1. Background

Established in 2011, Shaqodoon Organization is a not-for-profit NGO that operates in multiple regions in Somalia and Somaliland dedicated to advancing of skills and talents of youth and social investments through its multifaceted programs that are designed to increase the number of young people engaged in productive work and entrepreneurship. Shaqodoon Organization has been undertaking youth programs for close to a decade since its establishment in 2011.

While Shaqodoon experience and expertise focus on job placement for graduates, entrepreneurship capacity development/ start-up development, and business development services (BDS) is also part of its core goals. Shaqodoon organization also has a strong track record working with the under- privileged youth, providing training support that enhances access to vocational training and employment services. Shaqodoon organization has also strong and complementary experiences working with the IDPs, Refugee Returnees and Host Communities underprivileged youth (especially women) in entrepreneurship capacity development/training, SME/ development, business development services (BDS), youth mentoring and skill development, and sustainable livelihoods development initiatives, having implemented such programs for a wide range of international development actors.

2. The LEAD Program

The Local Economic African Development (LEAD) program is funded by the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs through SPARK. Shaqodoon is an implementing partner of SPARK for the LEAD program in Somalia and Somaliland. The program benefits vulnerable youth aged between 15-35. The overall objective of the LEAD 2 program is to create new job opportunities alongside supporting start-ups and existing SME growth supported with coaching and better access to finance and markets- with a focus on vulnerable and youth at risk.

3. The overall objectives of the LEAD program were formulated as follows:

• Strengthen Institutional Capacity Building Of Local Partner Organizations And Government Agencies To Support Better SME Development, Employment, And The Development Of An Effective Enabling Business Environment (OBJ1)

• Creating New Job Opportunities Alongside Supporting Business Start-Ups And SME Growth Supported With Coaching And Better Access To Finance And Markets – With A Focus On Vulnerable And At-Risk Youth (OBJ2)

Enhancement Of Skills of Young People To Be Better Prepared For The Job Market (OBJ3)

The specific objective was to be achieved through three interrelated outcomes. Given the increasingly dynamic employment market, the program has four outcomes that contributed to the overall goal of “improved and enhanced economic prospects and opportunities for youth through supporting SME creation, entrepreneurship, and employability.” To attain the program objectives, Shaqodoon organization developed entrepreneurship skills of existing and new entrepreneurs through coaching & training, recruited new and existing entrepreneurs and trained them with Business skills development training, Acceleration, Mentoring and Incubation, and assisted young people (especially young women) to access internship and Apprentenships opportunities which prepared them to enter the job market and find jobs.

4. Objectives of the tracer study

The main objective of the tracer study is to track the effectiveness of the LEAD program in equipping youths with the necessary skills for gainful employment. The tracer study is meant to track the beneficiaries of the training to establish what they are currently doing as part of the evidence of the project’s relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability: Further, Shaqodoon will be able to fully account for the graduate’s engagement in apprenticeship, self- employment, and formal employment.

The specific objectives of the tracer study are:

• To identify the type of employment (wage or self-employment) achieved.

• To generate information about the marketability and employability of the skills and training offered by Shaqodoon and its partners and challenges in the marketplace.

• To benchmark and evaluate the effectiveness of the chosen skill development and entrepreneurship courses offered by Shaqodoon partners at different locations in Somaliland, Puntland, and Mogadishu.

• To establish the factors inhibiting youth employment (wage or self-employment) in Somaliland, Puntland, and Mogadishu.

• As part of a case study, review the project model, achievements, lessons learned, and significant recommendations for application in other contexts or scale-up.

5. Scope of the tracer study

The tracer study will aim to provide information on all project beneficiaries. The study will be conducted in Somaliland, Puntland, and Mogadishu. The tracer study will establish what the graduates are currently doing and include details as part of the evidence of the project’s relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability. Questions and answers should be guided by DAC criteria (Relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and learning).

6. Tracer Study design/methods

The Consultant shall use a mixed approach, including desk review, and interviews with the program beneficiaries. The tracer study will target all the beneficiaries, or a sample size must be statistically representative of the population. The Consultant is expected to develop overarching approaches to knowledge creation and mix qualitative and quantitative approaches that reflect the subjectivity and objectivity of the aspects of the evaluation.

• Desk review of secondary data (proposals, progress reports and beneficiary databases)

• In-depth interviews with beneficiaries (incl disaggregation by gender) at their business/employment sites or homes (through local enumerators).

• Share initial findings and learning with Shaqodoon organization.

7. Expected outputs.

The consultants will produce the following specific deliverables after signing the contract:

• Inception report detailing the methodology, including the actual tools to be used for all respondents, schedule for field data collection, data analysis and reporting, work plan, list of documentation to reference in the report, and an outline of the final report.

• A detailed final report of not more than 30 pages (2 pages executive summary, 20 pages main body of the report, and 8 pages annexes- including photos and quotes from the respondents) outlining among others background characteristics of respondents.

• A case study on Shaqodoon organization’s youth employment creation approaches capturing a short write-up on LEAD program model, achievements, lessons learned, and recommendations.

• Field notes and questionnaires. Safe custody and safe return of all documents obtained from Shaqodoon organization.

8. Work plan and Time schedule

The total duration of the tracer study is expected to take 14 days, including the fieldwork and report writing. Shaqodoon Organization and the Consultant (s) will agree on the final work plan and time schedule.

Tracer Study Activities Completion dates

Obtaining offers 26th – 28th November 2023

Selecting and contracting the consultant 29th – 30th November 2023

Inception report (to discuss the draft report) within three days after contracting. 01st – 3rd December 2023

Field work and reporting 4th – 9th December 2023

Tracer study final report 10th – 15th December 2023

9. Qualifications required.

The Consultant should be an experienced and independent consultant with the following expertise:

• Minimum of 5 years professional Experience in developing countries, including previous Experience working

• in Somalia/Somaliland

• University degree in Education, Project Management, or any other development/relevant related subject.

• Experience in applying qualitative and quantitative methods, with a minimum of 5 years of professional Experience in conducting tracer studies or similar studies.

• Have practical Experience in planning and implementation of a tracer study using a mixed-method approach.

• Have excellent analytical and writing skills.

• Be willing to travel extensively in the working areas of the project. Fluent in English (both reading and writing).

• Understanding the Somali language is an advantage.

Verification of these qualifications will be based on the provided curriculum vitae. Moreover, references, web links, or electronic copies of two or three examples of recently completed tracer study reports shall be provided together with the technical proposal. Candidates are also encouraged to submit other references such as research papers or articles that demonstrate their familiarity with the subject under review.

10. Guiding Principles and Values

The Consultant shall adhere to the “Do No Harm” principle and any other humanitarian principles.

Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Technical Experience and expertise

• Quality of proposal

• Cost-effectiveness of proposal

The Consultant shall always ensure the confidentiality of data, respect the privacy of all individuals concerned and make all data collected available to Shaqodoon Organization in a usable format.

11. HOW TO APPLY

All applications should include the following and be submitted to jobs@shaqodoon.org by 25th November 2023 with the subject line indicating “Terms of Reference – Tracer Study” Please attach in your email following documents.

• Cover letter (maximum 1 page) and updated CVs of all study team members if any.

• Technical proposal: Which should include.

o brief explanation about the Consultant with an emphasis on previous Experience in this kind of work.

o profile of the Consultant and/or team to be involved in undertaking the tracer study, understanding of the TOR and the task to be accomplished,

o Draft work and plan.

o Financial Proposal: Which should include consultancy fees and enumerators’ fees.