Terms of Reference Service Contract for the provision of technical vocational training for young people aged 14 - 17 from Manafwa district   1. BACKGROUND The international community has made clear that the persistence of child labour in today’s world is unacceptable. Under the Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.7 (SDG Target 8.7) all countries committed to take immediate and effective measures to end child labour in all its forms by 2025. Unfortunately, ending child labour is a more ambitious task than ever before.   The 2024 Child Labour Global Estimates indicate that child labour still affects nearly 138 million children worldwide (59 million girls and 78 million boys); and 54 million of these children are in hazardous work. All regions have seen some progress against child labour since 2020. There are over 100 million fewer children in child labour today than in the year 2000, even as the child population increased by 230 million over the same period. Sub-Saharan Africa has made laudable strides in reducing the prevalence of child labour, but given its rapidly growing child population, the number of children in child labour has not decreased.   In 2019, the Alliance 8.7 Action Group on Supply Chains released a report produced by the International Labour Organization (ILO), Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), International Organization for Migration (IOM) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) stressing that while child labour is far more likely to take place in domestic economies there is evidence that it is frequently linked to global supply chains. The report also indicates that a significant share of child labour occurs in its upstream reaches, in the production of raw materials, commodities and other inputs used to manufacture final export products and that efforts against child labour in global supply chains will be inadequate if they do not extend beyond immediate suppliers to include actors in these upstream tiers.   Despite a multiplication of due diligence related initiatives in supply chains, child labour continues to be a salient human rights risk for many businesses, in part because of approaches focusing exclusively on monitoring children in workplaces, rather than on tackling the root causes of the problem. Although they vary from one country to another and from one economic sector to another, evidence shows that the main root causes of child labour are the limited labour protection and lack of legal enforcement, poverty and social vulnerability, inadequate or absence of social protection, barriers to free and quality education, limited decent work opportunities, including decent wages and fair income, absence or weak realization of the fundamental principles and rights at work[1].   Reaffirming its commitment to take action to protect children, including in global supply chains, the European Union (EU) co-finances and supports the project Ending child labour in supply chains: Addressing the root causes of child labour in supply chains through an area-based approach (CLEAR Supply Chains) in collaboration with the ILO, as the lead agency, UNICEF, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Trade Centre (ITC) to address the root causes of child labour, focusing primarily on the coffee supply chain.   The lack of decent work opportunities for adults and youth, has a direct impact on engagement of children in child labour. Child labour is often used as a coping mechanism by poor and vulnerable households who lack decent work opportunities to supplement the family income. To respond to this root cause of child labour, the CLEAR Supply Chains project wants to promote decent work opportunities for adults and youth in the coffee value chain and secondary value chains that are promising in terms of employment in the project target areas. The project is targeting to support 75 children aged 14 – 17 years old, that were identified by the district as being engaged or at risk of (hazardous) child labour.    The ILO conducted a rapid skills assessment on the supply and demand of skills in alternative value chains with potential for job creation in the districts of Manafwa, Masaka and Kalungu. The preliminary findings show that for Manafwa District in addition to coffee, poultry, maize and beans and horticulture have the potential for job creation. In addition, the report highlights skills currently supplied and skills in demand at various stages of each promising value chain identified. In parallel, another assessment also was conducted to identify skill supply and demand in Uganda’s coffee value chain with interest of identifying skills needs for value addition and diversification and potential for employment opportunities for youth. Preliminary findings show that there are skills gaps in specialty coffee product development, sustainable and modern agronomic practices, quality assurance, digital technologies and applications relevant to the coffee value chains.   In response, in consultation and collaboration with stakeholders, the project is supporting measures to address the skills gaps at various levels, among other things, by developing relevant skills programmes that are currently not available or reviewing existing skills development programmes to incorporate emerging skills highlighted in the report. In addition, the project is facilitating training of interested young people (especially those currently engaged in hazardous child labour) to acquire the skills with greater potential for better decent job prospects. More specifically, the ILO aims to support technical vocational training for at least 75 young people aged 14 – 17 that will have been withdrawn from or are at risk of (hazardous) child labour in Manafwa district. The training programme will be informed by the findings from the rapid skills assessments conducted by the ILO in the coffee value chain and the other promising value chains (see above) and therefore focuses primarily on skills development in the coffee and horticulture value chain.   