ARCHIPELAGO Second Call for Proposals: An African-European Partnership for Vocational Training

Deadline: 6 February 2020

ARCHIPELAGO(link is external) is a 4-year European programme, funded by the European Union in the framework of the EU Emergency Trust Fund (EUTF) for Africa. Its main objectives are to improve the employability of young people through targeted technical and vocational education and training (TVET) measures and to support the growth of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

Following the first call for proposals, a second call for proposals has been launched with the aim of supporting partnership projects to be implemented in the 12 target countries.

The ARCHIPELAGO Programme activities will reinforce micro, small and medium enterprises in general and, in particular, female entrepreneurship. Further, the projects shall aim for an inclusion of the poor, youth and marginalised groups. Beyond the analysed economic potentials due consideration will be given to natural resources, climate resilience and disaster risks.

Objectives

• The ARCHIPELAGO programme aims to support the creation of sustainable and decent job opportunities in the Sahel and Lake Chad region. It contributes to tackling the grievances arising from economic and social exclusion, marginalisation and inequality, usually considered as the most significant drivers of violence, radicalisation, forced displacement and irregular migration.
• Vocational competencies – ARCHIPELAGO is an inclusive economic development programme addressing youth and vulnerable groups’ employability through increasing their professional skills as well as enhancing employment opportunities;
• Employability – ARCHIPELAGO will increase local employment opportunities and employability by developing local vocational training resources adapted to private sector needs;
• Partnership Principle – The principle approach is the implementation of targeted partnership projects between European and African Business Support Organisations (BSOs) and Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Institutions with the objective to provide labour market relevant TVET training;
• Approach – Following an open and transparent selection process, these partnership projects will develop adapted dual approach training modules (alternating workplace and TVET centre);
• The global objective of this call for proposals is to better match the supply of labour (skills available on the labour market) to the demand (generated by a growing economy and thriving private sector).

Specific Objectives

The specific objectives of this call for proposals are:

• Increase and upgrade local employment opportunities based on skills gap analysis and the identification of potential growth sectors boosting existing MSMEs and future start-ups’ job creation;
• Develop local training and vocational (TVET) resources adapted to private sector needs to strengthen youth employability.

Funding Information

• The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 4,500,000:
  • Minimum amount: EUR 400,000;
  • Maximum amount: EUR 500,000;
• The grant covers 100% of the total eligible costs of the action (total funding). No co-financing is required from the applicants;
• The budget of the proposed action must be within the defined range, i.e not to exceed the maximum amount of EUR 500 000 and not be less than the minimum amount of EUR 400 000.

Expected Outcomes

The expected results of this call for proposals are:

• The Private Sector and young people are made aware of the training opportunities offered by TVET institutions in order to better match the supply of labour to market needs;
• Young people are provided with training and skills that match the needs of businesses in the private sector;
• Local economic development and entrepreneurship are enhanced;
• The services and overall performance of Business Support Organisations (BSOs) and entrepreneurship & vocational training centres in the Sahel and Lake Chad region are improved.

Target Groups and Beneficiaries

• Direct beneficiaries and main target groups:
  • Youth and vulnerable groups with low employability or without occupation with particular attention to women and returnees (final beneficiaries);
  • Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises;
  • Business support organizations, training centers & training providers, host companies providing opportunities for dual TVET, organizations dedicated to the socio-professional integration of returnees (intermediary beneficiaries);
• Indirect beneficiaries
  • Local communities, organizations and businesses that, through their activities, stimulate economic growth and create wealth and opportunities for trade and jobs for the target populations.

Eligibility Criteria

There are three sets of eligibility criteria, relating to:

• The actors:
  • The ‘lead applicant,’ i.e. the entity submitting the application form;
  • Its co-applicant(s) (where it is not specified otherwise the lead applicant and its coapplicant(s) are hereinafter jointly referred as ‘applicant(s)’;
  • And, if any, affiliated entity(ies) to the lead applicant and/or to a co-applicant(s).
• The actions:
  • Actions for which a grant may be awarded.
• The costs:
  • Types of cost that may be taken into account in setting the amount of the grant.
• Applications may be submitted by business support organisations (such as chambers and business associations), training centres and/or other entities which specialize in activities related to vocational training and/or business development services;
• The proposal has to be submitted by a Consortium composed for the purpose of this Call of at least two partners: one from one of the African countries covered by the present call for proposals ( Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal) and the other from one of the Member States of the European Union;
• It is recommended that the Consortium be composed of more than 2 applicants but, in any case, it must include one Business Support Organization from one the eligible African countries and one Business Support Organization from one of the Member States of the European Union;
• Lead applicants
  • In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
    • Be a legal person;
    • Be non-profit making;
    • Be a specific type of organisation such as chambers, business associations, business support organizations, training centres, as well as community-based organizations, NGOs (Non-Government Organizations)/CSOs (Civil Society Organizations), public sector operators, local authorities, international (inter-governmental) organizations as defined by Article 43 of the rules of application of the EU Financial Regulation from Europe and Africa specialized in actions related to vocational training and business development services;
• For British applicants: Please be aware that eligibility criteria must be complied with for the entire duration of the grant.
  • Unless sector-specific eligibility rules provide otherwise if the United Kingdom withdraws from the EU during the grant period without concluding an agreement with the EU ensuring in particular that British applicants continue to be eligible, They will cease to receive EU funding (while continuing, where possible to participate) or will be required to leave the project on the basis of general Conditions applicable to the European Union financed grant contracts for external actions allowing termination of the grant agreement change of the legal situation of the beneficiary);
• Be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and, if any, affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary;
• Co-applicants
  • Co-applicants participate in designing and implementing the action, and the costs they incur are eligible
    in the same way as those incurred by the lead applicant;
  • Co-applicants must satisfy the eligibility criteria as applicable to the lead applicant himself.
• Special consideration is given to women and returnees.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted electronically in English or French via given website.

For more information, please visit https://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/nigeria/69941/archipelago-2nd-call-proposals-now-open_en