Empowerment through Skills Program

Request for Proposals

Develop and Deliver Post-Training Support & Industry Mentorship Resources and Training to FDC Staff, CBOs, and Selected Mentors

RFQ/Tender Information and Attachments

For comprehensive information regarding this RFQ/tender, we invite you to download the attachments provided below. These documents contain all the necessary details, including specifications, requirements, and submission guidelines. Please review them carefully to ensure you have all the pertinent information needed to participate.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL TENDER NOTICE HERE

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Empowerment through Skills Program

Request for Proposals

Develop and Deliver Post-Training Support & Industry Mentorship Resources and Training to FDC Staff, CBOs, and Selected Mentors

• Date RFP Issued: 10 July 2025
• Date RFP Closes: 30 July 2025
• Submission Deadline: Bids are to be returned by email to info@tz.collegesinstitutes.ca by 30 July 2025 at 5:00 PM.
• Contact for Queries:
  • Email: info@tz.collegesinstitutes.ca
  • Subject Line: ESP RFP – Post-Training Support & Industry Mentorship Resources and Training

Program Overview

Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) is implementing the Empowerment through Skills Program (ESP) in Tanzania. The ESP is a 7-year program (2021-2028) implemented by CICan in close collaboration with the Tanzanian Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) through the Department of Technical and Vocational Training (DTVET). The ESP is funded by the Government of Canada.

The ultimate outcome of ESP is: Improved economic participation by women and adolescent girls in Tanzania. Refer to Annex 1 for an overview of the project and the list of partner Folk Development Colleges (FDCs), Community Based Organizations (CBOs), and Canadian colleges & institutes.

A critical component of ESP’s success is the ability to strengthen FDCs’ capacity to provide comprehensive wrap-around services to attract, retain, graduate, and support the transition of female trainees into skilled employment in key economic sectors.

To learn more about the ESP, we highly recommend all interested applicants review the ESP’s social media accounts available here:

• Facebook @CICanESP
• Instagram @cican_esp_tz
• Youtube @cicanintanzania5020
• X – @CICan_ESP_TZ

Short-Term Consultancy Requirement

ESP seeks to engage a qualified team of consultants or consultancy firm with expertise in post-training support and industry mentorship to support the development of a mentorship training toolkit aimed at building the capacity of staff from 12 Folk Development Colleges (FDCs), 12 Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), as well as selected industry mentors to provide effective post-training support and mentorship to students.

The consultants will be responsible for developing the mentorship training toolkit and facilitating training sessions for FDC staff, CBO staff, and selected industry mentors on how to support students’ education-to-work transition for those seeking employment as well as those pursuing self-employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.

Kiswahili is the language of instruction in the partner FDCs, and it is widely used in the districts where the project is implemented. The consultant or consultancy firm will need to prepare the training materials in both Kiswahili and English and have facilitators who understand both languages to deliver or co-deliver the training.

Applications are invited from suitably qualified individual consultants or consultancy firms that meet the requirements outlined in this RFP. This is an equal opportunity for qualified individuals or firms; firms owned or led by women are particularly encouraged to apply.

RFP Structure

The RFP is outlined as follows:

1. Key Tasks
2. Timelines and Deliverables
3. Qualifications, Experience, and Attributes
4. Reporting
5. Duration
6. Submission Requirements

1. Key Tasks

Note: ESP’s target beneficiaries for this consultancy are FDC staff, CBOs, and selected industry mentors.

The consultant or consultancy firm will:

• Discuss with CICan/ESP the identified training needs and make recommendations for the content development and required training materials.
• Conduct desk reviews of existing FDC programs, ESP short courses, national TVET and labor policies, and labor market trends to gain an understanding of the program and the needs.
• Conduct site visits to at least three partner FDCs, CBOs, and potential industry partners to assess their capacity in providing post-training support and mentorship to students. Provide a report on the findings with a focus on how they will inform the development of a training toolkit for post-training support and mentorship.
• Develop training modules for post-training support and mentorship for students covering the following key thematic areas:
  • Students’ education-to-work transition for those seeking employment as well as those pursuing self-employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.
  • Alignment of students with industry, sector-specific exposure, building a professional network, skills for participating in job fairs, and job application process.
  • Growing entrepreneurship ventures, navigating start-up regulations/compliance, sourcing raw materials, exploring value addition opportunities, market strategies, and establishing linkages with local financial institutions.
  • Note 1: The mentorship training toolkit should be prepared in both Kiswahili and English. Machine translation is strictly prohibited.
• Submit the mentorship training toolkit for review.
• Submit the training plan for review by CICan.
• Revise the plan, training content, and toolkit based on CICan/ESP recommendations.
• Deliver training to FDC staff, CBOs, and selected industry mentors according to the agreed plan.
• Provide a facilitator guide/manual as part of the mentorship training toolkit to support implementation and sustainability.
  • Note 2: The training will need to be delivered in Kiswahili.
  • Note 3: CICan/ESP will organize and cover the costs of travel for the participants as well as the logistics, venue, etc. The consultant or consulting firm will arrange for and bill for their travel expenses.
• Write and submit the final consultancy report.

2. Key Deliverables and Estimated Timelines

1. The draft work plan will be submitted to CICan by 15 September 2025.
2. Feedback on draft workplan received from CICan by 19 September 2025.
3. Final workplan submitted to CICan by 25 September 2025.
4. Submit a site visit report to CICan by 15 October 2025.
5. Submit the first draft of the training modules for post-training support and mentorship, mentorship training toolkit, and training plan for review by CICan by 31 October 2025.
6. Feedback on the first draft of the training delivery plan, toolkit, and training materials received from CICan by 7 November 2025.
7. Submission of the final version of the training plan, toolkit, and training materials to CICan by 14 November 2025.
8. Deliver training sessions to FDC staff, CBOs, and selected industry mentors as per training plan by 22 December 2025.
9. Submission of a short final report with recommendations on key observations during the training and final activity reports, timesheets, and invoices to CICan by 17 February 2026.

