External Consultant for the Development of the Young Africa (YA) Digital Postgraduate Services Toolbox (PG At Young Africa International

Terms of Reference for the Engagement of an External Consultant for the Development of the Young Africa (YA) Digital Postgraduate Services Toolbox (PGST)

Project Name: DIGITAL VET FOR YOUNG AFRICAN (D-VETYA)

Introduction: Young Africa (YA) and SERVE are seeking proposals from experienced technical development teams (consultant(s) to digitalize a comprehensive and user-friendly Postgraduate Support Toolbox (PGST). This toolbox will contain services that young people enrolled or have completed vocational training can access to assist them to find employment or start their own enterprises.

Background: The PGST prototype was conceptualised during the Young Africa Postgraduate Support Toolbox (PGST) Co-Creation Workshop. The prototype outlines the desired features and functionalities of the toolbox, catering to both administrators and young people.

Project Overview: The Digital VET for Young Africans (D-VETYA) project will be implemented by SERVE and Young Africa (YA). The project timeframe is January 2023 to December 2024. SERVE is an international development NGO based in Ireland. YA is a confederation of independent NGOs and includes YA International Netherlands, YA International Africa Hub Trust (Zimbabwe), YA Zimbabwe, YA Mozambique, YA Zambia and YA Namibia. YA has a dissemination network with 23 organisations across 11 African countries whereby it shares successful models of its work. YA provides holistic and accredited VET to marginalised youth through 6-12 month training courses in 46 disciplines, life skills, entrepreneurship and ICT. One of the objectives of the D-VETYA Project is to develop the YA’s Postgraduate Service Toolbox (PGST) which will contribute to a substantial increase in the percentage of YA graduates in employment across the 4 YA affiliate countries.

Purpose of assignment: To create the digital Postgraduate Support Toolbox (PGST), user manual and monitoring tool for post graduation support services for Young Africa graduates.

Objectives: The primary objective of this project is to develop a functional and user-friendly PGS toolbox, user manual and monitoring tools that align with the prototype’s specifications. The toolbox should offer a seamless experience for administrators to manage services and for young graduates to access resources and support.

Scope of Work: The technical (development) team will be responsible for the following tasks:

1. Digitalization of prototype toolbox:
2. 1. Develop the backend interface for administrators to manage post-graduation services and user accounts.
   2. Create a user interface for young graduates to access personalised profiles and post-graduation services.
   3. Ensure the responsiveness and accessibility of the toolbox on both computers and mobile devices, including mobile app development.
   4. Integrate Postgraduate Support Services content and modules into the toolbox’s structure.
   5. Implement robust security measures for user data protection.
   6. Develop monitoring tools for administrators to track user engagement, service utilisation, and performance metrics.
   7. Provide offline toolbox download option for users.
3. Testing of Prototype and Adaptations:
4. 1. Conduct thorough testing and quality assurance with recently graduated students’ participation.
   2. Adapt the postgraduate service toolbox based on the feedback
   3. Offer technical support and maintenance for a specified period post-launch.
5. Development of the final version of the Toolbox.
6. 1. Develop the PGST user manual to guide the vocational training management users. The manual will include templates for graduated students, examples of support service journeys, and also provide a link to explanatory videos.
   2. Adapt the monitoring tool based on the feedback
   3. Finalise functional version of the digital toolbox
   4. Document the adaptation process from Prototype to final version

Timeline: Tentatively, the project is expected to have a duration of 2 Months. A detailed project timeline, including milestones and deliverables, should be provided in the proposal.

Deliverables: The technical development team should deliver the following:

1. Fully functional PGST prototype with backend and user interfaces.
2. Mobile application for PGST access on mobile devices.
3. Integrated content and modules from Postgraduate Support Services.
4. Easy to use monitoring tool
5. Testing and quality assurance reports.
6. User manual including technical documentation for the toolbox’s functionalities and maintenance as well as templates for graduated students and support services journeys examples
7. Documentation of the adaptation process from Prototype to the final version.
8. Finalised functional version of the digital toolbox.

Budget: Interested teams should provide a detailed budget proposal outlining the costs associated with development, testing, implementation, and support.

Qualifications and Experience: The technical development team should possess the following qualifications and experience:

• Technical expertise in software development, web development, and mobile app development.
• Experience in creating secure and data-driven platforms.
• Skilled in UI/UX Design: A solid understanding of user-centred design principles
• Software testing and Quality assurance expertise
• Effective communication and documentation skills.
• Ability to adhere to project timelines and deliver high-quality solutions.
• Experience in backend and frontend development
• Familiarity with agile methodologies for iterative development.
• Relevant degrees in computer science, software engineering, or related fields,those with relevant certifications will have an added advantage.

Proposal Submission: Interested teams should submit a comprehensive proposal, including the following:

• Introduction Letter (brief team profile highlighting qualifications and your company’s track record in similar work) – 1 page
• Your understanding of the Terms of Reference (Max half a Page),
• Your proposed methodology/approach/process for executing the task; including, technologies, and tools to be used (max 3 pages),
• Proposed project timeline with milestones and deliverables in a Gantt Chart.
• Itemised budget, with adequate notes to help interpret the budget,including all costs involved in execution of the task, testing, implementation, and support
• Itemised budget, with adequate notes to help interpret the budget,including all costs involved in the execution of the task and launching it.
• References to two of your previous similar projects.
• CVs of Lead Experts to work on the task

Evaluation Criteria: Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Experience and qualifications of the technical development team.
• Understanding of the terms of references
• Project approach, including alignment with project objectives and methodologies.
• Feasibility of the proposed timeline and milestones.
• Budget proposal and cost-effectiveness.
• Quality and completeness of the proposal.

Submission Deadline: Proposals should be submitted by 27th September 2023 to dvetya@youngafrica.org

Contact Information: For inquiries or additional information, please contact the Project Coordinator at ireen.theu@youngafrica.org