Background

In 2019, a Sector Skills Council (SSC) for the ICT was constituted with participation from key employers, employer organizations, ministries and TVET institutions. As part of its work, it is overseeing the pilot of a new course to develop the skills, knowledge and competence of junior app developers and testers in The Gambia.  The Sector Skills Council (SSC) for the ICT sector is overseeing this pilot program with day to day management by ITC.

The aim of the program is to develop an App Developer curriculum and to recruit 25 students for the course.  The course will be delivered as a full time course over a 12 month period and will include a six month structured internship.  The course will be delivered across two or three TVET Institutions that will be selected through a tendering process.

The content of the course will include a series of practical assessments. The course content will be mainly hands on (high percentage of practical sessions) which will give the students the opportunity to develop their technical skills. The content and assessment of the course is defined by the occupational standard, which has been set out by the SSC. The occupational standard covers eight key areas:

Unit 1: Understand and interpret client requirements and specifications

Unit 2: Contribute to the design of software products and applications

Unit 3: Develop software code to specification

Unit 4: Provide data/information in standard formats

Unit 5: Develop your knowledge, skills and competence

Unit 6: Manage your work to meet requirements

Unit 7: Work effectively with colleagues

Unit 8: Maintain a healthy, safe and secure working environment

These eight areas will be reflected in the final course content and assessment, as well as the internship.


 

Pilot approach

The pilot will run from May 2020 to March 2022, and is made up of a number of key components, including:

Promotion: a promotional campaign will be take forward to attract students. This will be aimed at the targeted market

Selection: the TVET institutions will collaborate to run one or more selection centres to select 25 students. The selection centres would test the students interest and motivation to pursue a career in this area. The selection centres would be expected to oversee interactions between students and employers, as well as provide practical tasks to give students a better understanding of their roles.

Development of trainers: Allocated trainers will undertake training where necessary to familiarize themselves with the course, discuss techniques to deliver key content and to address any key skills gaps identified by NAQAA and ITAG in their assessment

Delivery of full-time course: The TVET Institution would deliver the full-time programme, ensuring that the course emphasizes practical, hands on experience. 

Interviews to pair students with employers: The TVET Institution will collaborate to provide opportunities for the students to be interviewed by the employers to best link a student with an internship opportunity. The TVET institution will be expected to prepare the students for the interviews in order to give them the skills to communicate effectively with the employers

Support internship: The TVET institution will monitor the progress of the students to ensure that they are progressing against the internship structure and overcoming any practical difficulties.

Undertake assessment: Assessment will be undertaken by the TVET Institution after every module and at the end of the internship. Employers will also be invited to take part in the assessment.


 

 

Requirements of developer

The successful developer will be required to produce the following outputs

  • App developer course and internship: course content developed into modules for the 12 month full-time programme in line with the Occupational Standard
  • App developer course and internship: monthly structure of the internship to provide guidance to the employer and the student, ensuring it complements the full-time programme
  • App developer course and internship: practical assessments produced for each module and in coherence with the Occupational Standard

Timescales

Tender to close
30th January 2020
Appointment made
3th February 2020
Briefing to successful consultant
5th February 2020
Develop  draft course structures and assessment 
February-April 2020
Present drafts at Sector Skills Council meeting
April 2020
Amend and submit courses
April 2020

Scope of submission 

The submission will be expected to cover:

  • Your experience of developing course content and assessment
  • Number of days to:
  • Develop course content of 12 month full-time programme
  • Develop course content of assessment of 12 month full-time programme
  • Develop outline structure of internship for six months

Reference document

Draft occupational standard for app developers and testers

 

Quality criteria

Submissions will be assessed against the following criteria:

  • Experience of developing course content: Successful developers should demonstrate experience of course development
  • Experience of developing subject-related content: Successful developers should demonstrate experience of course development in a related field
  • Number of days allocated: Number of allocated is realistic to develop the scope of the content. A greater breakdown will make it easier to access your submission.

Submitting tenders

Tenders should be submitted, together with copies of relevant CVs to yusupha.keita@intracen.org and aji.gaye@intracen.org by 17.00 on 30 January 2020. They will then be assessed and shortlisted.

Any questions related to the tender should be directed to Kebba Secka on 7685864/5086202 or Martin-Christian Kent on martin-christian@kentconsulting.org.