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Technical Vocational Education and Training Strengthening

for At-Risk Youth

(TVET SAY)

Proyecto Aprendo y Emprendo

FY 2016 Quarter 3 Report (April 1, 2016-June 30, 2016)

Submission Date: July 29, 2016

Contract No.: AID-OAA-I-15-00011 Order No. AID-524-TO-15-00001

Contract/Agreement Period: September 25, 2015 to September 24, 2019

COR: Alicia Slate

Submitted by:

Creative Associates International, Inc.

Colonial Los Robles #33

Managua, Nicaragua

Cover Photo: At-risk youth from the Caribbean Coast arrive to the Managua Airport to begin a

selection process at Fundación Victoria, where they will start a technical career program in

industrial electricity. Participants are from El Bluff, Laguna de Perlas, and Bluefields. Many of the

participants taking advantage of this opportunity were not studying or working at the time it

became available to them. Youth in the Caribbean Coast face a number of risk factors, including

a lack of opportunities for education and training, and unemployment. These risk factors are being

mitigated through technical career education scholarships.

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Technical Vocational Education and Training Strengthening for At-

Risk Youth

(TVET SAY)

In Spanish

Proyecto Aprendo y Emprendo

FY 2016 Third Quarter Report

April 1 – June 30, 2016

Table of Contents

ACRONYMS ............................................................................................................................................................ 2

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................... 3

COMPONENT 1: TVET NETWORK DEVELOPMENT .................................................................................................. 4

COMPONENT 2: CAPACITY BUILDING OF PRIVATE TVET CENTERS .......................................................................... 5

COMPONENT 3: PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF TVETS ..................................................................................................... 8

COMPONENT 4: SCHOLARSHIP AND EMPLOYMENT SUPPORT IN THE CARIBBEAN COAST ..................................... 9

MONITORING AND EVALUATION ........................................................................................................................... 9

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Acronyms

APRODESE Association for Sustainable Economic Development

AMCHAM American Chamber of Commerce in Nicaragua

ARY At-risk youth

ASOMIF Nicaraguan Association of Microfinance Institutions

BICU Bluefields Indian and Caribbean University

CADIN Nicaraguan Chamber of Industry

CARS USAID Community Action for Reading and Security

CC Caribbean Coast

CEDEHCA Center of Human Rights for Autonomous Citizens

CEFODI Center of Integral Development and Training

COPRAJ Occupational and Prevention Center for Youth and Adolescents

FADCANIC Foundation for the Autonomy and Development of the Atlantic Coast of

Nicaragua

FODI Integral Training and Development

FUNIDES Nicaraguan Foundation for Economic and Social Development

FY Fiscal Year

IMS Information Management System

INDE Nicaraguan Development Institute

LGBT Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender

M&E Monitoring and Evaluation

MOU Memorandum of Understanding

MCJ Caribbean Coast Youth Roundtable

NGO Non-governmental organization

OCAT Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool

OQQIA Spanish Knowledge Code

RACCN Northern Caribbean Cost Autonomous Region

RACCS Southern Caribbean Cost Autonomous Region

TVET SAY Technical Vocational Education and Training Strengthening for At-Risk

Youth project

UNIRSE Nicaraguan Union for Corporate Social Responsibility

UPANIC Union of Agriculture Producers in Nicaragua

URACCAN University of the Autonomous Regions of the Nicaraguan Caribbean

Coast

USAID United States Agency for International Development

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Creative Associates International (“Creative”) is pleased to present the following report

highlighting project progress during the third quarter of Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 for

USAID/Nicaragua’s Technical Vocational Education and Training Strengthening At-Risk Youth

(TVET SAY) project.

Executive Summary

The TVET SAY project is a four-year effort (2015 – 2019) focused on strengthening institutions

that offer technical and vocational education to benefit at-risk youth from the Caribbean Coast

(CC) in Nicaragua. The TVET SAY project goal is to improve security in the CC by providing

youth with educational opportunities linked to jobs and livelihoods through strengthened

educational centers that can educate youth in areas where there is a market demand.

