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Contract Duration: 20 Months

Working arrangement: Homebased

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UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built. We offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to Education.

How can you make a difference?

The purpose of this assignment is to provide technical support to the Education Department of Madhya Pradesh to roll out the comprehensive skills package with adolescents in the state. This includes working closely with the government, and other stakeholders in the eco-system, and ensure effective data collection and reporting as per requirements. The consultant is expected to be based in Bhopal and regularly engage with UNICEF and the government.

Background and Rationale

Madhya Pradesh’s adolescent education landscape analysis reveals challenges and opportunities to improve the learning outcomes of children in the state.and this evidence underscores the urgency of embedding 21st-century skills into Madhya Pradesh’s education system. Critical thinking, digital literacy, financial capability, creativity, and resilience are not optional—they are essential competencies for adolescents to thrive in higher education, the labor market, and civic life. For girls and marginalized groups, these skills are particularly vital to overcome structural barriers and participate meaningfully in India’s modernizing economy.

By integrating these competencies into curricula, pedagogy, and assessment, Madhya Pradesh can transform its demographic dividend into inclusive growth. Equipping adolescents with future ready skills will strengthen human capital, foster innovation, and ensure that every young learner contributes to building a resilient and equitable society.

Madhya Pradesh’s vision for Viksit Madhya Pradesh 2047 seeks to transform its economy from USD 197 billion in 2025 to USD 4.3 trillion by 2047, powered by youth and women through skills, entrepreneurship, and leadership. Central to this ambition is a globally competitive, inclusive, and technology-driven education system where AI-enabled classrooms, immersive digital content, and adaptive assessments redefine learning outcomes.

Aligned with the National Education Policy 2020, education must nurture values, character, and essential 21st Century skills—critical thinking, creativity, adaptability, and collaboration. For adolescents in Grades 9–12, this stage is decisive as they prepare for higher education, employment, and citizenship. Yet, while subject knowledge is taught effectively, students often struggle to apply concepts in real-world contexts, making the bridge between classroom learning and practical application essential. UNICEF Madhya Pradesh proposes an integrated intervention with three outputs: a co-created skills framework to support school-to-work transitions; strengthened teacher quality through targeted capacity building; and improved student proficiency in foundational, transferable life skills, digital literacy, and financial awareness. Embedding ICT and AI into daily teaching ensures blended learning, personalized support, and data-driven assessments. Integrated within government systems, this approach reinforces policy alignment rather than creating parallel structures.

The comprehensive skills package will have a blended learning approach combining the immediate support of interactive classroom with flexibility of digital learning for continuous reinforcement:

· Interactive sessions: Teacher-led, simple activity-based methods supported by structured lesson plans

· Self-paced digital learning: Curated course on Diksha/YouTube allowing students to learn concepts at their own pace and revise topics as needed.

· Service based learning: Self-learning (project based) helping students strengthen skills in real life

Through this vision, schools will evolve into hubs of innovation, teachers will become facilitators of holistic growth, and students will emerge as adaptable, creative, and productive citizens—laying the foundation for Madhya Pradesh’s long term economic and social aspirations.

Key Objectives of the Assignment

The consultant, while working closely with government institutions, will provide technical support for the integration of the comprehensive skills package into the secondary education system.

More specifically, they will provide support in the following areas:

1. Contextualization of comprehensive skills package (including service-based learning component)

2. Development of a capacity building plan for education functionaries including teachers, and facilitate its implementation

3. Logistics support for printing and distribution of learning materials

4. Formation and strengthening of state and district PMUs to guide programme implementation including coordination support for research

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here: Download File Terms of Reference TMC0006907.pdf

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have...

Minimum requirements:

Education:

Post-graduate degree in Education/ Social Sciences/ Humanities/ Policy

Work Experience:

· At least 5 years’ experience of work in education sector with at least some of those for 21st century skills development

· Previous experience of working with education data - data analysis & report writing

· Experience of working with Education Government system.

· Expertise in using MS-Office application software (MS Word, Excel, Power Point) essential, especially Excel.

· Previous experience of working with the government administration

Location required:

To be based in Bhopal for the assignment. Candidates who are not residents of Bhopal but are willing to relocate to Bhopal for this consultancy will need to do so on their own expense.

Language Requirements:

Good verbal and written communication skills in Hindi and English required

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills:

· Ability to analyze data, identify bottlenecks to improve systems and provide recommendations

· Ability to liaison and advocate with state & district level government officers

· Ability to create a database to address contextual needs

· Ability to organize, manage and participate within teams

Desirables:

· Previous experience of implementation of large-scale programmes with government desirable

- Ability to navigate, evaluate, and create digital content

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System):

An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
Cover letter
A separate financial proposal (only acceptable in the format of the linked template) Financial Proposal TMC0006907.docx
A detailed technical proposal

Sample of previous work/document in education in the area of 21st century skills to be submitted to strengthen their application.

Remarks: If the TOR or financial proposal documents are not downloadable on certain recruitment platforms, please visit our official page Vacancies | UNICEF Careers.

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

State Consultant – Comprehensive Skills, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, 20 Months, to be based in Bhopal (Open for Indian Nationals) Req#596373