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Capacity Building Expert,P-3

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Terms of Reference for Consultancy on Tool Development

Learning results in Capacity Building Interventions for Sustainable Urban Development

Title: Capacity Building Expert
Project: Strengthening Training Institutions
Branch: Training and Capacity Building Branch
Duration 2.5 work Months over 6 Calendar Months
Location: Home station (and elsewhere as may be necessary)
Level: P3

Background
Local governments are increasingly faced with newer and more complex challenges that include climate change, increased frequency and severity of disasters, and limited finances. Local governments, therefore, need to continually learn in order to self-renew and adapt to the constantly changing complexity of cities. The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) under its current medium term strategic and institutional plan aims to strengthen training institutions for improved urban planning, governance and management. This effort is being undertaken in a multi-pronged approach including curricula development and development of thematic tools to support training and organizational development. The provision of tools and strengthening of these local government capacity building providers is also meant to a large extent to help transform ‘training institutions ‘into ‘learning institutions’. This implies the adoption of a learning culture where learning becomes part and parcel of the organisation's routine processes and goes beyond training delivery. This is intended to assist the institutions ensure their relevance, viability and responsiveness to the demand side that largely consist of the local governments.
UN-HABITAT through its Training and Capacity Building Branch has been working with over 100 training Institutions in the past decade with different levels of intensity in its approach of ‘building capacity to build capacity’ in order to meet local government demands. However challenges have remained in terms of accurately capturing the outcomes and impact of learning and in balancing the quantities of institutions being engaged with the quality in terms of institutional strengthening. While still supporting tool development and training delivery, the UN-Habitat’s Training and Capacity Building Branch (TCBB) is now shifting its focus from solely training delivery through its partner institutions to a capacity development agenda. This agenda also includes the development of a corporate approach to training that incorporates learning transfer, a more substantive support to other branches of UN-HABITAT as a whole in the delivery of capacity development interventions and in monitoring the learning results.
UN Habitat recognizes the advanced level of work done by the Africa Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF ) in the area of learning results, as well as its long standing partnership with the World Bank Institute (WBI) in this same area, specifically around the Capacity Development Results Framework (CDRF). ACBF shared their approach to learning results at an Expert Group Meeting on Strengthening training institutions for sustainable urban development organized by UN-HABITAT in March 2011. The ACBF approach focuses on learning results which is the change that occurs when trainees utilize what they have learnt. It recognizes that this change can only occur when interventions focus on results rather than activities. On the other hand the WBI has developed the CDRF as a tool for strengthening the articulation of the ‘results chain of capacity development activities – the progression from needs assessment and intervention outcomes and impact towards development goals’. UN-HABITAT wishes to complement the work already done by ACBF, WBI and others in this area and particularly would like to transfer and strengthen this work towards sustainable urban development. UN-Habitat is currently developing a methodology for use by training institutions on training needs assessment and impact evaluation, and a shift of focus to learning results would be more responsive to demand.

Purpose
The consultancy is intended to develop a methodology towards capturing learning results in training and capacity building interventions towards sustainable urban development. Some ideas for the methodology may include, but are not limited to the basics on what learning results are, how it relates to the fundamentals of RBM and standard training impact evaluation, why learning results are important, how to develop them, supporting mechanisms including templates for monitoring and evaluating them, and inclusion of written exercises and cases utilizing problem based learning approaches.
The consultant will play a lead role in the research, design, development and testing of the tool that is meant to support UN-Habitat in delivery of results based capacity building interventions and in particular towards the strengthening of national institutions mandated with local government capacity building support. The process towards the development of this methodology may include an initial workshop to develop the outline, identification of additional resources and case studies, drafting, online peer review and testing with some institutions before publication. The development of a learning results methodology primarily for application by training institutions is seen as part of the wider context of the UN-HABITATs efforts to strengthen training institutions in order to help local authorities and their partners deliver on sustainable urban development.

Reporting and deliverables
The Consultant shall work with substantive officers at the Training and Capacity Building Branch and other selected UN-Habitat officers and partners as well as a counterpart from ACBF. S/he will report to the Chief, Training and Capacity Building Branch. Specific deliverables of this terms of reference will be the following
Deliverables

  • Inception report indicating draft methodology outline, sources of information, background material and work plan
  • Draft tool on methodology for learning results
  • Expert Group meeting report
  • Final tool on learning results methodology
  • Recommendations for use and application of the learning results tool

Tasks
1. Research: Undertake research internally and externally on existing knowledge and tools to support the monitoring and evaluation of learning results, particularly:

  • Study tools and approaches of other development partners such as the World Bank Institute and the Africa Capacity Building Foundation, among others towards capturing learning results
  • Study the tools and methods for UN-Habitat training delivery and results based management for capacity building related work and identify any gaps and challenges

2. Design: Undertake a comprehensive design exercise in consultation with UN-Habitat and ACBF through the following

  • Design the basic framework for the tool capturing the main concepts, templates, background materials and references
  • Prepare a draft outline for the tool
  • Prepare a detailed action plan towards the development and finalization of the tool

3. Development: Develop the learning results tool taking into account the following key inputs;

  • Support the organization and facilitation of an expert group meeting to deliberate on the learning results framework
  • Build the tool based on the research and the outcomes of the EGM
  • Develop any Templates, spread sheets, cases studies, indicators as may be necessary
  • Create a mechanism for ensuring peer review of the tool and its quality control including online reviews
  • Support the testing of the tool with selected training institutions

4.Finalisation: Finalize the tool development process through;

  • Undertake editing , proof reading, layout support
  • Make recommendations for tool use and application

Duration
The required duration of the consultancy is two and a half (2.5) work months spread six Calendar months between to begin as soon as possible and not later than September2011
Payment
1st payment: 20% upon inception report with draft outline
2nd payment: 40% upon full draft methodology
3rd and final payment: 40% upon completion of all tasks including final tool and recommendations for application
Travel
Any travel related to this consultancy will be paid for separately as and when necessary.
Qualifications
The Consultant will possess:

  • sound academic and professional qualifications in appropriate fields, such as planning, economics, public administration, management, etc., at least to Master’s Degree level;
  • professional working experience (at least 8 years) with substantial recent work experience directly related to capacity development
  • close familiarity with the concepts as well as experience with activities related to institutional strengthening, results based management, and related tool development and application
  • experience in training design and delivery and development of indicators for learning results is an added advantage
  • Strong, research, communications and writing Skills
  • Fluency in English in desired

References

Application: Please send your CV and a short cover note through email by 31 July 2011 to:
Anne.Kuria@unhabitat.org

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