizing and sharing lessons learned of the youth employabilityprogramme for knowledge development and capacity building of relevantstakeholders.

b. Conducts research to identifyinnovative and cutting-edge practices of youth employability initiatives tosupport the delivery of results.

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Eligibility criteria

Age: 18 - 26

Additional eligibility criteria: This assignment is funded by the Government of Koreaand therefore specific criteria apply:- Candidates must be Korean nationals.-Candidates must be between 22 and 29 years old at the time of application.NOTE: If you are older than 26 when applying, the system will display anotification that the ’application does not meet the eligibility criteria’.Please disregard this notification.- Candidates who have already served as UNYouth Volunteer funded by the Government of Korea are not eligible to apply(former UN University Volunteers are eligible).- Candidates may apply to amaximum of three assignments and indicate the order of preference in the‘Additional remarks’ field when filling in the application form.- Onlyshortlisted candidates will be contacted. The selection will be done by the UNHost Entity at the level of the country of assignment.APPLICATION DEADLINE: 12September 2022+++ UN Volunteer entitlement calculator:https://app.unv.org/calculator +++

Nationality: Candidate must be a national of a country other than thecountry of assignment.

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Requirements

Required experience: 0 years of experience in (up to three years) and/ordemonstrated interest in Labor Economics, Development Studies, InternationalRelations, Public Administration, or another relevant technical field.

- Issues of youth employability,education, school to work transition and NEETs

- Adolescent development andparticipation and Youth Work

- Previous experience as a volunteerand/or experience of another culture, (i.e. studies, volunteer work,internship) would be highly regarded

Area(s) of expertise: Communication, Social work, Administration

Driving license: -

Languages: English,

Level: Fluent, Required

Required education level: Bachelor degree or equivalent in Labour Economics,Development Studies, International Relations, Public Administration, or anotherrelevant technical field.

Competencies and values

☒ Accountability

☒ Adaptability and Flexibility

☒ Building Trust

☒ Commitment and Motivation

☒ Commitment to Continuous Learning

☒ Communication

☒ Creativity

☒ Ethics and Values

☒ Integrity

☒ Judgement and Decision-making

☒ Knowledge Sharing

☒ Planning and Organizing

☒ Professionalism

☒ Respect for Diversity

☒ Self-Management

☒ Technological Awareness

☒ Working in Teams

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Other information

Living conditions and remarks

Thailand is located in thegeographic heart of Southeast Asia, and plays an important role in thecommercial and political life of the region. The population of Thailand isapproximately 66 million, although given that many people move seasonally fromthe countryside to the capital, accurate estimates are impossible. Around 11-13million people live in and around Bangkok. Most of Thailand is assessed asSecurity Level 1 (Minimal) or 2 (Low) and is subject to automatic securityclearance.Bangkok has a tropical monsoonal climate with high humidity, but itis located outside the typhoon belt. Most of the country experiences threeseasons, the cool season from November to February, the hot season from Marchto May and the rainy season from May to October. The annual mean temperature is28 degrees Celsius, ranging from a night minimum of 20 degrees Celsius in thecool season to a maximum day temperature of 39 degrees Celsius in the hotseason.There are many types of accommodation in Bangkok, including houses,housing estates, townhouses, apartments, serviced apartments and condominiums.Many staff members choose to live in one of the centrally located apartmentcomplexes because of their extra facilities such as 24-hour security, fitness,swimming pool, jacuzzi, etc. Monthly rents can vary from around 20,000 baht formodest housing to over 100,000 baht for luxury accommodation. House rents donot include utilities charges, electricity or water, whereas some apartmentsdo.

Inclusivity statement

United Nations Volunteers is anequal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualifiedprofessionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, careprotected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, allUN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and topromoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinctionof a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin,sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin orother status.

Reasonable accommodation

UNICEF offers reasonableaccommodation for UN Volunteers with disabilities. This may include, forexample, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personalattendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during yourapplication in case you need reasonable accommodation during the recruitmentprocess and afterwards in your assignment.

Note on Covid-19 vaccinationrequirements

In addition to duty station-specificvaccine requirements, appointments are subject to confirmation offully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World HealthOrganization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up theappointment. It does not apply to UN Volunteers who will work remotely and arenot expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locationsor directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel toperform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their contracts.

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