National Consultancy-Technical Support Vacancy-Job Ref: WJNAUNICEF/2605/2025803

National Consultancy-Technical Support Vacancy-Job Ref: WJNAUNICEF/2605/2025803

Windhoek (Namibia)

Job Description
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill 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.

For every child, promote lifelong learning opportunities

Background:
Namibia faces a critical challenge with youth unemployment at 46.1%, and a high proportion of young people aged 15–24 not in education, employment, or training (NEET) at 41.9%.1 This disengagement, particularly acute in rural areas where 59.5% of youth are discouraged from participating in the labor market, poses a serious risk to the nation’s economic stability and growth. The increasing dependency burden on the working-age population emphasizes the urgency of this issue.

While various upskilling initiatives are in place, the fragmented nature of efforts often reduces their impact. However, this demographic challenge also presents a significant opportunity, if stakeholder efforts can be systematically connected and scaled, Namibia can unlock the potential of its young population.

Adolescents and young people (AYP) are essential to achieving Vision 2030 — transforming Namibia into a knowledge-based, competitive, and industrialized nation. Quality education and training are key pillars of this vision, but young people continue to face multiple barriers on their pathway to adulthood. Therefore, equipping them with relevant skills is vital for the country’s long-term development.

There has been progress in education, with 36.6%2 of the population having completed at least secondary education in 2023, up from 26.3% in 2011. However, the labor market still reflects a significant mismatch between education and job opportunities. Namibia must make substantial progress to meet its National Development Plan (NDP) targets: reducing youth unemployment to 33%.

Various reports highlight a gap between professional qualifications and the needs of the job market. Empowering youth to meaningfully contribute to the economy is central to improving the Youth Development Index from 0.49 to 0.58.

In response, UNICEF’s new Country Program Document (CPD), under Outcome 2, prioritizes learning, development, and participation in a protective environment. It advocates for expanding access to skills-building programs, with a strong emphasis on digital learning and 21st-century skills. This equips young people to apply their knowledge for improved livelihoods and community impact.

This initiative aligns closely with Sustainable Development Goals 4 (Quality Education), 5 (Gender Equality), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). It also supports the current draft of NDP6 under the Youth Empowerment Chapter, which aims to address inequities and provide platforms for skill acquisition and meaningful youth engagement.

In partnership with the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture (MEIYSAC), in collaboration with UNICEF Namibia, seeks to rapidly deploy and implement the Namibia Learning Passport Platform and skills development opportunities for adolescents and young people. This digital and offline learning solution will enhance learning access, support the development of 21st-century skills, and improve outcomes for adolescents and young people across Namibia, particularly out-of-school youth.

How can you make a difference?

Scope of Work:

The Consultant will provide technical assistance and coordination to support the full deployment, localization, and roll-out of the Namibia Learning Passport. This includes content development, platform promotion and launch, stakeholder engagement, and implement skills building programs to enhance adolescent and young people learning, employability as they transition from learning to work, and capacity building to MEIYSAC staff and stakeholders.

Under the supervision of: Director, Youth Development in the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture (MEIYSAC)and in collaboration with relevant team members and UNICEF Namibia, the consultant will undertake the following responsibilities:
Namibia Learning (NaLP) Platform Deployment: Support UNICEF Namibia in the rapid deployment of the Learning Passport Platform for MEIYSAC.

Technical Adaptation: Provide technical assistance to adapt the platform to the local context, explore integration opportunities with existing platforms, curate content, engage stakeholders, and report regularly to MEIYSAC, UNICEF Namibia Country Office and regional/global teams.
Content Development and Curation: Develop new and contextualize existing content relevant to MEIYSAC and young people’s priorities, focusing on employability skills and others as co-created with young people.

Offline Roll-Out: Lead the implementation of the offline Learning Passport, in coordination with regional/global Learning Passport teams and supported by UNICEF and Ministry staff.
Learning Pathways: Develop learning pathways within the platform to guide learners and support educational and career transitions.
Promotion and Launch: Support the MEINSAC in creating a promotion plan, launching the platform with relevant stakeholders, especially young people.

User Support: Provide technical and functional support to Learning Passport users and MEIYSAC staff as needed.
Skills Training Content Refinement: Refine existing skills training content and share with MEIYSAC for delivery and scaling.
Skills Training Workshops: Offer structured, age-appropriate training for out-of-school adolescents and youth and facilitate workshops in collaboration with MEIYSAC.
Capacity Building: Provide technical assistance and capacity building on skills development in selected regions (Omaheke and Kavango East) where required.

Mentoring Framework: Establish and implement a mentorship framework for youth in partnership with MEIYSAC.
Regional Support: Conduct field visits to selected regions (Omaheke and Kavango East once per quarter for a period of 1-2 weeks) to assist with the implementation of skills development programmes.
Reporting and Documentation: Document lessons learned, collect impact stories, and submit timely and relevant progress and final reports.

Work Assignments Overview Deliverables/Outputs Delivery deadline Estimates Budget
Develop a deployment plan and stakeholder engagement promotional strategy.

Deployment Plan and Promotional Strategy – NaLP deployed July 2025
Content for Namibia Learning Passport (employability skills and as co-created) curated and digitized or available content contextualized (on-going).

Content curation
Coordinate the procurement of ICT tools for learning and promotion materials in partnership with Supply Teams

Offline rollout in one region August 2025 20%
Promotion and Launch: Coordinate in partnership with MEIYSAC and UNICEF Communication Team the Launch of the Namibia Learning Passport and implement promotional strategy.

Promotion and Launch
Capacity Building: Training sessions conducted with MEIYSAC staff.

Staff members capacitated
Refine materials and provide technical support on skills training with young people.

Materials refinement and skills development workshops implemented September 2025 30%
Develop relevant learning paths and structure guides for relevant users.

Learning pathways and guides developed
Final report with best practices, main outcomes, challenges, and recommendations for scale-up submitted.

Final report submitted November 2025 50%
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

An advanced university degree (Master’s) in Skills Development, ICT for Development, Social Sciences, Youth Development, Project Management or related field.
*A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
A minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience in digital learning platforms or youth programming.
Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of a local language is an asset.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:
At least 5 years’ experience in managing projects of this nature is required.
Experience in managing complexes involving many stakeholders and good technical understanding with digital learning systems/platforms.
Demonstrated experience in using technology for development and providing skills training to young people.
Demonstrated experience in content development and in designing interactive content for digital learning will be an added advantage.
Strong communication, presentation, facilitation and written skills.
Familiarity with Namibian education and youth sector is an asset.

Relevant experience working with MEIYSAC, learning institutions, UNICEF or other international organizations on similar assignments and knowledge would be an asset.
Previous UN experience will be an added advantage.
Evaluation Criteria
A) Technical Evaluation (e.g. maximum 75 Points)
Educational background 30
Relevant work experience 45
B) Financial Proposal (e.g. maximum of 25 Points)

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