The TVET SAY project has four components with the following objectives:

1. Improve collaboration and information sharing among centers by establishing or

strengthening a network of training centers;

2. Strengthen private TVET centers to be “model” institutions, providing organizational

capacity building and creating private sector alliances;

3. Increase interest and perceived value of TVET programs through public awareness

campaigns, especially along the CC; and

4. Increase socio-economic gains for at-risk youth from the CC while enabling safer

environments.

During FY16 Q3, the team saw significant progress in foundational activities related to all four

components. With respect to Component 1, the team launched the National TVET Network with

48 participants, which included leadership from 27 institutions: 14 TVET centers, 9 firms/business

associations, and 4 civil society organizations. Participants discussed the core focus of the Network

and priorities for the upcoming quarter.

In line with Component 2, the team developed and signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOU)

with seven selected TVET centers and facilitated an introductory workshop on the Organizational

Capacity Assessment Tool (OCAT) and process. The team piloted, adapted and improved the tool,

and then applied it to the seven TVET centers. TVET SAY also made significant inroads with the

private sector this quarter, meeting with numerous firms that have expressed interest in partnering

with the program. The team received written confirmation that these companies want to collaborate

by providing internship opportunities and scholarships for at-risk youth (ARY); interested partners

include Fundación Victoria, Pricesmart, and OQQIA.

For activities related to Component 3, TVET SAY started the quarter with a youth-led project

launch attended by more than 200 stakeholders which garnered significant media attention, leading

to the publication of 20 articles about the program and TVET. The program continued to conduct

youth outreach through social media, and had over 700 Facebook fans at the end of the period. The

team continues to work through the youth perception survey and messaging and design of an

outreach campaign.

To kick off scholarships for Component 4, Fundación Victoria offered TVET SAY 15 full

scholarships in late June (13 of which were awarded during the quarter) for youth from the

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Caribbean Coast to study to obtain a certification as mid-level industrial electricity technicians in

Managua. The TVET SAY project identified 20 youth who were interested in pursuing this career

to apply for the scholarships through local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working with

at-risk youth in the Southern Caribbean Cost Autonomous Region (RACCS) and the Northern

Caribbean Cost Autonomous Region (RACCN).

In addition, this quarter the team finalized the TVET SAY Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)

Plan, completed the baseline assessment that will provide initial values for the M&E system, and

made progress toward developing an Information Management System for monitoring and

evaluation.

Component 1: TVET Network Development

Activity 1.1. Create National TVET Network

At a facilitated workshop on April 5, 2016, the team introduced the idea of the National TVET

Network and explained its purpose, which is to expand collaboration and information sharing

among TVET centers. 17 participants attended the workshop from the project’s eight core TVET

centers. On June 9, 2016, the project launched the National TVET Network in collaboration with

48 participants which included leadership from 27 institutions: 14 TVET centers, 9 firms/business

associations, and 4 civil society organizations. Roundtable discussions were held during the event

to develop the core focus of the Network, develop short-term goals, and set a date for the next

meeting. Participants showed a strong interest in a dialogue to discuss private sector needs and

modernization of TVET offerings.

A meeting was also held with the Caribbean Coast Youth Roundtable (in Spanish, the Mesa de

Concertación Juvenil or MCJ) in Bluefields, with the goal of expanding access to the National

TVET Network to the Caribbean Coast. The Roundtable is composed of universities, TVET

centers, NGOs and other training institutions: Bluefields Indian and Caribbean University (BICU),

the University of the Autonomous Regions of the Nicaraguan Caribbean Coast (URACCAN),

Young Entrepreneurs Network, the Center of Human Rights for Autonomous Citizens

(CEDEHCA), the Occupational and Prevention Center for Youth and Adolescents (COPRAJ),

Christian/AMC Medical Action, the Foundation for the Autonomy and Development of the

Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua (FADCANIC), and the Vicariate RACCS Catholic Church.

Roundtable members are interested in integrating and consolidating the network.

