Company Profile

WUSC is a leading Canadian international development organization committed to providing education, economic and empowerment opportunities to improve the lives of millions of disadvantaged youth around the world, particularly young women and refugees. WUSC’s vision is a world where all young people can thrive in safe, secure and supportive environments; have access to high-quality education opportunities from early childhood to adulthood; are able to secure fair, decent and fulfilling economic opportunities; and can actively participate in all aspects of their societies’ development. WUSC works as a facilitator and a convener, bringing together diverse resources and stakeholders to tackle complex challenges at a systems level. WUSC leverages a wide network of actors from civil society, post-secondary education, the private sector and youth themselves to design and implement initiatives that will bring lasting change for the benefit of youth. 

WUSC operates in over 25 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, with an annual budget of over $45 million CAD. WUSC has over 300 staff globally implementing many development projects in collaboration with donors, such as Global Affairs Canada, the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, and the Mastercard Foundation. With support from Global Affairs Canada and other funders, WUSC has worked in Ghana since 1997, contributing to national development goals through partnerships with the Government of Ghana, civil society, the private sector, and other key development actors. WUSC has co-designed and implemented a number of innovative programs with a focus on youth economic opportunities, in particular business environment and TVET activities to improve employment and entrepreneurship outcomes across the country.

Job Description

Terms of Reference - Consultant

Accelerating Change Through InnoVation In Agricultural TVET (ACTIVATE)

 Accelerating Change Through InnoVation in Agricultural TVET (ACTIVATE)

The Accelerating Change Through InnoVation in Agricultural TVET (ACTIVATE) program is a 5-year project funded by the Mastercard Foundation, which aims to improve the well-being and resilience of young women and men by strengthening an industry-led demand-driven Agriculture Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ATVET) system nationwide in Ghana. Using an inclusive market systems approach, the program blends education and skills training while building collaboration and linkages among key stakeholders such as public and private actors, academia, and agriculture value chain actors. Over the course of five years, this program will respond to key challenges facing the Agriculture and Adjacent sectors (defined as sectors that are directly or indirectly aligned with agriculture such as ICT and logistics) including:

• Low quality of ATVET instruction, curriculum and equipment/infrastructure;
• Non-alignment of new TVET policies and reforms across ministries;
• Lack of ATVET engagement with industry to understand their human resource needs;
• Poor business skills among young people and insufficient entrepreneurship support to the diverse needs of agripreneurs;
• Insufficient management capacity of ATVET providers, regulators and support organizations

The project will reduce gender specific barriers, elevate the voice and aspirations of youth and integrate a strong inclusivity lens, with respect to gender and disability.

The project’s ultimate goal is “Improvement in well-being and resilience of young women and men as a result of strengthened ATVET Systems, quality education and industry relevant skills training in agriculture and adjacent sectors”. In order for the program to successfully facilitate these positive impacts, the interventions of WUSC and its partners will focus on multiple actors across the agriculture and adjacent sectors, with the aim of effecting change at the individual, community, and systems level. For example, youth will have increased access to more innovative and inclusive ATVET institutes as a result of activities to improve the quality of instruction and curriculum (individual). As a result of access to quality education, youth will be well prepared to enter and contribute to the workforce, thereby adding income streams for their families (community). Finally, through the program’s prioritization of capacity building of local entities in gender-responsive approaches and participatory decision-making, the program is creating the right conditions for youth to thrive within the agriculture and adjacent sectors (systems).

The project will have a total reach of over 80,340 individuals out of which 79,360 will be youth aged 15 to 35 years old with 85% youth in work and 70% young women. As well as stronger and resilient ATVET Institutions, changes in practices of ATVET organizations, improved coordination, and confident youth with enhanced skills are expected results.

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION STRUCTURE & RATIONALE

Ghana’s agriculture sector, which currently contributes 23% of GDP and is the country’s largest employer, holds significant potential to be a key driver for employment and economic opportunities for young women and men in Ghana. Critical to achieving this potential is a well-functioning agriculture education and training sector where ATVETs in particular are enabled to deliver high quality education and demand-driven skills development and technical training that lead to job creation and employability in the sector.

