Vacancy issued: July 22, 2020
Deadline for Application: August 11, 2020
No. of Posts 1
The Roma Education Fund (REF) is looking for 2 researchers to be key members of a team tasked to conduct country assessments for Albania and Kosovo. Researchers will develop data collection methodology and implement field research, as well as assist in data processing, analysis, drafting a report with recommendations.
This is a short-term consultancy engagement (15 days for each country) for the project “Education, Employment, Partnerships and Gender Equality: A Winning Formula for Roma in VET”, funded by Austrian Development Agency and implemented by REF, in cooperation with project partners RomaVersitas Albania and RomaVersitas Kosovo.
The researchers will contribute to the project inception phase, where the country assessments will be valuable for providing baseline data related to Roma in VET, and for contributing to the design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of the project. Data will be collected through national and local educational data sources, surveys, interviews, focus groups, and observation.
The researchers will be part of the project team that includes:
Project Management team based in Belgrade, Serbia
Local Project Coordination teams in Tirana, Albania and Prishtina, Kosovo (Project Coordinators, Education and Employment Coordinators and Finance Officers)
The researchers will work under the guidance of the Project Manager based in Belgrade, Serbia. Please note that the researchers must be based in Albania and Kosovo in order to be considered for the consultancy.
Background
The Roma Education Fund’s (REF) mission and goal is to close the gap in educational outcomes between Roma and non-Roma. To achieve this goal, the organization supports policies and programs which ensure access to quality education for Roma through scholarships, grant making, research and advocacy activities. The objectives of REF include:
- Expanding Romani children’s access to quality early childhood education and care;
- Improving primary education outcomes for Romani children aged six to fourteen;
- Boosting academic performance and graduation rates from secondary education for Romani pupils;
- Supporting access to tertiary education, improving graduation levels and strengthening identity of Romani university students;
- Expanding employment opportunities for young Romani adults.
The overall objective of the project (May 1, 2020-December 31, 2022) is to contribute to social inclusion and poverty reduction of Roma[2] in Albania and Kosovo through support of vocational education and training, facilitation to labor market and empowering stakeholders to take measures to support transition of Roma to employment.
The activities and outputs are clustered into two main areas:
Education – increased access to vocational education for Roma youth and young adults, through scholarships, mentoring and tutoring and improving access to education and employment for Roma girls, boys, women and men;
Employability – improved employability for Roma youth and young adults, through job placements, professional development and partnerships of civil society, public and private sector institutions for Roma workforce inclusion aimed at influencing policy changes.
The project will focus on strengthening professional skills of REF scholars and other beneficiaries – vocational training, internships, professional skills development, cooperation and partnerships with employers. Wide range of vocational training (VET within the education institutions, such as high schools) and obtaining recognized certificates, paid professional internships in the public or private sector, additional education (conducted by accredited institutes, such as vocational courses), which includes scholarship and mentoring support will be provided.
In preparation of this project, it became clear that reliable data regarding Roma women and men in VET is difficult to find. The researchers will be engaged to analyze the data that is currently available for Albania and Kosovo, and work with the project team to make recommendations for which kinds of disaggregated, Roma-specific VET-related issues need to be addressed by the public and private sector, including policymakers.
Description of Responsibilities
As the situation of Roma in VET has been difficult to assess due to lack of currently available data, baseline research specifically for Roma women and men/ girls and boys in Albania and Kosovo, and their participation in VET schools and programs, will be done during the inception phase of this project.
One researcher in Albania and one researcher in Kosovo shall:
- Develop the methodology for conducting the country assessment and data collection instruments
- Conduct interviews, focus groups, administer surveys and desk research
- Identify partners, interview and focus group participants, and survey target group
- Develop and administer field data collection plan
- Consider specific needs of Roma communities for gender-sensitive interventions
- Conduct desk research on current national and local educational and employment policies and other relevant data
- Collect field data, analyze and interpret results
Deliverables
Country assessments on Roma in VET, which include: reporting on current baseline data specific to Roma girls/women and boys/men in VET, and recommendations for the disaggregated data and Roma-specific VET-related issues which need to be addressed by the public and private sector, including policymakers.
(The country assessments finalized by the researchers will then be used by the project team to develop a specific policy shaping/recommendation package for authorities responsible for education and employment. The policy recommendations will put in place the mechanism for the project partners to continue to monitor policy initiatives beyond the scope of this project.)
Required Education and Experience
- Masters’ degree in the social sciences, for instance; political science, sociology, anthropology, social work or some other related field.
- Previous experience in working with qualitative and quantitative research methods.
- Previous experience in working with Roma NGOs.
Skills required
- Ability to collect, analyze, and interpret results
- Skills in design of data collection methodologies and/or instruments
- Good knowledge and understanding of the education and employment systems in the project countries
- Good knowledge of stakeholder organizations and education and employment networks active in the field
- Excellent organizational, analytical, communication and interpersonal skills
- Fluency in written and spoken English, as well as the language of the project country (knowledge of Romanes will be an advantage)
- In-depth understanding of the social, economic and institutional environment in project country, including an understating of the local power structures
Planned duration of the engagement: 15 consultancy days
Timeline: August (starting as soon as possible)
Application Process
A complete application includes:
-
- Curriculum vitae or resume
- Statement of interest, that should include:
- Your academic training in research methodology.
- Previous experience in conducting research, specifically field research.
- Experience working with Roma communities, NGOs, or other civil society organizations.
- Please specify which project country you are applying to.
Application must be made in English and must be submitted at the latest by August 11, 2020 to the following address: recruitment@romaeducationfund.org. Please include in the subject line “Researcher – Albania” or “Researcher – Kosovo.”
Individuals identifying themselves as Roma, Roma Education Fund scholarship recipients, and fulfilling the above-mentioned profile and requirements are encouraged to apply. Qualified female candidates are particularly encouraged to apply.
[1] This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
[2] As it is most commonly used in European policy documents and discussions, the term “Roma” refers to a variety of groups who describe themselves not only as Roma but also as Gypsies, Travellers, Manouches, Ashkali, Egyptians, Sinti and other titles. This document will use this term as a convenient shorthand while recognizing the rich diversity of the people and cultures that it includes.