Based on the discussions at the launch of the National TVET Network and with Caribbean Coast

Youth Roundtable, the Network’s priorities for Q4 are to:

• Formalize the National TVET Network by defining the organization’s structure,

operational procedures, and name; developing a work plan; and establishing a list of public

policies related to TVET

• Develop a National TVET Network Newsletter, and identify contributors

• Continue to provide opportunities/tools/mechanisms for collaborating with the private

sector

• Integrate and consolidate the regional RACCS network, in partnership with the Youth

Roundtable

• Analyze and assess the need for sectoral networks

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Participants expressed concern about the lack of public sector participation in the Network which

may lead to limited information on governmental efforts related to technical vocational education

and missed opportunities for collaboration. However, participants recognize that public sector

participation is not always feasible during election years due to competing priorities. TVET SAY

continues to seek USAID guidance related to public sector concerns.

Component 2: Capacity Building of Private TVET Centers

Activity 2.1. Assess capacity of 8 target TVET centers

During Q3, the team developed and signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with seven

selected TVET centers, and facilitated an introductory workshop on the Organizational Capacity

Assessment (OCA) Tool and process. The team piloted, adapted and improved the tool, and then

applied it to the seven TVET centers.

TVET SAY led the development of MOUs in collaboration with the leadership from each selected

TVET centers. The team is planning to sign an MOU with BICU, the eighth core TVET, in July.

The table below provides a summary of signed MOUs.

Date Location TVET Center

05/11/2016 Managua Fundación para la Formación y Desarrollo

Integral (FODI) Escuela Roberto Clemente

05/11/2016 Managua Fe y Alegría, Nicaragua

5/12/2016 Managua Fundación Hedwig y Robert Samuel

05/16/2016 Managua Centro Juvenil Don Bosco

05/17/2016 Cinco Pinos,

Chinandega

Centro de Capacitación Técnica El Espino,

APRODESE

05/17/2016 Chinandega Fundación Chinandega 2001 (Rey Juan

Carlos)

06/13/2016 Managua URACCAN

The OCAT unit led the charge to develop and improve the OCAT in work sessions with the TVET

SAY team. The team selected BICU to pilot the tool, and through the process identified

improvements to the tool and the assessment process to be implemented prior to its use with other

institutions. The TVET SAY team coordinated with the USAID Community Action for Reading

and Security (CARS) project to avoid duplication of efforts. The CARS project is also working to

build capacity at BICU and URACCAN through the use of an OCA process, but are applying a

different approach.

The OCAT is a process of guided self-assessment. Organizations that are fully involved in the

process and identify their own strengths and weaknesses are better able to identify areas for

improvement and commit to implementing solutions. Ms. Largaespada held an introductory

workshop on the OCA process on May 12th. In the workshop, TVET center staff learned about

the goals of the assessment, developed an understanding of evaluation categories, and discussed

how to measure and document their capacity across all of the categories. Six TVET centers from

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the Pacific region were well represented, with 19 staff members in attendance (14 women and 5

men).

In coordination with the TVET Specialist and M&E Specialist, Ms. Largaespada held OCA work

sessions with each of the TVET centers. Directors from each TVET center organized a

multidisciplinary team composed of at least five staff members representing different areas of the

organization to participate in the assessment. The OCAT consists of several categories and sub-

categories, and the tool is a user-friendly Excel spreadsheet that includes rating levels for each

category. The categories (and sub-categories) include:

• Governance (mission/vision and organizational structure);

• Managing (operational policies, processes and systems);

• Human Resource Management (adequate human resources and managing staff

performance);

• Financial Management (financial systems, audits and management financial

sustainability);

• Organizational Management (strategic planning and stakeholder participation and decision

making, work plan development, change management, knowledge management and

internal communication);

• Technical Management (facility equipment, working with at-risk youth, career centers,

curricula, internships and real work experience, soft skills training and theory, practice and

research);

• Program Management (technical reports, networking, community involvement, platform

services and gender);

• Managing Project Performance (monitoring & evaluation and data quality control);

• Workforce Development (partnerships with the private sector, tracking graduates, quality

feedback, certification, workforce development and entrepreneurship); and

• Communication (brand promotion, external relations and relationship with partners and

stakeholders).