A key challenge to transformation of ATVET is the shift from a training approach that prioritized research and extension skills for government employment, to a model that focuses on employability within the private sector and on developing entrepreneurial capacities of students. There is a critical need to ensure that the ATVET curriculum is reflective of private sector demands, gender transformative and social inclusion-responsive, climate smart and reflects youth aspirations in order to equip students with current and future skills required by the labour force. As part of Output 1211: Accreditation of CBT curricula facilitated and Output 1212: Non-formal modular and short-course offered by ATVET providers, in particular offered to out-of-school youth, a team of curriculum development experts is required to develop CBT short courses based on the project selected agriculture value chains.   

OBJECTIVE OF ASSIGNMENT 

The objective of the technical support to be provided by the Consultant is to improve ATVET value chain specific programs through the development of CBT curricula based on the project identified opportunities/trade areas on the National TVET Qualification Frameworks (NTVETQF) Level 3-4. This will be based on the project's Labour Market Assessment report.

The assignment is derived from one distinct output area with corresponding tasks to be undertaken by the consultant, as outlined below:

Output 1211: Accreditation of CBT curricula facilitated

• Facilitate and coordinate approval of curriculum with accreditation authorities
  • Establish a technical working group made up of industry and technical experts, relevant government TVET bodies (CTVET, Agriculture Sector Skills Bodies (ASSBs), Ghana TVET Service etc) and conduct a series of workshops related to curriculum development and accreditation
  • Coordinate the development and validation of OS at NTVETQF Level 3-4 with the Agriculture SSB and CTVET to:
    • Conduct needs assessments on general area of competencies (GAC) of selected agricultural trades
    • Facilitate the development of Occupational Standards (OS) 
    • Validation of OS (ensure climate smart, gender responsive, and disability inclusive)
  • Coordinate with ASSBs, CTVET and Curriculum Development Experts to:
    • Facilitate the development of Unit Specification (US) for selected trades in Agriculture
    • Facilitate the development of Learning Material (LM), development of Assessment Instruments (AI), Marking Guidelines, and Re-assessment instruments for selected trade in Agriculture
    • Conduct quality editing of all materials developed (ensure integration of climate smart considerations, gender responsiveness, and disability inclusion)

SCOPE OF WORK (SoW)

The ACTIVATE Project proposes the development of  4 CBT curriculum developments under the NTVETQF.  This includes two programs, Specialized Services and Agro Processing, of which each program has to be developed under two levels, NCI and NC II. The content must focus but not limited to the trade areas as outlined below:

Specialized Services

1. Veterinary services
2. Production materials/Farm advisory services
3. Agri-tech/Digital marketing
4. Waste management and recycling/Renewable energy.

Agro-processing

1. Processing of meat and fish products
2. Processing of nuts
3. Processing fruits
4. Processing tubers (Cassava, yam, etc.)
5. Production and processing of non traditional Agriculture (e.g., mushrooms, aquaculture, apiculture, etc.,)

These courses aim to enhance the skills and knowledge necessary for individuals within the agricultural field. Thus, the scope of work for this consultancy assignment includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Work with CTVET to develop CBT curriculum based on the project selected ATVET value chain:
• Specialised program (NCI & NCII)
• Processing (NCI & NCII)
• Develop road map as well as proposal for the curriculum development
• Meet with ASSBs and other key stakeholders and conduct needs assessment of the various trades
• Conduct workshop with Agriculture Sector Skills Bodies to develop Occupational Standard (OS)
• Validation of the OS through workshop session
• Provide report on the validation
• Submission of OS to CTVET for approval
• Development of Unit Specification (US), tools and equipment list, Learning Materials (LM), Marking Guidelines (MG), and Assessment Instruments (AI) 
• Develop modules or unitise program for training short courses
• Validation of the training package (OS, US, LM, AI, MG). Establish a technical working group made up of industry and technical experts, relevant government TVET bodies (CTVET, Agriculture Sector Skills Bodies (SSBs), Ghana TVET Service, Curriculum Development Experts, etc) and conduct a validation workshop. Ensure that the CBT programs are climate smart, gender responsive, and disability inclusive.
• Ensure engagement with Environment and Climate change consultant for integration of green element into all the curriculum to be developed
• Review package and conduct quality editing of all materials developed based on feedback received from the validation workshop (ensure climate smart, gender responsive, and disability inclusive)
• Review program based on feedback and resubmit to CTVET for final approval
• Provide report on programme