2. OBJECTIVE The key objective of the assignment is to provide employment-focused, demand-driven skills training for at least 75 youth selected from vulnerable households that have been withdrawn from or are at risk of (hazardous) child labour in Manafwa District. The service provider will equip the selected youth with the necessary knowledge and skills in coffee and horticulture value chain.   For the coffee value chain, the content of the training should focus on the provision of skills for: Good and sustainable agronomic practices; Regenerative agriculture; Post-harvest handling; Machine operation and maintenance (e.g. drying, hulling, washing, grading, sorting machinery); Safe working conditions.   For the maize and beans value chain training should focus on: Good and sustainable agronomic practices; Pest management; Post-harvest handling.     For the horticulture value chain training should focus on: Good and sustainable agronomic practices; Pest management; Post-harvest handling.   The skills training offered needs to be based upon the findings of the ILO rapid skills assessments in the coffee value chain and other promising value chain in Manafwa District, should be practical oriented, cover a period of not less than 6 months and be certified by the Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT).   It is important to note that the specific training content will be finalized after consultations with industry experts to refine exactly where the needs are, the competencies to be developed and the levels of qualifications required, and the target audience (the youth) based on their interest and needs.   3. SCOPE OF WORK The project is seeking a service provider to offer technical vocational training for at least 75 youth who are currently at risk of or engaging in (hazardous) child labour in Manafwa district. The service provider should have the required experience and capacity to coordinate, develop, mobilize and/or deliver technical vocational training programmes for interested and selected youth. It should be able to forge partnership with private sector enterprises to jointly design, implement and monitor the training programmes through theoretical and practical oriented skills for a period of not less than 6-months. The training service provider will be responsible for: In consultation or jointly with enterprises and other stakeholders, review the adequacy and relevance of existing technical vocational training programmes for the occupations in the coffee, maize and beans and horticulture value chains identified in the ILO rapid skills assessment reports; If part or whole proposed occupation's curriculum is currently not available in Uganda, coordinate with relevant institutions and stakeholders the development or adoption of a technical vocational training programme relevant to the level and content of the training programme; Delivering a training programme in a flexible manner to the set standards as guided by the curriculum to be either adopted or developed; Conducting institution-based training as per agreed curriculum as part of fulfilling the requirement for  certification by the Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT) and related to the skills required for good and sustainable agronomy, regenerative agriculture, post-harvest handling, machine operation and maintenance and safe working conditions in the coffee value chain; and good and sustainable agronomy, pest management and post-harvest handling in the maize and beans, and horticulture value chains; Coordinate with business/enterprises operating in the coffee and horticulture value chain for linking up the trainees with work-based training opportunities, experience and mentorship based on agreed training programme so that trainees acquire the requisite work-based training in the selected occupations in the coffee, maize and beans, and horticulture value chains; Monitor the quality and relevance and timely delivery of training programmes and where relevant, link graduates to potential opportunities for wage or self-employment including through referral arrangements; Conduct tracing study of graduates 3 months after the graduation and produce report submitted to the ILO; Document and share with the ILO relevant data, information and processes, successful stories and practices emanating from this undertaking. Desired method of Training The training approach should have a strong practical skills approach but combining knowledge skills and the right core skills (soft skills) relevant for successful transition and integration into the world of work. The training should carefully integrate on the job and off the job training approach as much as possible and where feasible. It should also integrate business and or entrepreneurship components relevant to the occupation targeted to Promote self-employment prospects. The desired training programme should be not less then 6 months. Target Group: The primary target group for the training are young people (aged 14–17-year-olds) currently at risk of or engaging in hazardous child labour living in Manafwa district. The trainees may or may not have prior skills in the occupation/sector they are working in but may need reskilling or upskilling or skilling to move to another role, new occupation that is not hazardous and has better decent work prospects.   