TERMS OF REFERENCE
for
IT SENIOR ADMINISTRATOR FOR THESKILLS OBSERVATORY

1. Background of the Project

The Skills Development and Innovation Support Project (SDISP) project’s development objective (PDO) is to improve transparency of resource allocation and promote accountability in higher education, enhance the relevance of secondary technical vocational education, and support innovation capacity in Macedonia.
The overall project will support the Government of the Republic of Macedonia’s (MOES) initiatives geared to:

  • increase graduates’ competitiveness on a regional and international level;
  • increase labor market relevance of graduates’ skills;
  • make innovation a source of productivity improvement, competitiveness, increased exportability of goods, and sustained economic growth; and
  • increase universities and private enterprises engagement in, and their benefit from, R&D efforts and technology adoption opportunities.

The Project will support interventions which foster education and skills relevant to the job market, and enhance the innovation capacity and activity of firms in Macedonia. It will also address key missing elements of the Macedonian innovation system and ailing aspects of the research sector that are likely to be vital for improving the competitiveness of the enterprise sector and Macedonia’s longer term economic growth prospects. It will also help improve absorption of EU funds earmarked for innovation activities.

The Project’s direct beneficiaries include students, teaching and management staff from technical vocational education and training institutions who would receive a new curriculum and practical training facilities, as well as training on management, planning, and process improvement capacity ; students and staff of universities, research institutions and enterprises will benefit from: (i) the implementation of quality assurance mechanisms and financing reform in higher education (HE);(ii) grants promoting R&D and innovation; and (iii) technology commercialization, global know-how absorption, and industry- university collaboration fostered by the National Technology Transfer Office (NTTO).

Specific information/background regarding the assignment

The aim of this assignment is to serve as IT Senior Administrator as part of the support team for the Skills Observatory (SO) at the Ministry of Education and Science (MoES) in Macedonia, which will present a website platform providing information on performance of Higher Education (HE), Technical Vocational Education (TVET), and Adult Learning (AL) training programs. The Skills Observatory is a management information tool addressing the dynamics of labor market conditions and supply of training programs.

The SO Mission

  • Support the development of evidence-based policymaking for the development of vocational and professional education in Macedonia, by providing adequate analytical and informational background on capacity building institutions, their program supply and performance.
  • Assist parents and students in selecting occupational fields and adequate schools, in order to enhance their future employability.
  • Facilitate alignment between labor demand and training programs at local and national levels.

SO Services

The SO will be a web based portal providing the following services:

  1. Information on actual HE careers and TVET and AL programs
  2. Information on curricula & skills development
  3. Information on jobs placement of graduates
  4. Information on cost of studies
  5. Links to information on jobs demand and economic development
  6. Forecasting of labor demand on skills and jobs profiles
  7. Access to research on alignment of education and labor market
  1. Scope of services

Under the leadership of the Head of the SO, and based on available guidance by SDISP project staff, the Consultant will be responsible of IT functioning of the SO according to its mission and design.

Specifically, the Consultant will be in charge of:

  • Developing familiarity with the purpose, service potential, and expected services to be provided by the SO, from its first stage to its full development;
  • Coordination of activities related to contracts for design, implementation and/or supply of software and hardware for the needs of the SO;
  • Ensuring proper development and functioning of all planned web based services
  • Maintaining good and effective relationships with IT personnel in related institutions in the gathering and analysis of data; i.e. The National Employment Office, State and Private Universities, faculties, and colleges, VET schools, VET center, providers of Adult Learning training programs, MoES Education Management System, State and private employment agencies, Ministry of Labor & Social Affairs , Pension and Disability Fund, and all other institutions that may serve the SO, either as sources of e-data, or as a provider (exporter) of links, documents, and any other relevant information that may serve the purposes and the structure of the SO.;
  • Managing inter-institutional sharing of information and addressing compatibility and other technical problems;
  • Retrieving information from all relevant institutions and feed it into the SO platform of services to its users, on a permanent basis;
  • Shaping all IT aspects of the SO services offered to its different types of users;
  • Ensure coherence with regulations on privacy rights and security of data;
  • Promoting the SO image ant the use of its services among all potential users;
  • Gathering feedback on IT aspects of the SO performance from all stakeholders and suggest adjustments for the benefit of its best functioning;
  • Any other IT activities in correlation with the daily operation of the Skills Observatory ;

The Consultant will be responsible of all IT aspects of the SO's performance, at the highest professional standard.

  1. Reporting obligations

The IT Specialist shall work under the authority of the Head of the SO and the SDIS Project Director. He/She will provide periodical reports on the progress, regular IT functioning and development of the SO, as requested by its Head, SDIS Project Director and/or Minister of Education And Science.

  1. Consultant’s Qualifications

The consultant should have the following experience and qualifications:

-Bachelors degree in Computer Science or Informatics; Masters degree in Computer Science or Informatics is an advantage;

-Minimum 5 years of experience inmanagingand implementation of web base application projects;

-Knowledge in relational database management and Structured Query Language (SQL);

-Previous experience in data gathering and management in fields such as: education or social affairs, econometrics and statistics;

-Experience in computer, serverand network administration;

-Experience in MS-Windows and Linux;

-Experience with World Bank supported projects will be an advantage;

-Excellent knowledge of theEnglish and Macedonian language

5.Duration of the assignment

The Consultant shall provide full time services for a period of one (1) year. Subject to satisfactory performance, the contract may be extended until May 31, 2019."

  1. Facilities to be provided by the Client

The Consultant will be provided with suitable office space, local phone service, appropriate equipment such as PC, printer as well as business mobile number.

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Selection method and contract: The selection method is Selection of Individual Consultant and the contract shall be Time Based according to “Guidelines for Selection and Employment of Consultants under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits & Grants by the World Bank Borrowers” January 2011.

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