The expected deliverables are outlined below:

1. Inception report with a revised strategy for the curriculum development of the various CBT program
2. Technical working group/experts established for the development of competency-based training (CBT) curriculum. A lead, and a 5 member each per selected trade i.e. specialized services, and agro-processing
3. Needs assessment report on general area of competencies (GAC) of selected agricultural trades
4. 4 CBT curriculum developed
5. Occupational Standards (OS) developed.
6. Report on OS validation workshop
7. Unit Specifications (US) developed.
8. Tool and equipment list developed
9. Learning Materials (LM), Assessment Instruments (AI), and Marking Guidelines (MG) developed.
10. Modules from the CBT curriculum developed for short courses
11. Units selected for WEL
12. CBT materials package validated.
13. CBT package reviewed and edited based on feedback from validation workshop
14. Package submitted to CTVET and WUSC
15. Comprehensive report on the consultancy assignment finalized

DELIVERABLES

5. Duration and Technical Team

The assignment will be executed over a 8-month period, from 13th June 2025 to 20th February 2026. The consulting team should consist of a team leader and five expert members for each trade area, covering the 2 selected ATVET sectors. The total cumulative effort of the consulting team should not exceed  90  days.

The successful firm or consultant is expected to establish two (2) separate teams, with each team dedicated to a specific curriculum area, as outlined below:

1. Agro-Processing
2. Specialized Services

Prospective curriculum development experts should clearly indicate the sector they are applying for and provide details of their team, including the team leader and the other five experts.

Required Skills or Experience

The individual consultant must satisfy the following requirements. 

Relevant Expertise and Experience:

• Understand Ghana CBT system
• Expert in CBT curriculum development
• Established relation with the Commission for TVET
• Demonstrated experience in reviewing and developing Agricultural Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ATVET) curricula.
• Proven track record of working with educational institutions or projects focused on agricultural education.
• Expertise in aligning educational programs with industry needs and sector opportunities, especially within prioritized sectors.

Educational Background:

• Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in Agricultural Education, Curriculum Development, Educational Planning, or a related field.
• Relevant certifications or professional development in curriculum design, instructional design, or vocational training.

Knowledge of Sector Opportunities:

• In-depth understanding of current and emerging opportunities within the prioritized sector(s) related to the project.
• Familiarity with industry trends, technological advancements, and skill requirements in the agricultural sector.
• Understand climate issue in the area of greening TVET

Methodological Approach:

• Ability to employ robust methodologies for curriculum review and development.
• Experience in conducting needs assessments, gap analyses, and stakeholder consultations.

Proposal Development Skills:

• Competence in designing and proposing courses that address identified gaps and opportunities.
• Capability to outline clear learning objectives, course content, instructional methods, and assessment strategies for proposed curriculum.

Presentation and Communication Skills:

• Strong skills in presenting complex information in a clear and concise manner.
• Proven ability to prepare and deliver comprehensive reports and presentations on curriculum review findings and proposed curriculum.

Project Management:

• Demonstrated ability to manage and deliver projects on time and within budget.
• Experience in coordinating with educational institutions, stakeholders, and other project partners.

References and Track Record:

• Positive references from previous clients or projects involving curriculum review and development.
• Evidence of successful outcomes from past consulting engagements related to educational programs or vocational training.

Cultural and Contextual Sensitivity:

• Understanding of the local educational context and cultural factors influencing agricultural education and training.
• Ability to tailor recommendations and course content to fit the specific needs and conditions of the target audience.