The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has been in touch with the ICG seeking help in identifying someone who would be interested in helping to develop a career counselling manual for working children in Tanzania ; the work is being carried out in collaboration with the International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC).

Background details of the task are contained in the attached Terms of Reference.

The successful applicant will need to demonstrate the necessary skills and knowledge for the task; be prepared to spend some time in Tanzania ; and be available almost IMMEDIATELY.

Contact the project leader Sule Caglar at the ILO :

Terms of Reference

Development of a Career Counselling Manual for working children in Tanzania

1. Background

ILO-IPEC works towards the elimination of all forms of child labour, giving special attention to children who are very young, those in hidden work situations, girls, and children who are particularly vulnerable. ILO Convention No. 182 places emphasis on the rapid elimination of the worst forms of child labour. Partner organizations are supported in developing and implementing measures to prevent child labour, remove children from hazardous work, provide for their rehabilitation and social reintegration and offer alternatives for them and their families. Education is instrumental in achieving these goals and has been central to the work of ILO-IPEC since its creation. Indeed, history has shown how instrumental education and vocational training has been to the abolition of child labour, establishing a skilled workforce and promoting development based on principles of social justice.

The provision of vocational training and education remains an important cornerstone of Idec's efforts to prevent child labour and to withdraw and rehabilitate children engaged in hazardous child labour. Since its creation in 1992, ILO/IPEC has supported many partner organisations in their combat against child labour through the provision of vocational training and education on appropriate knowledge and skills. Recognising the diversity of needs, IPEC programmes utilised different modalities and approaches and extra efforts were used to reach working children and those who are particularly vulnerable - such as, those living in remote rural areas, or on the streets. The last twelve years have remained a period of development and consolidation efforts and s kill development targeted at working children has proven to be an effective strategy in combating child labour.

1.1 Child Labour and Youth Employment

Millennium Development declaration calls for the international community to "develop and implement strategies that give young people everywhere a real chance to find decent and productive work". Transition from childhood to adult life especially from school to work greatly determines a person's chances of escaping poverty and finding Decent Work. The efforts to alleviate the problems of child labour and youth unemployment and underemployment are less likely to be successful if each is tackled alone. A concerted effort to address both simultaneously stands a better chance of success in so far as the remedial policies that improve labour market prospects of young people tend to make child labour less attractive to child labourers - actual or potential - and their parents on the one hand, and a reduction of child labour opens up the opportunity of taking advantage of education and skill development facilities that may be available thereby alleviating the skills shortage constraints. The relationship between child labour and the youth employment problem (within families, low-income communities, and socio-economic groups) constitutes a vicious circle that calls for policies to simultaneously break them both.

A project has been developed by the ILO entitled "Creating Decent and Productive employment opportunities through local resource-based investment policies and practices for infrastructure". The project will be implemented by the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) in close collaboration with the UN Youth Employment Network (YEN) and the Youth Employment Task Team (YET). Other ILO units at the headquarters and the field. In its initial one-year phase, to lay the foundation for work on the relationship between child labour and youth employment by carrying out thematic and case studies of certain aspects of this relationship and developing tools and models for the promotion of decent work for youth through reduction of child labour. In this initial phase, the project will focus on concrete activities in three complementary areas:

· Integration of child labour concerns in youth employment national action plans: The main focus will be on integrating child labour dimensions in the national action plans that some developing countries are preparing within the context of the UN Youth Employment Network (YEN).

· Hazardous work of adolescents: This will address the detrimental health effects of premature employment and hazardous work on employability during the most vigorous and productive years of youth and sometimes even for a lifetime. Initiatives to remove the hazard(s) from the working environment (e.g. adaptation of equipment or reduction of working hours), or to facilitate the transition of adolescents from prohibited forms of work into non-hazardous occupations would kill two birds with one stone as they would convert a child labourer to a young employed person

· Career counseling for working children: T he provision of vocational training and education is a cornerstone of efforts to prevent child labour and to withdraw and rehabilitate children engaged in hazardous work.

This TOR has been developed within the context of the above mentioned project with the aim of addressing the career counselling needs of working children.

