With the assistance of UNESCO and the European Union, the Government of Uzbekistan will be implementing the project “Skills Development for the Employability in Rural Areas of Uzbekistan”, recognizing the agriculture skills development as a driver of social and economic development. The overall objective of this project is to enhance living standards in rural areas through better employability for women and men, and the specific objective is to prepare women and men with relevant skills for the needs of a sustainable, diversified and modernized agriculture. The activities of the project will contribute to the following results: (i) to modernize and strengthen governance of skills development in the agriculture and irrigation sectors in line with the labour market demands; (ii) to modernize qualifications and methodologies of skills development to serve the needs of the labour market, learners and workers in the agriculture and irrigation; and (iii) to modernize agriculture and irrigation colleges in rural areas with competent management and teaching staff using modern technologies and teaching and learning methods.
In particular, the project will target development of relevant skills of women and men for sustainable, diversified and modernised agriculture in Uzbekistan. It will also contribute to improving the quality, relevance, efficiency and effectiveness of the skills development system in the agriculture and irrigation sectors, initiated by the Government of Uzbekistan, with a particular focus on the rural regions selected by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Water Resources (Karakalpakstan, Khorazm, Bukhara, Surkhondaryo). This project will help the Government to develop, to test and to pilot new initiatives and approaches in the agriculture and irrigation sectors with a view to scaling up transversal methods, high technology agriculture and food processing, and innovative approaches throughout the country.
Under the overall authority of the Assistant Director General of Education, guidance from the Head of the UNESCO Tashkent Office and the direct supervision of the Senior Project Officer, the incumbent shall contribute in the implementation of the project “Skills Development for the Employability in Rural Areas of Uzbekistan”, in particular, the incumbent shall:
Assist in planning, developing and implementing project activities within the project timeframe and in consultation with the project team;
Assist in recruitment of the national and international consultants, experts and other service providers;
Undertake missions as necessary and requested for the project implementation in Uzbekistan.
Ensure establishment, management and monitoring of contracts and relationships with multiple implementing partners/consultants/contractors covering the range of expertise required to successfully implement the activities, in compliance with the rules and regulations of UNESCO
Ensure project information and data collection, and facilitate knowledge-sharing amongst stakeholders, including with local authorities and communities, and NGOs
Ensure the quality of contents provided to the project’s Communication and Visibility Plan, and assist in the development of periodic project reports and briefings
Liaise with and facilitate consultation between the relevant local authorities in Uzbekistan, NGOs, suppliers and local community stakeholders as required
Organize periodic stakeholder meetings and capacity-building workshops in order to ensure necessary competencies are transferred from experts to local practitioners
Facilitate smooth correspondence with the national counterparts and maintain the close collaboration with them
Required Qualifications
Education
Advanced university degree (Masters or equivalent) in the field of education, social sciences, agriculture, water management, social sciences or closely related fields.
Work Experience
Minimum 2 years of relevant professional experience in the field of education, agriculture and irrigation sector skills development.
Experience in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET)
Skills and competencies
Excellent oral and written communication skills;
Good knowledge of results-based and budget management tools;
Ability to work under pressure, manage heavy workloads and meet tight deadlines, paying close attention to details and quality of work;
Strong IT skills including good knowledge of standard office software;
Strong analytical, problem solving and organizational skills;
In-depths understanding of the local context, especially priorities of agriculture sector;
Excellent project implementation skills;
Ability to work as part of an international team in a multicultural environment.
Languages
Excellent knowledge English of Uzbek languages (written and oral) .