Each subcategory is defined and scored at the following capacity levels: low = 1, basic = 2,

intermediate = 3, and strong = 4. The tool provides a description with examples for each capacity

rating level in each sub-category. There is also a section for documentation, which is where the

organization lists documentation available that provides evidence for the capacity level rating. The

group discussed each category and sub-category to determine ratings, and the tool calculated

consolidated scores. The TVET SAY team completed baseline OCAs with Fundación Samuel,

Centro Juvenil Don Bosco, APRODESE, CEFODI, Instituto Rey Juan Carlos, and BICU. Fe y

Alegría/Roberto Clemente is still in process and URACCAN has been scheduled for July 21-22.

The TVET SAY team supported each TVET in developing an improvement plan for 2016-2017

as part of the 3-day work sessions conducted with each TVET center.

Preliminary results show that TVET centers commonly demonstrate a need for technical assistance

in a) governance, b) financial sustainability, c) equipment, and d) communication. Technical

assistance will be designed across categories to achieve the ultimate goal of better serving ARY,

and improving the quality of instruction and materials in TVET courses. The final OCA baseline

report will be complete at the end of July 2016.

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Activity 2.2. Facilitate partnerships with the private sector

During Q3, the TVET SAY team worked to build support among private sector actors and form

strategic alliances with leading businesses and associations. The TVET SAY team is seeking out

businesses that are interested in collaborating with the program and are also open to employing

youth from the Caribbean Coast, open to co-financing scholarships, willing to collaborate with the

core TVET centers, and willing to provide relevant information for monitoring and evaluation

purposes. All partners must also meet USAID criteria for alignment with USAID goals, positive

public image, social and environmental responsibility, social inclusion, and financial stability. The

team held meetings led by Mr. Blandon, a Private Sector Specialist, with numerous firms to

identify shared areas of interest and potential for collaboration. The four types of partners the

TVET SAY team is cultivating are listed below:

1. Caribbean Coast Alliances: Through these partnerships, TVET SAY seeks to create youth

employment opportunities, integrate youth entrepreneurs into value chains on the

Caribbean Coast, and co-finance scholarships. Initial firms identified and contacted this

quarter include: Central American Fisheries, Vargas Packing Plant, COOPEMET R.L.

(Tropifruta), Coproleche, and Grupo Monge (Gallo mas Gallo).

2. Enterprise–Center Alliances: The objective of these partnerships is to create sustainable

relationships between businesses and TVET centers to strengthen technical education and

employment opportunities for program graduates. Initial firms identified and contacted this

quarter include: Serlisa, Claro, Aceitera El Real, Grupo Coen, Draxelmaier, and

Pricesmart.

3. Mission-wide Alliances: These partnerships are broader than simply participating in the

TVET SAY program, and encompass strategic USAID allies with regional or global

presence. They have strong corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs and may

collaborate with TVET SAY by providing technical assistance, equipment, internships, and

financing for scholarships among other forms of suport. Initial firms identified and

contacted this quarter include: Fundación Victoria, Improdesa, CARGILL, Nicaragua,

BAC, Lala (Eskimo), Sinsa, Café Soluble, Cisa Exportadora and Simplemente Madera,

and the Spanish Knowledge Code (OQQIA).

4. Network Alliances: TVET SAY seeks to establish private sector networks and collaborate

with industry associations and other organizations interested in ARY and employment.

These partners may contribute to the knowledge base on labor market demand, curriculum

design, public policy, and instruction professionalization. Initial partners identified and

contacted this quarter include: UNIRSE, the Nicaraguan Association of Microfinance

Institutions (ASOMIF), the Nicaraguan Development Institute (INDE), the American

Chamber of Commerce in Nicaragua (AMCHAM), the Chamber of Construction, the

Union of Agriculture Producers in Nicaragua (UPANIC) and the Nicaraguan Chamber of

Industry (CADIN).