1.2 Career counselling and child labour

Career counselling is an important component of vocational training that facilitates the socio-professional integration of working children through services of information and guidance. It includes services and programmes that facilitate individuals' development and their ability to make optimal choices regarding their roles in occupational and social structures. The inclusion of career counselling as part of rehabilitation programmes for working children is not new but it tends to correspond to common notions of what career counselling is and does not specifically respond to working children's needs or their ideas on career selection and performance. Effective interventions require an understanding of psychosocial dynamics that play a crucial role in the lives of working children and identifying critical needs and generating solutions. Lack of comprehensive understanding of career counselling needs of working children is one of the main reasons that such methodologies have not been developed yet. The available information does not provide an understanding of the working children's priorities, interests, preferences, career aspirations and what they need and want. Working children confront diverse realities and the options and constraints in their career choices vary widely as well. In order to response effectively counsellors should be knowledgeable about this varied life circumstances and to apply such knowledge in their practices.

Careers interventions that focus on the more 'traditional' techniques such as aptitude testing and interest analysis may not address the felt needs of working children. Career counselling that could have optimal relevance for working children needs to be defined.

Career counselling involves (a) working with individuals to gain greater self-awareness in areas such as interests, values, abilities, and personality style, (b) connecting the individuals to resources so that they can become more knowledgeable about jobs and occupations, (c)engaging individuals in the decision-making process in order that they can choose a career path that is well suited to their own interests, values, abilities and personality style, and (d) assisting individuals to be active managers of their career paths as well as becoming lifelong learners in the sense of professional development over the lifespan. Counsellor working with working /ex- working children, should be aware of the psycho-social realities of the children at every stage of this process. Current methodologies should be extended to cover an in-depth analysis of child labour situation, the needs of industry, the family, gender issues, and be sensitive to working children's circumstances.

Therefore, there is a need to develop needs-tailored career counselling methodologies that integrates:

· child labour dimension and psychological influences on the development of working children in general and their career development in particular;

· specific issues which may have an impact on the career decision-making of working children;

· knowledge which is relevant to counselling this particular group;

· critical information the key issues, dilemmas, potential barriers and opportunities which confront working children at the various phases of their lives;

This will ensure that career choice of working children is not limited by their experiences and from the exploration of any career option.

This TOR has been designed for the development of a counselling manual that take into account the psycho- social and cognitive factors influencing the career planning /behaviour of working children. A team of consultant (one national and one international) is required to be responsible for the development of a career-counselling manual, specific to the needs of working children. The target groups of concern include children 15-18 years of age - who might be referred to as "adolescents", according to ILO's child labour Conventions, generally free to work and be employed so long as they are not engaged in the so-called "unconditional worst forms" of child labour (slavery, illicit activities, etc. that are generally illegal activities of a criminal nature) or in hazardous forms of work (such as in mining, construction, etc.). The work will be carried out, at the country level, in Tanzania.

2. Tasks and Responsibilities

At the need of this assignment a manual on career counselling for working children will have been developed that clearly defines appropriate methods of counselling for working children.

2. 1. Needs analysis

This will involve developing a sound knowledge and understanding of the career counselling needs of working children: As a concrete step towards a needs analysis will be carried out focusing on;

· Socio-cultural context: what is happening in the working children /youth population in terms of knowledge, attitudes, interests, preferences, values, beliefs; identifying and mapping out the aspirations and needs of working children in the context of their working and private life

· Individual: How does work experience impact on self-knowledge, self-awareness, self-confidence, enthusiasm, commitment, focus, future expectations ,unique assets, aspirations, and abilities and goals;

· Awareness levels: Knowledge on courses and about careers, range of careers and occupations information gathering and decision-making, career planning barriers and solutions

· Community and family: It is essential that counsellors are sensitive to the role that the community and the family could play in the career decision making process of a young person. It I important to elicit and address career beliefs of families/communities. Conflicts between family / community and the children's career beliefs or conflicts between the children's career beliefs and the social cognitions common within their cultural context.

· Availability and accessibility: of working children to labour market and other information ,