The ACCEL Africa Project seeks to accelerate the elimination of child labour in Africa through targeted actions in selected supply chains. It adopts a systems-based approach that addresses the structural drivers of child labour, including poverty, limited access to decent work, and insufficient economic opportunities for young people and their families.
In Kenya, ACCEL Africa contributes to efforts to eliminate child labour in the tea and coffee supply chains while promoting productive and decent employment opportunities for young people. In Kericho County, youth continue to face significant challenges in accessing wage and self-employment opportunities, including skills mismatches, limited access to productive assets, and weak transition pathways from vocational training to sustainable livelihoods.
To respond to these challenges, the County Government of Kericho, in collaboration with the KCB Bank Foundation, initiated the establishment of a Common User Facility (CUF) aimed at supporting youth entrepreneurship and employment in selected vocational areas, including automotive mechanics, clothing and textile/tailoring, metalwork, woodwork, and food and beverage.
As a first step, the ILO supported the County Government through a consultancy that conducted:
- a rapid labour market assessment of selected sectors;
- a situational analysis of the CUF initiative; and
- the development of a business model proposal to guide the CUF’s effectiveness, inclusiveness, and sustainability.
Building on these outputs, the County Government now requires targeted technical assistance to move from conceptualization to practical launch and early operationalization of the CUF. This includes ensuring the technical readiness of priority training and production areas, notably automotive mechanics and tailoring, as well as establishing the governance and operational procedures necessary for effective management of the facility.
2- Purpose of the assignment
The overall objective of the assignment is to support the County Government of Kericho in launching and operationalizing the Common User Facility in a technically sound, financially viable, inclusive and sustainable manner.
Specifically, the assignment is structured around two components:
Component 1: Pre-CUF Launch Support (3 months)
This component will focus on the organization of tools, technical assessments and practical preparations required before the launch. Its specific objectives are to:
- review existing CUF documentation and prepare a practical CUF launch package covering essential financial planning, outreach and beneficiary selection, operational procedures and results monitoring for the pilot phase.
- assess existing materials, tools and equipment for the automotive mechanics unit and recommend practical measures for launch readiness;
- prepare detailed technical specifications for equipment, tools, machines, furniture and materials to be procured for the tailoring unit;
- advise on technical, safety, workflow and operational requirements for launching activities in automotive mechanics and tailoring;
Component 2: Post-CUF Launch Operational Support (6 months)
This component will provide part-time support during the first six months after launch. Its specific objectives are to:
- support CUF staff in applying the operational, financial, outreach, beneficiary selection and monitoring tools developed under Component 1;
- provide technical backstopping to the automotive mechanics and tailoring units during early implementation;
- support the CUF Management Board and county structures in preparing and following up on up to three board meetings;
- document operational issues encountered during the pilot phase and support the identification of practical solutions;
- prepare periodic implementation support notes and a consolidated post-launch support report.