The TVET SAY project generated significant interest this quarter, and the team received written

confirmation that the following companies are willing to partner with the project: Fundación

Victoria will offer 15 full scholarships, and Price Smart and OQQIA will also provide scholarships

for at-risk youth. These alliances will contribute achieving two TVET SAY indicators, as they will

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lead to leveraging $30,600 in cash/in kind support, and they represent three of the ten alliances

planned for FY2016; both targets are on track to meet established goals.

Activity 2.3. Develop innovative solutions to expand TVET offerings and reach

In addition to meeting with private sector actors, the team also planned for an assessment to

analyze the current and future labor demand in the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua this quarter. The

study will identify gaps between labor supply and demand, technical education needs, and

opportunities for youth employment. The study will also identify sectors that have opportunities

for entrepreneurship. The TVET SAY team developed a statement of work and contracted Mr.

Chamorro from the Nicaraguan Foundation for Economic and Social Development (FUNIDES) to

conduct the assessment in August. Based on the results of the assessment, the TVET team will

identify additional TVET educational needs and solutions to reach a greater number of youth in

the Caribbean Coast.

Activity 2.4. Improve quality of ARY training and services at targeted centers

Through Activity 2.1, the TVET SAY team has established a baseline for the current level of ARY

training and services at the core TVET centers. When the OCAT final report is ready, the team

will begin developing and implementing specific solutions and new programs to address

deficiencies identified through the OCAT process.

Component 3: Public Perception of TVET Centers

Activity 3.1. Develop and implement media campaigns in the CC to improve perceptions of

TVET

In order to inform the project strategy for media campaigns, the TVET SAY team conducted a

perception survey to assess stakeholders’ knowledge and attitudes toward TVET centers, led by

Ms. Robleto. The team has reached 400 youth through individual surveys and held several focus

groups with participation from community leaders, at-risk youth, and their parents. The team’s

focus has been on ensuring activities are balanced with respect to gender and include indigenous

groups and persons of African descent, to ensure that different cultural perspectives are

represented. The TVET SAY team has used these forums as a way to engage youth participation

in message design and to identify preferred media channels for information dissemination, in

addition to understanding stakeholder perceptions.

Activity 3.2. Youth Outreach

This quarter, the team held the youth-led TVET SAY public project launch at the TVET Fair. The

event included panel discussions as well as information and displays from the private sector and

TVET centers. More than 200 individuals attended from the private sector, U.S. and Nicaraguan

Governments, technical vocational centers and the media. The event attained national and

international media coverage and resulted in more than 20 media articles about TVET and the

project. The event had extensive TV coverage and articles were published in major national

newspapers, including on the front page of El Nuevo Diario.

The TVET SAY team has established a website, newsletter and social media platforms, which all

garnered significant interest this quarter. By the end of the period, the program had more than 700

fans on Facebook. Through these platforms, stakeholders can access information about project

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activities, and youth are receiving positive messages about TVET centers and the capabilities of

Caribbean youth. All of this contributes to a better understanding and more positive image.

Component 4: Scholarship and Employment Support in the Caribbean Coast

Activity 4.1. Scholarships for at-risk youth (FY16 Goal: 50)

To inform our scholarship strategy, Creative team members Mr. Perez and Dr. Garcia researched

and learned from institutions that provide scholarships in Nicaragua. They obtained information

on how to document the process and how to recruit qualified students. The team also engaged with

the private sector to assess its willingness to contribute to the scholarship fund and provide

internships and employment to at-risk youth

by meeting with many private sector

representatives/firms that have some

connection to the CC. The majority of

companies have a positive attitude and are

willing to contribute. As mentioned above, the

project is formalizing the partnerships through

MOUs.

A database is being developed to register

student participants, document their process

from training to graduation, their path into

internships, and finally into employment or

self-employment. The team is currently

recruiting for a Scholarship Coordinator in the

Bluefields office.

