Curriculum Specialist

Job Description

Afghanistan

Position Title: TVET Curriculum Specialist

Organization: Afghanistan Technical Vocational Organization (ATVO)

(A project of The Asia Foundation under SEA-II program)

Contract Duration: Six Months (Extendable)

Location Kabul

Number of Posts: One

Announcement Date: April 14, 2015

Closing Date: April 30, 2015

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The Asia Foundation (TAF) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization committed to the development of a peaceful, prosperous, and open Asia-Pacific region. TAF, with the support of USAID, will begin a five year project called Strengthen Education in Afghanistan (SEA-II) in 2015. The project will improve institutional capacity in the areas of operations, administration, leadership, management, and fundraising of educational institutions and civil society organizations in Afghanistan, (and provide support to some other program activities.) These institutions include the International School of Kabul, the Afghanistan Centre at Kabul University (ACKU), the Afghanistan Technical Vocational Organization (ATVO) and the National Science Center in coordination with the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) and Ministry of Education (MoE.) Strategic planning to incorporate USAID goals for education, gender equity, development of youth programming, inclusion of marginalized populations, inclusion of people / children with disabilities, and the development of public-private partnerships will be integrated into the design of the project. One of SEA-II’s objective is to develop the institutions’ capacities in resource mobilization and financial sustainability planning in order to decrease their dependency on donor funding.

Project Background (ATVO)

The Afghanistan Technical and Vocational Organization (ATVO) was founded in February 2006 to provide market oriented technical and vocational training opportunities for Afghan youth. Currently, there are two fully operational ATVO campuses; one in Kabul with a capacity of 2,000 full-time students, and the other in Laghman province (near Jalalabad city) with capacity for 1,000 full-time students. At present received training in the fields of construction, business management, horticulture, automotive and ICT in both Kabul and Laghman campuses. The current deliverables of ATVO include continued technical and vocational education and training (TVET) for Afghan students; professional development programs for teachers; an updated curriculum; and increased capacity in administration, operations, and fundraising contributing to a sustainable and self-funded institution.

The Curriculum Specialist (CS) will report to the President of ATVO to develop and implement a curriculum that is in demand in the current market and also a curriculum that looks to be meeting the needs of Afghan youth (male and female) in the field of TVET. Currently ATVO is being financially supported by the Foundation under the USAID funded SEA-II program.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Curriculum Development:

• Conduct a market analysis based on available labor market study reports and National Occupational Skills Standards (NOSS) as inputs in developing the curriculum that is responsive to the labor market and employment needs of Afghanistan.
• Review, analyze and update ATVO’s current curriculum and or design and develop new curriculum.
• Identify classroom and lab equipment required for students to be successfully trained.
• Ensure the curriculum addresses the needs of the labor market for both males and females.
• Ensure the curriculum meets international standards and offers a balance theory and practical exercises.
• Develop specialty curriculum for shorter-term courses for potential income generation occupations.

Pedagogy:

• Implement international standards of pedagogy that include participatory teaching methods, lesson plans, classroom management to raise student learning and achievements.
• Ensure classroom instruction is complemented with hands on training, apprenticeships and that ATVO laboratories are fully equipped to meet the new curriculum requirements.
• Design and implement effective monitoring and evaluation processes for teachers to ensure continuous improvement in pedagogy.

Education:

Must have a PhD or equivalent experience in secondary/ junior college education with emphasis in TVET.

Experience

• At least five year experiences in the subject field and experience in the development of technical and vocational institutes in developing countries emerging from conflict.
• Experience in working in Afghanistan or a culturally and demographically similar country.
• A minimum of five years of experience working with TVET educational institutes in the area of curriculum development and academic and operational system reforms.
• Experienced in working with public and private sectors.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Demonstrated ability in transforming institutes from being donor supported to self-sustainable.
• Knowledge of mapping market research to TVET curriculum development that leads to quick employment.
• Knowledgeable about addressing gender in curriculum development.
• Knowledgeable of best practices for job placement services.
• Knowledgeable of best practices of governance of private educational institutions.
• Able to work with government ministries to develop strong public-private- partnerships.

Qualified applicants are encouraged to submit their resumes with a detailed application letter and contact details, no later than April 30, 2015 to opportunities@asiafoundation.org . Please clearly indicate “Curriculum Specialist” in the subject line. Only short listed candidates will be informed

About the Organization

The Asia Foundation is a nonprofit international development organization committed to improving lives across a dynamic and developing Asia. Informed by six decades of experience and deep local expertise, our programs address critical issues affecting Asia in the 21st century—governance and law, economic development, women's empowerment, environment, and regional cooperation. In addition, our Books for Asia and professional exchange programs are among the ways we encourage Asia's continued development as a peaceful, just, and thriving region of the world.

Headquartered in San Francisco, The Asia Foundation works through a network of offices in 18 Asian countries and in Washington, DC. Working with public and private partners, the Foundation receives funding from a diverse group of bilateral and multilateral development agencies, foundations, corporations, and individuals. In 2014, we provided more than $108 million in direct program support and distributed textbooks and other educational materials valued at over $11 million.