3. Qualifications, Experience, and Other Attributes of the Consultant or Consultancy Firm

Qualifications and Experience: The consultant or consultancy firm experts will have:

• Minimum bachelor’s degree in Education, Economics, Development Studies, Human Resources Development, Entrepreneurship/Micro-enterprise Development, or similar field.
• Minimum of 5 to 7 years of proven experience in designing, developing, and delivering capacity building programs, particularly in entrepreneurship/business mentorship, employment services, or vocational education and training (TVET) across Africa, particularly Tanzania.
• Experience in developing toolkits, curricula, or training materials for educational or skills development institutions in an African context.
• Proven ability to integrate gender-sensitive and inclusive approaches into educational resources.
• Familiarity with Tanzania’s labor market dynamics, TVET system, and youth employment challenges, especially in relation to women and adolescent girls.
• Ability to work with diverse groups and adapt training content to different cultural contexts.
• Proficiency in instructional design methodologies and adult learning principles.
• Excellent spoken and written Kiswahili and English.
• Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to convey complex concepts clearly and effectively.
• Good understanding of the TVET sector in Tanzania.
• Excellent Information and Communications Technology (ICT) skills, including MS Teams, Zoom, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook/email.

Other Preferred Attributes: The consultant or consultancy firm will ideally be:

• Familiar with Gender Equality policies, procedures, and practices at the national level in Tanzania.
• Familiar with the education policies, procedures, and practices of the Government of Tanzania generally.
• Familiar with the policies, procedures, and practices of CBOs, NGOs, and national women’s organizations in Tanzania.
• Familiar with the United Nations’s Sustainable Development Goals.
• Familiar with Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP), international development cooperation, and working with international organizations.

4. Reporting

The consultant or consultancy firm will work under the direction of the Manager, Caribbean and Anglophone Africa, CICan, or their designate. The consultant or consultancy firm is expected to work with a high degree of independence and autonomy.

5. Duration and Budget

• The expected duration of the consultancy is six (6) months from the signing of the contract.
• Travel and communication costs will be reimbursed based on actuals.
• The total expected budget for the consultancy is not to exceed TZS 75,000,000.
• All bids will be assessed on both technical and financial elements.

6. Submission Requirements

• Submission Deadline: Bids are to be returned by email to info@tz.collegesinstitutes.ca by 30 July 2025.
• Subject Line: ESP RFP – Post-Training Support & Industry Mentorship Resources and Training
• Submission Limit: Submissions should be limited to 10 pages and include the following documents:
  1. Consultancy Firms must submit copies of a formally registered business license or NGO Certificate from the Government of Tanzania, proof of conducting operations in Tanzania for a period of at least 3 years, proof of payment of taxes, and tax clearance for 2 years. These documents can be submitted as an annex and are not counted as part of the 10-page limit. Notarized copies will be required before a contract is awarded.
  2. Relevant experience and qualifications of the consultant or consultancy firm, including samples of verifiable previous work (2 pages maximum).
  3. CV of the consulting team members that will be responsible for fulfilling the mandate (2 pages each maximum).
  4. Proposed workplan and methodology for accomplishing the Key Tasks outlined in Part 1 (4 pages maximum).
  5. Proposed budget with detailed costs; please download and save a copy of the budget template at the link here: DRAFT_Budget_Template_PostTrainingMentorship.xlsx.

Annex 1: Overview of the Empowerment through Skills Program

Program Description

The Empowerment through Skills Program (ESP) is a 7-year program (2021-2028) implemented by Colleges and Institutes Canada in close collaboration with Tanzania’s Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MOEST) through the Department of Technical and Vocational Education and Training. The ESP is funded by the Government of Canada.

ESP’s ultimate outcome is improved economic participation by women and adolescent girls in Tanzania. The ESP will strengthen alternative pathways to education, employment, self-employment, and entrepreneurship for women and adolescent girls. Working with Folk Development Colleges (FDCs) and Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) in 12 communities across Tanzania, ESP aims to increase rates of participation among women and adolescent girls in skills training programs and improve access to business, skills, and gender and human rights training in their communities. The program will also expand opportunities in the informal and formal sectors through post-training support to transition to employment or self-employment.

Program Reach

Through an inclusive and participatory approach with the key stakeholders, MOEST, FDCs, CBOs, and with the support of key community leaders to influence social change, the ESP will work with 12 selected FDCs and 12 selected CBOs to:

• Establish a network of gender teams and female mentors.
• Engage local communities in gender equality awareness-raising activities on the benefits of women’s education and economic empowerment.
• Provide partner FDCs and CBOs with sustainable capacity-building training in gender equality, human rights, pedagogy and andragogy, environmental sustainability, CBET, leadership, guidance and career counseling, occupational health and safety, marketing/recruitment, information and communication technology, labor market assessment, and demand-driven program design and delivery.
• Develop and deliver short gender-responsive, environmentally sensitive, and demand-driven skills programs specifically targeting women and adolescent girls at the partner FDCs.
• Develop and deliver short gender- and environmentally sensitive and demand-driven skills training activities at the partner CBOs targeting women’s organizations and the community.
• Review program content and teaching methods to better integrate gender equality and human rights.
• Support the Elimu Haina Mwisho (Education without End) and the Early Child Development programs with teaching and learning resources.
• Ensure there are appropriate support services for women and adolescent girl students, especially young mothers, at the partner FDCs.

Partnerships

The ESP supports six partnerships between Tanzanian FDCs and CBOs, in collaboration with 16 Canadian colleges.