In late June, Fundación Victoria offered TVET SAY 13 scholarships for youth from the Caribbean

Coast to train as mid-level technicians in industrial electricity in Managua. Through local NGOs

working with youth at risk in the RACCS and RACCN, the TVET SAY project was able to identify

20 youth interested in pursuing this career. In Q4, 18 of the 20 youth will travel to Managua from

Nueva Guinea (3), El Rama (1) and Bluefields (14). They will take math, language, psychological,

and aptitude tests at Fundación Victoria. The results of this exciting effort will be reported in Q4

FY16.

Monitoring and Evaluation

Activity 5.1 Baseline, Mid-term and Final Evaluation (CC, Pacific)

The TVET SAY team conducted the baseline study and submitted it to USAID on April 8. It is

currently under revision and the final study will be submitted to USAID on July 22. The baseline

study was fundamental in developing data to establish the initial values for indicators in the

project’s results framework and the M&E plan.

The TVET SAY team also worked this quarter to determine a baseline for perceptions of TVET

and partner TVET centers’ capacity. The study of public perceptions of technical education in the

Southern Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region of Nicaragua was underway at the end of the

quarter, and the OCAT process was nearly complete.

Photo of a young woman applying for a mid-level

technician scholarship in industrial electricity at

Fundación Victoria. Photography by Ms. Robleto.

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In order to determine a baseline value for indicator 5, “percentage reduction in risk factors of

targeted youth,” the team is developing a customized tool. Creative’s Washington-based M&E

Director drafted a Youth At-Risk Assessment Tool (YARAT) this quarter, and at the end of the

period TVET SAY staff were reviewing to customize to the project and country context. The tool

will be piloted by the project with scholarship recipients sponsored by Fundación Victoria in Q4.

Activity 5.2: Development, Adaption and maintenance of web-based M&E system

The team is developing an Information Management System (IMS) for Monitoring and Evaluation

that is compatible with Creative Associates’ global system. The IMS will allow for real time data

analysis and visualization. It will comply with the Open Data Policy (Automated Directives

System 579) and will render all project datasets public and published in a central location. An

emphasis on ensuring rapid reporting, utilization, and visualization of data and results is a focus

for the system, and it will facilitate adaptation and decision-making.

Next quarter, the team will develop a Data Management Manual to specify the Standard Operating

Procedures (SOP) and actions used to track data flow. Specifically, it will provide information for

each indicator in the data management chain (i.e., data source, collection, collation, analysis,

reporting, and usage). The Performance Information Reference Sheets (PIRS) will ensure that

indicators are collected and interpreted consistently by all staff.

The TVET SAY project is seeking proposals from local private firms to develop a project-level

monitoring system (database). The goal of this system is to provide project management with an

easy mechanism for tracking beneficiaries’ progress towards objectives, performing case

management (tracking longitudinal data), and visualizing data in an efficient and effective way

(i.e. dashboards, mapping, etc.), to monitor all the indicators in the project Performance

Management Plan (PMP). The database must include web-based and mobile-based data entry and

data display. The project-level database will feed a global database on a set of indicators to provide

to Creative Management at Headquarters. This quarter, the M&E Specialist wrote a Scope of Work

and shared it with the three most capable local vendors (GBM, Guegue and Xolo).

The selected firm will a) develop a Client/Beneficiary Information System (project level), b) link

beneficiaries to sets of services/inputs/activities provided directly or indirectly, c) be accessible to

staff in low bandwidth settings in the field, d) aggregate data; e) incorporate contextual data needed

for M&E purposes such as program quality indicators, program service provider

capacity/performance indicators, and quality of work/learning environment for various geographic

zones or socio-economic status profiles. The application must be flexible and customizable to

allow for the addition of further resources and training modules, as well as allowing TVET centers

to adjust their own platforms.

Activity 5.3: Development, Adaption and maintenance of web-based M&E system

The completion of the OCAT with seven TVET centers this quarter will inform the technical

assistance and training needs in the area of M&E. The team also undertook a rapid appraisal of

M&E systems in a sample of three out of eight TVET centers (Roberto Clemente, Don Bosco and

Samuel) as an input to conceptualize the TVET SAY Information Management System for

Monitoring and Evaluation.