Education Advisor – Instructional Design and Blended Learning at VVOB, Kampala, Uganda

Job Description

The LEAP programme is being implemented in national teachers’ colleges of Mubende and Unyama, Gulu University and the National Instructors College of Abilonino partnering with the Ministry of Education and Sports, and a range of other partners in the skilling, agriculture and education sectors.

• The Education Advisor will be responsible for codesigning and delivering capacity development trajectories that ensure partners are able to design and test a new Continuous Professional Development package for in-service teachers and school leaders.
• The education advisor will also offer his or her expertise towards instructional design and blended learning in the context of pre-service training and capacity development trajectories.
• Together with other advisors on the programme, s/he will support the quality and fidelity of implementation of the programme at the college level.
• Education Advisors report to the Education Manager and work closely and directly with colleagues in the LEAP programme, the education department, and all other departments of VVOB in Uganda.

Learning Entrepreneurship and Agriculture Practically (LEAP), 2022-2026:

The LEAP programme aims to improve the quality of agriculture and entrepreneurship teaching and learning in Uganda’s lower secondary (O-level) and secondary technical and vocational education and training (TVET) schools. The programme introduces a model of effective, gender-responsive agriculture and entrepreneurship education that combines study and career guidance, project-based learning for agripreneurship, and work-based learning and that links schools to the agriculture world of work for the delivery of these three components.

Over the course of five years, an estimated 2,160 pre-service BTVET instructors, pre- and in-service O-level teachers and in-service school leaders in the catchment areas of the National Instructors College Abilonino (NICA), National Teachers Colleges (NTCs) Mubende and Unyama, and Gulu University will be equipped with the competences to
do so. These educators will benefit from quality pre-service and continuous professional development (CPD) opportunities provided by NICA, Gulu University and the three NTCs. This programme contributes to the achievement of Uganda’s National Teachers Policy, Skilling Uganda agenda, SDG 4 (Quality Education) and contributes to the ILO’s global commitment on Decent Jobs for Youth.

Key responsibilities for Education Advisors are as follows:
1. You offer technical advice, guidance and support to partners and align and collaborate with internal VVOB colleagues to achieve project results and realize the educational change processes supported by the project.
2. You contribute to the identification, formulation, budgeting, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the project that you are assigned to in order to realize the educational change processes supported by the project.
3. You take up a variety of roles in the capacity development process of the partners according to the needs of the partner and particular situations and phases of the programme;
4. You keep abreast with policy trends, new developments and latest research and thinking in agricultural education and training, positive youth development / youth economic empowerment and international development by external and internal networking and share new insights with partners and VVOB colleagues.

Your expertise and experience:
✓ Master’s degree in education, human sciences, or other relevant field preferred or equivalent, advanced experience in relevant role.
✓ Expertise and experience in setting up and leading instructional design processes is a must.
Instructional design experience for blended or online learning programmes is an added advantage.
✓ Experience with change management and capacity development processes in the context of educational institutions.
✓ Capability to appropriately plan and deploy a range of capacity development methods – e.g., workshops, training, coaching, mentoring, events, study visits, etc. to strengthen educational institutions and accompany change processes.
✓ An in-depth understanding of the national education system and the latest developments in the education sector, specifically teacher and school leader professional development, and capability to appropriately utilise this understanding in function of the programme that you are assigned to.
✓ In-depth understanding of new trends in education design processes and education technology and capability to appropriately utilise this understanding in function of the programme that you are assigned to.
✓ Excellent communication skills in listening, writing and public speaking
✓ Knowledge of and experience with programme implementation, preferably project cycle management.
✓ Capacity to manage service providers in the education sector