ToR for Digital Apprenticeship Exchange and Skill Wallet System

The selected partner will undertake a structured, market-driven process to design, develop, pilot, and deploy the integrated Digital Apprenticeship Exchange and Skill Wallet System across three core pillars:

1. Ecosystem Scoping, Actor Mapping, and Strategic Alignment Conduct a rapid diagnostic assessment of informal sector artisans, urban youth, and employers to evaluate their incentives, digital readiness, and barriers to adopting skill-tracking tools. Map existing labour market platforms and competitive actors to identify technical synergies, avoid duplication, and establish strategic alignment pathways with national initiatives.
2. Co-Design and Development of the Digital Exchange and Wallet Infrastructure Design and develop a user-friendly, market-led platform that facilitates efficient apprenticeship matching, tracking, and placement management. Concurrently, build a portable, reliable Digital Skill Wallet mechanism that allows hosts to log task-based competency verifications, creating a secure, verifiable profile that employers can easily filter and search for talent sourcing.
3. Field Piloting, Technical Iteration, and Sustainability Modelling: Launch a live field pilot with active market actors to gather real-world user feedback and iterate on the system’s technical performance. Based on pilot data, refine the platform’s security, interoperability, and UX, while validating a commercially viable cost-recovery model that ensures the solution’s long-term market adoption without ongoing subsidies.

Required Qualifications:

The selected service provider/firm must possess a multi-disciplinary blend of technical software capabilities, labor market expertise, and systems-thinking strategic skills. The minimum required qualifications include:

Core Technical Architecture & Platform Development

• Track Record & Infrastructure: Proven experience designing and deploying robust JobTech, HR-tech, or digital skills validation platforms, backed by verified evidence of past software performance.
• System Architecture & Security: Demonstrated capability in building scalable, secure, and interoperable systems (API integration, database management) featuring airtight cybersecurity, data protection, and encryption protocols.
• Inclusive UX/UI Design: Practical expertise in user-centered design for diverse populations, including low-digital-literacy or smartphone-limited users, spanning high-tech mobile apps and low-tech (SMS/USSD) interfaces.

Labor Market Dynamics & Ecosystem Sourcing

• Workforce Systems Expertise: Deep understanding of urban labor markets, informal apprenticeships, and skills ecosystems to design mechanisms that connect job seekers with viable income-generating opportunities.
• Ecosystem Trust & Strategic Differentiation: Ability to pivot away from conventional, static job boards through data-driven innovation, automated skills-matching, and real-time verification tracking that reinforces marketplace trust.
• Iterative Stakeholder Engagement: A strong track record and strategic methodology for actively involving corporate employers, micro-enterprises, training providers, and traditional master crafts persons in iterative system testing and design.

MSD Approach & Macro-Level Strategic Alignment

• Systems Thinking & Commercial Sustainability: Application of Market Systems Development (MSD) frameworks to review the commercial viability of the proposed business model, long-term user adoption strategies, and its potential to generate value via service-based revenue or cost-sharing without donor dependencies.
• Macro-Level Regulatory Alignment: Capacity to navigate institutional relationships and anchor digital technical frameworks within public architectures, specifically the Ministry of Labor and Skills (MoLS).
• Market Scoping & Feasibility: Capability to execute field-level scoping and competitive analysis to map and crowd-in active market actors establishing a clear, logical Phase I (first 3 months) foundation before technical deployment.

Institutional Capacity, Team Composition & Financials

• Multi-Disciplinary Team Strength: Provision of a well-balanced, cross-functional team with senior experts across software engineering, database architecture, cybersecurity, data analytics, urban labor systems, and dedicated MSD specialists evaluated on the technical relevance of their professional backgrounds.
• Language & Communication Proficiency: Mandatory excellent written and verbal English skills for technical reporting, paired with local language proficiency to effectively conduct user testing and qualitative field research with youth and master craftspersons.
• Financial Proposal & Value for Money: Review of the commercial bid based on overall cost-effectiveness, resource efficiency, and the structural clarity of the itemized budget breakdown in direct relation to the technical proposal.

Core Team (Required Roles)

A. Team Lead: Digital Platform and Market Systems Expert

• Experience: MSc (3 – 5 years) or BSc (7+ years) in digital platforms, employment systems, skills validation, or MSD. At least 5 similar assignments linking digital solutions to employment or income generation. Strong labor market and employer engagement experience. UX/UI experience for low digital literacy users is an advantage. Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and deliver end-to-end digital solutions.
• Education: Degree in IT, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Economics, Development Studies, or related field (or equivalent experience).

B. Illustrative Evidence

• 3 relevant assignments in the last 7 years: title, client, year, country, brief objective, role, and outcome.
• References: at least two client referees on relevant assignments.

Detail TOR can be obtained using this link: >>> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XZnTZOjgXJs7BduvaPNLpwoReY2dBN5I/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=100196715550210544788&rtpof=true&sd=true