The policy and advisory technical assistance (TA) aims to improve TVET-enterprise collaboration for student employment-based poverty reduction in Gansu province and to contribute practical experience and mechanisms toward wider poverty reduction through TVET education and employment in poorer parts of the PRC. Specifically, the TA would undertake policy analysis, multi-stakeholder surveys, in-depth field interviews, gender disaggregated data collection, TVET trainee tracking (admission to completion or certification and job placement), domestic experience exchanges and a domestic study tour, together with substantial consultation with domestic and international TVET education programs, government education and poverty reduction agencies at all levels, state-owned and private sector enterprises and specialists to (i) review relevant PRC and international policies, practices and experience on TVET-enterprise collaboration leading to better graduate job placement for poor students; (ii) interview relevant organizations and analyze available government education, employment, internship and apprenticeship data and poverty card records, to design and conduct well targeted surveys, interviews and small group discussions with TVET teachers, career advisors, poor students and their families, staff of industry associations, public and private sector enterprises and labor recruitment organizations within Gansu and in the East-West Poverty Reduction partner metropolis of Tianjin in the eastern PRC, to assess the status, capacity, interest, needs and recommendations of the 17 participating TVET schools, students, and partner enterprises in the Gansu TVET Modern Apprenticeship Scheme survey; (iii) develop a stronger TVET-enterprise cooperation framework for student employment based poverty reduction, including mechanisms, measures and methods for staff training and student contracting in the form of operational guidelines, procedures, monitoring criteria and indicators, sample contracts and a gender sensitive training manual; new incentives such as ranking and resourcing TVET schools based on the employment rating of graduates; and draw on these lessons to provide policy recommendations for enhanced scheme operation and improved student employment; and (iv) strengthen knowledge about the Gansu TVET-enterprise collaboration framework for student employment based poverty reduction. TA findings would be disseminated widely through stakeholder meetings, bilingual reports, media articles and knowledge products.

CONSULTING SERVICES
In dialogue with GPED, ADB will recruit one international and six national consultants for a total of 44 person-months over a period of 23 months using individual consultant selection procedure and will consider lump sum payments/output based contracts in line with MTR Action Plan. Recruitment will be in accordance with ADB's Guidelines on the Use of Consultants (2013, as amended from time to time) The following will be engaged on an intermittent basis: (i) an international expert on equity oriented technical education-enterprise collaboration (3 person-months); (ii) a national expert in PRC technical education-enterprise collaboration as team leader (12 person-months); (iii) a national specialist on technical education (8 person-months); (iv) a national specialist on poverty reduction policies and planning (8 person-months); (v) a national participatory rural poverty reduction and training specialist (7 person-months); (vi) a national legal advisor in contract law (1 person-month); and (vii) a national administrative and financial assistant (5 person-months). Up to 10 interviewers will be engaged for the TVET survey, TVET-enterprise cooperation survey, and poor TVET student and household survey on a short term basis.

Asian Development Bank: US$ 0.4 Million
Government: US$ 0.4 Million

Gansu Provincial Education Department
No. 571 South Binhe East Road

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF ADB

The Accountability Mechanism is an independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who believe they are likely to be, or have been, adversely affected by an Asian Development Bank-financed project. If you submit a complaint to the Accountability Mechanism, they may investigate to assess whether the Asian Development Bank is following its own policies and procedures for preventing harm to people or the environment. You can learn more about the Accountability Mechanism and how to file a complaint at: http://www.adb.org/site/accountability-mechanism/main