TERMS OF REFERENCE: Sharing UK experience and insights in delivering effective industry placements for HE institutions in Sri Lanka
- Background
Sri Lanka has reached upper middle-income status as a country. Over 95% of children complete their primary education, and over 85% complete secondary education with good gender parity. A preferred pathway post-secondary education is to enter higher education, however, access to this is relatively low, with a Gross Enrolment Ratio of only 21%. Given the Government of Sri Lanka’s (GoSL) aim for economic and social development and growth, a major consideration is therefore the need to enhance mobility within the education system to facilitate diverse career options and pathways to employment in the local and global marketplace. This encompasses the regular secondary school to higher education route as well as a route that takes learners from secondary school through technical and vocational education to employment or possibly on to higher education.
Sri Lanka has two major issues in the tertiary and higher education sectors. Despite the higher number of students who qualified for higher education is around 160,000 each year only around 30,000 of young people get the opportunity to enter a university. The access to HE education path is the #1 issue. The second challenge is the skills mis matched between the graduates produce by the universities and labour market demands. According to the available research large portion of graduates at employment are not enjoying their job as well. Most graduates have moved to take up stop-gap jobs until they find suitable jobs match with their skills.
According to the available data only 65.5% of graduates are employed and 32.2% are unemployment and 2.4% work as volunteers. 46% of employed graduates in Sri Lanka are employed in private sector jobs. The different sub sectors in the government provides 44% of job opportunities and rest are employed in self- employment, volunteering, and other economic activities.
Under employment also a significant issue among Sri Lankan graduates. This area is not given a considerable attention over the years. According to the available information one in every ten employed graduates are in under employment.
Data proves that private sector provides highest employment opportunities for Sri Lankan graduates. One effective way to tackle these graduate employment challenges is to adopt a comprehensive approach in employer engagement or industry placement for under graduates. Though there are some systems in place at institution level the provision is patchy and has many gaps. In this backdrop British Council is invited by University Grants Commission of Sri Lanka and government higher education institutions to support their initiatives on the development of effective industry placements for under graduates.
The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) has prioritised education reform as a priority in delivering its national action plan for economic and social development. A separate State Ministry of Education Reforms has been established alongside two task forces, the Educational Task Force approved by the Cabinet and the Presidential Task Force.
The Ministry of Education Reforms and the Ministry of Education have worked with the task forces to identify nine key domains for the reform programme:
- Pre-school Education
- Administrative reforms
- Curriculum reforms
- Health First
- 1000+ National Schools
- Professional Development
- Bridging with Vocational Education
- Promotion of Distance Education
- Higher Education.
The reforms take an inter-related approach to include different levels and types of education in addition to secondary education: pre-school; vocational, higher; professional; non-state and affiliated; international and private schools; and Dhamma, Bhikku and Pirivena education.
In the national education reform agenda, the British Council has foreseen wider opportunities for a meaningful collaboration with the government of Sri Lanka in sharing UK expertise, insights and best practices and reforming the country’s education system.
Within this context, the British Council Sri Lanka is implementing a major education programme, known as TRANSFORM, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education (under a Memorandum of Understanding), the University Grants Commission, the Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission and the National Education Commission (MoUs in progress).
Programme aim: All young people benefit from learning opportunities provided by a fit-for-purpose and relevant education system that allows them to fulfil their potential, achieve their aspirations and contribute to Sri Lanka’s economic and social development and growth.
The programme works in three main results areas: Professionalisation; Quality Assurance; and Transitions from Education to Employment. Underpinned by a strong research, evaluation and learning component combined with strategic communications, the results areas focus on:
- Professionalisation, including pre- and in-service teacher education, leadership, learner-centred HE classrooms, and other related areas
- Quality Assurance, including inspection frameworks, qualifications framework, professional standards, policy development
- Transitions from Education to Employment, including careers guidance, skills systems review and development, employer engagement.
The basic principles of our approach to systemic reform are:
- our engagement needs to be evidence based
- we use international benchmarking of good practice
- we utilize British Council expertise in relevant fields of education
- we build on current and previous work carried out by or through development partners
- all interventions address GoSL priorities and align to policy.
- Overall objective of the project
The overall aim of this project is to share insight, experience, and develop capacities of local HEs in delivering effective employer engagement and industry placements for under graduates to support state higher education institutes to become industry relevant in facilitating transitions for young people from education to employment.
- Specific Objectives:
- Carryout a situational analysis to gain oversight of current systems in relation to the international best practice.
- Propose areas and strategies for improving existing industry linkages and building new employer networks
- Targeted capacity building for local stakeholders
- Outputs/ Activities
The successful UK partner/consultant must cover the following areas during this assignment.
1. Complete a situational analysis on local employer engagement and industry placement provision, including,
- Background and thematic insights
- International benchmarking
- Roles and responsibilities of partners in developing and maintaining industry linkages
- Setting standards and benchmarking for industry engagements
- Value addition to stakeholders
- Setting up employability KPIs, appraisal and progress review
- Flexibility in curriculum, learning and assessments
- Proposed recommendations and areas for future interventions.
- Propose areas of policy and strategic intervention to improve the provision
- Capacity Building
- Propose actions with KPIs to strengthen the industry placement provision among HE institutes in Sri Lanka
- Delivering four (2 hours each/ Number of sessions to be confirmed) online capacity development sessions for local partner on covering above topics using UK policy, experience, and insights.
- Develop materials for the online sessions.
- Primary audiences
- University Grants Commission of Sri Lanka
- State Higher Education Institutes
- Ministry of Higher Education of Sri Lanka
- Ministry of Skills Development of Sri Lanka
- National Apprenticeship and Industrial Training Authority Sri Lanka
- Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission of Sri Lanka
- National Education Commission of Sri Lanka
- Timeframe for the project
Situational analysis to be completed by 31 December 2021 and capacity building by end of February 2022.
- Guidelines for applicants
Selection criteria:
Essential
- We welcome applications from institutions, universities and/or individuals who has expertise and evidence of direct engagement with industry for mutual benefit and on the part of their professional work.
- Demonstrate experience in international partnership work (preferably in South Asia)
- Submitting your proposal
UK higher education institutes/ institutions and/or individuals that meet the above requirements are requested to submit their proposals focussing on the Terms of Reference given above, along with the proposed budget by 08 September 2021.
Please note that all costs need to be included in the budget provided, indicating unit costs and number of units.
- Timings and communications
You will receive an email acknowledging receipt of your proposal within two days of it being received by the British Council project team.
You will be informed of the outcome of your proposal within one week of the application deadline.
- Further information and clarifications
Further support during the delivery of the assignment can be obtained from British Council team. British Council team will coordinate the activities with local stakeholders. Support on technical clarifications can be obtain from Louise Cowcher, Director Education and English, at British Council Sri Lanka.
- Commissioning Officer: Louise Cowcher, Director Education and English, British Council, Sri Lanka
Application is now closed.