Any clarifying questions related to Anera's RFI for an IT Sector Training and Job Placement Partnership must be submitted to [email protected] on or by June 5th, 2023. Anera will consolidate the responses and publish them as they come in and no later than June 12th. The deadline for submitting an RFI is June 23, 2023.
There is no specific template that needs to be adopted for preparing the response. However, please ensure that the letter of interest adheres to the requirements outlined in page 7 and addresses the topics outlined in the RFI on pages 6 and 7.
The program is planned for approximately five years although awarded service providers will be evaluated on a yearly basis. Providers can choose the length of their designed training and job placement plans. Anera intends to monitor performance on an ongoing basis, and engage providers in a frequency and duration that leads to the greatest possible outcomes.
This call is open for international companies if they have a local partner or are willing to establish local partnerships with Palestinian companies. Private companies can also respond to this RFI if they have the relevant experience and background required. Local service providers are not required to partner with the private sector or other institutions unless they believe it enhances the value of their proposition.
Anera will act as an advisor, partner, and ultimate entity monitoring program performance and will support the selected service providers through the various project milestones. However, the service providers will be responsible for all operational aspects of the project, including training and placement implementation and all deliverables.
Service providers will inform and therefore influence decisions on program offerings, based on their knowledge of current market needs. Using evidence and supporting data, service providers will demonstrate market deficiencies and offer an outline of their suggested training. A more detailed curriculum, designed and recommended by the service providers, will be an important component at the later stages of this initiative’s development.
Successful training must lead to job placement, career advancement or better engagement with local tech micro-small-and-medium enterprises (MSMEs). Therefore the tier and training tracks that service providers suggest should correspond to the available data and knowledge they have of market needs.
Because service providers will inform and influence the skill levels they intend to address, it is important to indicate in the RFI how they will conduct the training. The form of training implementation (i.e. bootcamp, project management certification, etc.) is seen to be the expertise of the service provider, as long as it addresses deficiencies and leads to target outcomes for the relevant tier group.
Whether online, physical or hybrid, whether including an on-the-job aspect, whether instructor led or automated, these features are viewed as the domain of the service providers, and at this point we are seeking to understand the various approaches of providers at a high level. There are also no limitations to geographical distribution, therefore, service providers can choose to perform their training in any/all of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem areas. Timing or length as it relates to implementation of cohort training is also the suggestion of the service providers as part of the information-gathering process. This also applies to the flexibility of training in terms of whether participants simultaneously take part in work or other education programs. Stipends, transportation, and other paid costs to learners associated with the designed training are important considerations, but not required, and are examples of the kinds of features that differentiate program approaches and should be indicated by providers.
All of these features are examples of how we envision providers to demonstrate responsiveness, and indicate their ability to create impact. This RFI will help inform likely investors, and thus we seek to understand what features are indicated to create the greatest likelihood of success. These features will also influence the development of the financial model, confirming our assumptions to date on likely implementation modalities and costs.
There is no specific criteria limiting these three professional tiers or prerequisite skills or qualifications. Generally the following guidelines are used as a working definition to identify three tiers of the tech sector workforce:
New graduates / early career professionals - Fresh tech graduates, unemployed or juniors with 1-3 years of experience searching for better career opportunities
Mid-level & Senior tech professionals - Tech professionals with 3+ years of experience who need upskilling in niche technologies or management skills, to push their company forward by mentoring juniors and contributing towards a strong portfolio for the companies to attract more clients/businesses
Chief Executives & Chief Technology Officers or equivalent in local tech MSMEs - Executive-level professionals in the local tech industry that need support / development to help grow the local tech ecosystem in Palestine
Respondents are welcome to indicate if the proposed tiers, or descriptions of persons within them, should be modified in any way. Especially, if the experience of the provider indicates a different set of definitions is beneficial based on their knowledge of the Palestinian tech workforce.
Job Placement is the overarching objective of this initiative. In order to differentiate this work from other efforts that prioritize training, and deliver Placement as a secondary program element, we are measuring success of service providers based on their ability to place trainees in jobs.
It is important for providers to indicate how their training models emphasize responsiveness to the market to ensure trainees are not developing skills which cannot be placed. Further, it is critical to describe the specific features of the program and how placement services fully integrate with training, and are sufficiently robust to ensure trainees have the highest possible likelihood of securing jobs.
Since service providers are asked to achieve job placement targets, it is expected to have access to local and international employers. If these relationships do not currently exist, there should be a clear pathway and approach for providers to develop these relationships as a critical element of effective approaches to placement. Service providers can indicate whether they intend to focus on local and/or international employers, as well as the number of employers they would like to work with, based on their knowledge of market opportunities and their organization’s capacities and strengths.
Service providers can collaborate with each other and formulate partnerships that help deliver the desired outcomes. For example, service providers experienced in training can partner with others focusing on Job Placement to complete their role. At this stage of the initiative, these kinds of partnerships are non-binding, but will indicate the ways in which providers will collaborate to create training and placement success. As we move towards Request for Proposals and begin to award contracts for providers, the requirements for partnerships will be more clearly defined.
Yes, service providers are not limited to one specific tier and can choose to tailor their training and job placement to more tiers.
The program is targeting 1,600 participants (960 for the early-career tier, 480 for the mid-career tier and 160 for the tech enterprise leader tier). The associated targets such as job placement will be finalized and negotiated among stakeholders once funders are brought on board, in collaboration with what is achievable among service providers. The program targets participants receiving high quality training that will lead to sustainable job placement, achieving career milestones and improved engagement with local tech MSMEs. Indicative outcome and output targets for each of these tiers can be shared at a later stage (i.e. Request for Proposals) and then negotiated and finalized among all stakeholders, including funders, before the start of the program. Information received from this RFI process will help inform further on potential targets for outcomes.
Yes, the targeted numbers of participants (1,600 participants across all tiers) are intended to be met over the entire duration of the program.
This RFI response should not be viewed as an application for funding. We are seeking information to support the final steps to secure funding and finalize the financial model for this initiative. There are no eligibility requirements to respond to this RFI.
Service providers are encouraged to indicate their current and anticipated geographies of implementation. There are no limitations at this point in the process, as we are attempting to understand how providers currently view their reach, and how they might envision maintaining current approach or expanding their expertise to new geographies.
Anera anticipates finalizing the funding agreements for this DIB within the calendar year. Following this process, we will begin soliciting proposals from interested parties and solidifying contracts for service delivery. Implementation is anticipated to start around the first quarter next year. The entire timeframe for the project’s duration is approximately five years but, at this stage, the implementation period for cohorts is to be suggested by the service providers as part of this information gathering process.