4. RESPONSIBILITY OF THE ILO The ILO shall be responsible for: In consultation with the district authorities, identifying at least 75 youth aged 14 – 17 to be trained by the service provider; Facilitate availability of financial and technical support throughout the process to ensure that the design, delivery and coordination of the programme meet ILO's standards and objectives for the training of youth identified as per the agreement; Act as link between the services provider and district government and other stakeholders through established dialogue platforms; Provide capacity development to service provider and stakeholders involved in the training as would be required. This may include: training on work integrated learning methodologies. Support compliance with occupational health and safety standards. integration of entrepreneurship/business modules into the training programmes through adoption of ILO tools such as Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB). Sharing ILO tools and approaches in Work Integrated learning approaches, etc.   5. DELIVERABLES Two weeks after the contract is signed, the service provider will submit an inception report detailing on how it will approach the whole assignment from design to successful delivery training to the selected youth, with clear timed work plan that details milestones, including proposed dates when the youth will be trained and a proposed calendar of the training period. Report on the training programmes revised/updated and or adopted. The training programmes should be attached to the reports submitted.   Progress reports on the implementation of the assignment as would be agreed upon during the inception report and workplan. The progress reports will include all relevant attachments such as list of trainees admitted, progress on their training, graduation, list of business companies hosting them, etc.   End of programme report (both financial and technical reports) including the details of the trainees’ final assessment results for both the institution and DIT assessment.   No. Deliverables for payment *Estimated Report deadline Payment schedule I Inception report. 2 weeks after signing of contract. 20% paid on submission and approval of the inception report. II Progress report 1:  on the training programmes and training materials revised and or adopted and validated, training framework 1 to 3 months depending on whether new programmes are developed or existing programmes are adopted as is. 30% paid on submission and approval of first progress report. III Progress report 2: containing list of trainees admitted into various training programmes. 4 months after contract. 30% paid on submission and approval of progress report 2. IV Progress report 3: Containing list of enterprises/businesses hosting the trainees and progress reports of trainees.  9 months after start of the training programme. 10% paid on submission and approval of progress report 3 * The timelines will be finalized during the discussions with selected service provider after articulation of the methodological approach 6. SUBMISSION The service provider will be selected through a competitive process. Interested service providers must send their application to the following email [email protected] by 2nd September 2025 (11:59pm East African Time) specifying the subject: “Provision of technical vocational training for youth aged 14 – 17 in Manafwa district.” The application must include: A technical proposal, showing the profile of the service provider including relevant experience, a description of the methodology to be implemented and a tentative timeline to conduct the work between October 2025 and April 2026.   A financial proposal showing the breakdown of costs by the service provider to effectively deliver the training programme. It is important that the applicant indicates cost for review or development of training curriculum, the unit cost (for 1 trainee) of delivering the training, any applicable travel or logistical cost, and other applicable specific costs. The template below serves as guidance for the financial proposal. The financial proposal must be submitted in Annex III provided, but where applicable considering the budget categories provided in the guidance template below         Unit rate     Development/review of training curriculum (if applicable)                                             Delivery of technical vocational training/training cost per trainee, including training materials, equipment, staffing, trainee stipend, costs associated with venue of training centre, mentorship, etc.                                   Travel/logistical costs.                                   Staff costs                                           Administrative cost                                   Other/Contigency (If applicable)               Grand total             Applications will be reviewed by the ILO according to the following criteria:   Criterion Element Weight Technical Proposal -Background experience in facilitating training programmes for youth in the coffee, maize and beans, and horticulture value chains. - Clear methodology showing the approach of assignment. - Proven prior experience on similar assignments.   70% Financial Proposal -Realistic and comprehensive budget proposal considering all task elements at prevailing market conditions   30%     Profile of the service provider sought Registered company, organization or training institution to legally operate in Uganda; Prove track record and experience in coordinating and or delivery of technical vocational training; Proven institutional capacity (human resources, facilities, etc.) required and suitable to deliver technical vocational training; Proven experience and history of collaboration and engagement with business, enterprises, private sector other stakeholders in the coffee, maize and beans and horticulture value chains; Understanding of Ugandan context including the district where the project is being implemented;  Experience in the priority sectors will be identified will be added advantage; Proven experience in carrying out similar assignment.   [1] Right to freedom of association, right to collective bargaining, non-discrimination, right to a safe and healthy working environment, effective abolition of child labour and elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour.