LOAN-2652 VIE: Skills Enhancement Project - TV04 Final Impact Studies

A. BACKGROUND The Skills Enhancement Project is a project loan that is jointly financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam. The expected impact is reduced skills shortages in 15 key occupations. The objective is establish higher level skills training in the 15 key occupations by: [a] developing a network of vocational colleges to produce highly skilled technicians and workers in Project occupations; [b] planning of vocational college programs in partnership with the private sector and enterprises to meet key skills shortages; and [c] promoting greater industry involvement through new organizational structure in the management of established vocational education training. The Project comprises three outputs, namely: [a] improving the quality and management of vocational training; [b] upgrading of vocational colleges to deliver priority occupational programs; and [c] strengthening of partnership with the private sector. The Design and Monitoring Framework [DMF] of the Project is shown in Appendix 1. The Project requires that a final impact study be carried out prior to closure. This serves as terms of reference [TOR] for the final impact study that will be conducted during the period February to May 2017. The final impact study will be carried out by a selected survey firm or research instituted that is herein referred to as ‘Consultant’. B. OBJECTIVES As part of the Design and Monitoring Framework (DMF), the impact study of the SEP will be undertaken within two and four years of the project commencement. The baseline survey report was completed by the VN Institute of Sociology. It will be used as basis for data collection and analysis for the final impact study. The overall objective of this study is to review the progress in achieving the intended outcomes of SEP highlighting what worked well and what could be improved to reduce the shortages of skills in the identified key occupations. The study should also identify any change in the project implementation environment that may have happened and determine whether the assumptions at the project commencement are still valid. AT THE LEAST, THE STUDY MUST DETERMINE THE LEVELS OF ACHIEVEMENT AGAINST BASELINES AND TARGETS FOR PERFORMANCE INDICATORS IN THE DMF THAT IS SHOWN IN APPENDIX 1, AS WELL AS SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROFILE OF PROJECT BENEFICIARIES SUCH AS STUDENTS/GRADUATES, TEACHERS AND VCs.. C. SCOPE OF WORK The Consultant will evaluate project processes, structures/main components and overall Project performance including the grant performance from its commencement in February 2011 to date . The Consultant will engage project stakeholders including, but not limited to donors, the PMU, PIUs, project specialists, participants in the project. In particular, the Consultant will undertake the following activities: i. Inception Report - Prepare an inception report after a review of relevant reports and consultation with the PMU and the M&E specialists. The Inception Report will include recommended appropriate quantitative and qualitative research methods to collect and analyze primary and secondary data along with the required data collection instruments to fulfill the objectives of the study. The level of analysis must be clearly identified in the methodology. ii. Data collection – The Consultant will conduct a pre-test of all data collection instruments prior to actual use in the field. The data collection instruments will be improved based on results of the pre-test. Prior to actual field work, the Consultant will conduct training for field supervisors and interviewers. Only upon completion of these activities will the Consultant start collecting primary and secondary quantitative and qualitative data for performance indicators in the DMF along with the socio-economic profile of beneficiaries following the methodology agreed with the PMU. iii. Data processing – Design a database structure using a statistical software agreed with PMU. Said database structure must be able to capture all data in the data collection instruments [both quantitative and qualitative]. Data processing must be able to generate the output tables agreed with PMU. iv. Data analysis – Based on the agreed level of analysis, analyze processed data against targets. In addition to analyzing data on performance indicators in the DMF, the Consultant will analyze the socio-economic profile of Project beneficiaries. Undertake data triangulation using available data from official government statistics and similar study reports in the past. v. Report writing – Prepare a Draft Final Evaluation Report that will be discussed with PMU. An annotated outline of the report will be prepared by the Consultant and concurred to by PMU. The Consultant will convene a workshop to discuss the results of the evaluation. Based on comments from PMU and concerned agencies during the workshop, the Consultant will prepare a Final Evaluation Report. The report will include lessons learned during Project implementation as well as recommendations to improve the implementation of similar projects in the future. Recommendations on how to sustain the benefits of the Project will be included.