Consultant to conduct the assessment of Needs for Vocational Skill Development from Persons with Disabilities in Vientiane Capital of Lao PDR

1. About the organization and the project

‘Humanity & Inclusion’ (HI, formerly known as Handicap International) is an independent and impartial aid and development organisation with no religious or political affiliations operating in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. We work alongside people with disabilities and vulnerable people to help meet their essential needs, improve their living conditions and promote respect for their dignity and fundamental rights. Since the organisation was first founded in 1982, we have set up development programmes in 62 countries and responded to many emergencies. For further information about the organization, please visit www.hi.org.

HI has been operating in Laos since 1996, starting with the national UXO impact survey and providing Technical Assistance to the national clearance operator/UXO Lao. Following missions in the country include Road Safety, Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR), Early Childhood Development, support for Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPD), Local Inclusive Development, Disability National Policy, Strategy and Action Plan development and Economic Empowerment of persons with disabilities.

The ‘Okard’ project (meaning “Opportunity” in Lao language), funded by USAID, is a six-year project (2017 – 2023) and implemented by World Education and HI in close collaboration with government and non-Government partners. The goal of the Project is to improve and sustain the independent living and functional ability of persons with disabilities, regardless of factors such as age, sex, gender expression, ethnicity, and their households in Lao PDR. The Project is implemented in three target provinces – Vientiane Capital, Xieng Khouang and Savannakhet and has three main components - Component 1: Health; Component 2: Economic Empowerment; Component 3: Stakeholder Engagement.

Component 2 on Economic Empowerment aims to increase access to technical and vocational training for persons with disabilities. In Xieng Khouang and Savannakhet, the majority of the target group preferred community-based vocational skill training models for husbandry, weaving, and small shops as desired income generation activities. In Vientiane Capital, the project recorded significantly low registration from persons with disabilities in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions. Therefore, the project team plans to conduct a survey to better understand the needs for vocational skill development from persons with disabilities in Vientiane Capital of Lao PDR by will hiring the consultant to support these activities, The consultant must reside in Lao PDR at the time of the mission with experience in Lao or Southeast Asian Context and Lao or Thai-speaking or with co-consultant who speaks Lao.

2. Scope of work

The consultant will conduct a survey in Vientiane Capital of Laos to identify the needs for vocational skill development among persons with disabilities. The survey will gather information on two main areas: 1) the most needed and preferred vocational training models/courses by persons with disabilities in the target area; and 2) the factors that motivate and/or hinder persons with disabilities from accessing such courses.

The consultant will carry out the following tasks:

• Develop a directory of formal and non-formal vocational skill development courses available in Vientiane Capital.
• Develop a survey plan in consultation with HI;
• Identify and engage with organizations and networks that represent or work with persons with disabilities in the area to help distribute the data collection tools and ensure its accessibility to all target groups.
• Implement the survey following the approved survey plan.
• Write a survey report.
• Conduct a one-day workshop to present survey findings. The potential audience could be representatives of OPDs, TVETs, development actors, and local government partners.

3. Expected Deliverables of the Consultancy and Timeline

It is anticipated that this consultancy will take 4 weeks, between June and July 2023. An indicative timeframe for expected deliverables is provided below.

1. A directory of formal and non-formal vocational skill development courses available in Vientiane Capital (English and Lao, 30 June 2023 )
2. A survey plan with clear methodology, work plan, data collection tools and division of responsibilities between the consultant and HI. The survey plan must utilize information from the directory (English, 7 July 2023)
3. A report on the findings of the survey, including an analysis of the data collected and recommendations for the project team. The English report should be maximum 10 pages excluding annexes (English and Lao, 21 July 2023)
4. An executive summary of the report presented in infographic with 2 page or less (English and Lao, 25 Jul 2023)
5. A presentation workshop of the findings to identified stakeholders from the survey plan (English, 28 Jul 2023)

4. Consultant Competencies

The qualified candidate must have:

• A master's degree or higher in social sciences, disability studies, education, or a related field.
• Significant experience in conducting needs assessments, evaluations, or research projects, preferably in low- and middle-income countries, especially with donors or development organizations.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the principles and practices of disability inclusion.
• Demonstrated knowledge of vocational skill development programmes and policies of Lao PDR.
• Excellent technical writing and presentation.
• Ability to liaise effectively with diverse stakeholders, including persons with disabilities and their representative organizations, government officials, donors, and civil society partners.
• Fluency in English.

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How to apply

Submission of Applications

Applicants must submit to e-mail: (Email at Apply Button) with the following criterial, and only shortlist candidate will be contacted.

1. Curriculum vitae outlining relevant qualifications and experience.
2. An expression of interest presenting the consultant’s understanding of the assignment and how the consultant meets the selection criteria.
3. Itemized budget (logistics-related costs, such as local transportation for participants, workshop and training venue, participants per diem or interpreters, are the responsibility of HI). The maximum available budget is 10,000 USD.
4. Names and contacts of three recent professional references (previous clients) for whom similar work has been conducted.
5. Two recent technical work developed by the consultant (as main author), especially those relevant to this ToR

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