Overview

Call for Expression of Interest

IT Skills Demand and Employment Analysis in Zambia

Fee: To be negotiated Job alert subscription

Location: Zambia

Background

Sightsavers is implementing a 5-year program across Africa. The central aim is to improve access to employment for young people with disabilities across Africa. The program will provide digital, IT and entrepreneurship skills within the broader digital ecosystem, especially through the award-winning IT Bridge Academies, empowering economically disadvantaged young people with disabilities. The program aims to directly reach young people with disabilities across Zambia.

Objective of the consultancy

Sightsavers are seeking a consultant/consultancy team to conduct a skills demand and value chains analysis of the digital sector, through both interview and desk-based research.

The analysis will map out how the IT sector is organised along value chains, the types of IT jobs sustained in each IT subsector, the types and level of skills in demand for mid and entry level roles sustained in the sub-sectors and identify the barriers and catalysts to entry for employment by people with disabilities.

The specific objectives for this consultancy are:

Responsibilities

The consultant/consultancy team will manage the primary and secondary data collection, analysis and development of the full report. Job alert subscription

Specific tasks

• Analyse the country specific IT industry, mapping the subsectors with emphasis on those that are generating jobs and have the potential to keep generating jobs in line with current market/sector trends.
• Identify leading companies in each of the subsectors, map the functions that are sustained within the companies and those that are outsourced to generate an intersectoral map showing the interconnectedness. Clarity should be provided on the nature and formality of jobs sustained, such as waged employment, entrepreneurship or gig work.
• Interview HR experts, CIO/CTO, tech leads and tech recruiters to identify the types of jobs sustained, level of skills required (technical and behavioural), and industry recognised certification required. Focus should be on entry and mid-level career jobs.
• Interview a wide range of relevant stakeholders to establish the barriers/catalysts for young men and women with disabilities (including gendered barriers and catalysts).
• Gather supplementary information from job boards to ascertain the in-demand IT jobs, levels (entry, mid, expert), required skills, experience and competences.
• Interview IT instructors and educators in relevant TVET centres and training institutions to understand the most relevant curricula and accessibility challenges relevant to the inclusive teaching and learning for people with disabilities on these courses. It will also explore delivery modalities (such as in person learning or virtual class delivery), course duration, levels of certification (including recertification periods).
• Analyse the data to produce an IT value chain and skills demand analysis.

Skills and Experience

Essential

• Experience, or a degree (master’s or higher) in Economics, Development Studies or related field.
• Professional certifications or demonstrated expertise in value chain analysis, labour market diagnostics, or skills anticipation frameworks will be an added advantage.
• Extensive experience conducting sectoral studies, value chain analyses, and/or skills demand assessments, preferably in ICT or digital sectors.
• Familiarity with AI and emerging technologies and its impact on jobs and digital skills development.
• Strong ability to design and implement mixed-method research (quantitative and qualitative), including deploying surveys, conducting key informant interviews, and vacancy analytics.
• Knowledge of local labour market dynamics, youth employment challenges, and disability inclusion is highly required.
• Strong project management skills and ability to deliver within tight timelines.

Desirable

• In-depth experience of the country digital ecosystem including drivers of tech recruitment is an added advantage.
• Knowledge in digital economy and labour market is desirable.

This is a highly varied and involved consultancy, and the above is not an exhaustive list of duties or required professional skills. Please see the Terms of Reference (ToR) for full details.

• Analyse the country specific IT industry, mapping the subsectors with emphasis on those that are generating jobs and have the potential to keep generating jobs in line with current market/sector trends.
• Identify leading companies in each of the subsectors, map the functions that are sustained within the companies and those that are outsourced to generate an intersectoral map showing the interconnectedness. Clarity should be provided on the nature and formality of jobs sustained, such as waged employment, entrepreneurship or gig work.
• Interview HR experts, CIO/CTO, tech leads and tech recruiters to identify the types of jobs sustained, level of skills required (technical and behavioural), and industry recognised certification required. Focus should be on entry and mid-level career jobs.
• Interview a wide range of relevant stakeholders to establish the barriers/catalysts for young men and women with disabilities (including gendered barriers and catalysts).
• Gather supplementary information from job boards to ascertain the in-demand IT jobs, levels (entry, mid, expert), required skills, experience and competences.
• Interview IT instructors and educators in relevant TVET centres and training institutions to understand the most relevant curricula and accessibility challenges relevant to the inclusive teaching and learning for people with disabilities on these courses. It will also explore delivery modalities (such as in person learning or virtual class delivery), course duration, levels of certification (including recertification periods).
• Analyse the data to produce an IT value chain and skills demand analysis.

• Value chain analysis
• Labour market diagnostics
• Skills anticipation frameworks
• Sectoral studies
• Skills demand assessments
• Familiarity with AI and emerging technologies
• Mixed-method research (quantitative and qualitative)
• Surveys
• Key informant interviews
• Vacancy analytics
• Local labour market dynamics
• Youth employment challenges
• Disability inclusion
• Project management
• Country digital ecosystem
• Digital economy
• Labour market analysis

• Degree (master’s or higher) in Economics, Development Studies or related field.
• Professional certifications or demonstrated expertise in value chain analysis, labour market diagnostics, or skills anticipation frameworks.
• Extensive experience conducting sectoral studies, value chain analyses, and/or skills demand assessments, preferably in ICT or digital sectors.
• Familiarity with AI and emerging technologies and its impact on jobs and digital skills development.
• Strong ability to design and implement mixed-method research (quantitative and qualitative), including deploying surveys, conducting key informant interviews, and vacancy analytics.
• Knowledge of local labour market dynamics, youth employment challenges, and disability inclusion is highly required.
• Strong project management skills and ability to deliver within tight timelines.
• In-depth experience of the country digital ecosystem including drivers of tech recruitment is an added advantage.
• Knowledge in digital economy and labour market is desirable.