Call for Proposals: Grant Agreements

Project: Youth Employment and TVET in Kenya

The Youth Employment and Vocational Training project, co-funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), is pleased to announce a call for proposals for grant agreements. This call is specifically targeted towards educational institutions from Finland, inviting them to partner with Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) actors in Kenya. The collaborations will aim to enhance the quality and effectiveness of TVET in Kenya by transferring Finnish best practices and developing innovative solutions

Thematic areas for proposals

(Institutions can submit proposals for more than one thematic area.)

1.    Modern teaching technologies, individualized learning, and competency-based education and training (CBET): The objective of this area is to explore the transferability of Finnish best practices in modern teaching technologies, individualized learning, and CBET to Kenya. This may involve conducting a case study and a small-scale pilot to develop a toolkit and training courses for TVET teachers in Kenya. The aim is to enhance the teaching methodologies and pedagogical approaches employed in TVET institutions, ultimately improving the learning outcomes of students

2.    Greening TVET curricula: This area aims to develop a toolkit to integrate environmentally sustainable practices into TVET curricula in Kenya, addressing environmental and climate change challenges in technical vocations. Proposals should involve partnerships with curricula development agencies or polytechnics in Kenya, aiming to integrate environmentally sustainable practices and principles into the TVET curriculum. The objective is to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to contribute to sustainable development and address environmental challenges in their respective fields.

3.    Institutional partnerships between Finland and Kenya: This area aims to foster institutional partnerships between educational institutions in Finland and Kenya. Proposals should explore joint learning formats, such as teacher exchanges and student exchanges, to facilitate cross-cultural learning experiences and promote mutual understanding. Additionally, the proposals should explore the possibilities of recognizing curricula between the two countries, enabling the transferability of qualifications and enhancing educational cooperation.

Budjet and Duration

Each selected project in the above areas will be awarded a grant of up to 200,000 EUR, starting in November 2023. The project duration should not exceed 18 months, but can be shorter (minimum of six month). 

Expression of Interest Submission

Interested Finnish actors are invited to submit an expression of interest with a short sketch of their ideas. The expression of interest should not exceed two pages in length. Please ensure that the proposals align with the respective areas mentioned above. There is no template for the sketch, however, the objective, outcomes and major activities should be explained clearly. Potential Kenyan partners, or categories of partners (e.g. Polytechnics), can be tentatively mentioned in the project sketch, but it is not necessary to already identify the exact institutions.

Eligibility

Please note that only non-profit institutions are eligible for grant agreements. The eligibility will be checked separately before entering the agreement. More information on this aspect can be seen in the enclosed guideline. 

Timelines

•  All expressions of interest (max 2-page sketch) must be submitted no later than 30th August 2023. Late submissions will not be considered.
• Review of the expressions of interest will be done by 4th September. Short-listed initiatives will be asked to establish a project document (max. 20 pages) and budget. Selection criteria include relevance to the project objectives (see attached short project description), feasibility of implementation, and cost-benefit ratio. 
• Grant contract should be established by 15th November 2023. 

Please submit your expressions of interest electronically to Horst Bauernfeind at horst.bauernfeind [at] giz.de

For more information, please contact: 

Horst Bauernfeind, GIZ Kenya: horst.bauernfeind​@giz.de 

Saara Paavilainen, FinCEED/EDUFI: saara.paavilainen [at] oph.fi

Please find  the project description and eligibility criteria of GIZ below: