Open call for the national consultancy roster: Capacity building of English and German teachers for the usage of the Akelius Digital Language course- Sarajevo, UNICEF BiH, Remote-Home-based

For every child, education.

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programmes, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

This is an open call for establishing a roster of national consultants to provide capacity-building services for English and German language teachers in the use of the Akelius Digital Language Course.

A consultancy roster is a pre-established pool of qualified and pre-approved individual consultants who went through a competitive selection process in line with UNICEF rules and regulations, and who may be engaged for future assignments as needed.

 

Purpose of Activity/Assignment

Since June 2020, UNICEF has been implementing the Akelius Digital Language Course initiative in BiH. UNICEF has partnered with CSOs and ensured access to the Akelius Digital Language course in reception centres as a non-formal education activity.

In its current phase, the project expanded to primary schools, focusing on improving digital infrastructure and building the capacity of teachers to use digital tools for language learning. A total of 38 schools across Una-Sana, Sarajevo, and Tuzla cantons have been equipped with tablets, headphones, and charging cases, enhancing digital learning opportunities for students with plans to expand to additional schools in Una-Sana Canton, Canton 10 and Herzegovina-Neretva Canton. Additionally, over 450 teachers have been trained in blended learning methodologies, enabling them to integrate technology effectively into their teaching practices. With strong backing from key education institutions, this initiative is well-positioned for further expansion across Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Since the start of the partnership in July 2020 until June 2025, over 20,000 children have used the Akelius Digital Language Course, out of which more than half are children on the move.

Through formal classroom activities, extracurricular Akelius clubs, and special programmes like winter and summer schools, the initiative fosters inclusivity by engaging children from diverse backgrounds. Significant investments in digital devices, network infrastructure, and teacher support ensure that the programme is scalable and sustainable, while addressing key challenges such as teacher competencies in educational technology and the need for equitable access to digital resources.

The purpose of this assignment is to implement a comprehensive training and mentorship programme for either English of German language teachers aiming to capacitate them to use the Akelius digital learning application in formal language classes and school language clubs. The training and mentorship programme should result with the following learning outcomes:

1. Teachers understand the technical functionalities of the Akelius digital learning application relevant to their work.

2. Teachers know how to define the student learning outcomes and how to plan activities with the Akelius digital learning application.

3. Teachers gain insight into the correlations between the language curricula and the content of the Akelius digital learning application.

4. Teachers are capacitated for  hands-on use of the Akelius digital learning application through model lessons.

5. Teachers are capacitated to use the flipped classroom method in their work with the Akelius digital learning application.

6. Teachers understand what is blended learning and gain insight on how to implement it in their work, including classroom management in the blended learning environment.

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Scope of Work

Under the direct supervision of the Education Officer and in collaboration with the Education Specialist , the consultant is responsible for adjusting and delivering[AI2.1][LL2.2] a training programme for either English or German language teachers, school management and teaching assistants. Additionally, the consultant will ensure mentoring during the ongoing school year through regular online meetings and touch bases with teachers, providing guidance on the methods, materials, and other resources to support quality implementation of the Akelius digital learning application. The mentorship will be done online.

Description of activities

Adjustment and delivery of a 1-day or 2-day training programme (within the already developed training agenda) aiming to strengthen capacities of teachers to use the Akelius Digital Language course in their classroom through a blended learning approach

Adjustment and delivery of a 1-day training refresher for teachers

Preparation of training materials for participants

Provision of mentorship support to teachers throughout the school year, including guidance on the methods, materials, and other resources to support quality implementation of the Akelius digital learning application (monthly online meetings)

Support teachers in planning lessons utilizing the Akelius Digital Language course

Ensure regular knowledge exchange between teachers and schools that are currently utilizing the Akelius course.

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Work Assignment Overview | Deliverables/ Outputs*

Adjustment of a Teacher Training Programme module | Complete, ready-to-implement contextualized training programme designed for teachers, including agenda, objectives and expected outcomes

Facilitation of the training programme in selected administrative units | Report and teacher feedback on received training

Provision of mentorship support to teachers throughout the school year through regular online meetings and check-ins. | 3 reports developed and shared throughout the school year following meetings with teachers from select schools

Facilitation of the refresher training in selected administrative units | Report and teacher feedback on received training

*Please note that consultancy financial offers must be submitted in BAM and should be structured in line with the Work Assignment Overview and corresponding deliverables/outputs indicated in the table above. Candidates are requested to provide a clear breakdown of costs per deliverable, including the daily fee and total consultancy costs.&nbsp;

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To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Bachelor’s degree in English or German

At least 3 years of experience in foreign language education (English and German)

Previous experience in implementation of Akelius programme in schools

Excellent knowledge about the Akelius programme in schools

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, intercultural sensitivity;

Strong facilitation and training skills and ability to work independently and proactively

Excellent attention to detail, organisational skills and discretion with confidential information

Experience in facilitating trainings for teachers

Fluency in BCS (Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian) is mandatory.

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For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).&nbsp;

To view our competency framework, please visit &nbsp;<a href="https://www.unicef.org/careers/get-prepared#Values" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>.&nbsp;

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. <a href="https://www.unicef.org/careers/equity-inclusion-and-diversity-unicef" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone</a>, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers <a href="https://www.unicef.org/careers/unicef-provides-reasonable-accommodation-job-candidates-and-personnel-disabilities" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reasonable accommodation</a> for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.&nbsp;

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.&nbsp;

Remarks

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.&nbsp;

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.&nbsp;

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.&nbsp;

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