Baku, Azerbaijan, February 04, 2021

Aim Texas Trading, LLC Overseas Management Group has attended a tender in providing consulting services for Consulting Services for Preparation of communication and outreach strategy and organization of communication campaign with Reference No. of AZ-MLSPP-204708-CS-QCBS. The project is a part of Employment Support Project (ESP) of Azerbaijan and funded jointly by the Government of Azerbaijan and World Bank.

The objective of ESP is to improve access to employment of vulnerable people in Azerbaijan. Vulnerable people are defined in accordance with the Law on Employment as beneficiaries of the Targeted State Social Assistance program, IDPs, refugees, women, youth, individuals with disabilities, long-term unemployed, individuals with less than two years until retirement, and former convicts.  The project will target, in particular, 4 of these groups: the TSSA beneficiaries, IDPs, women and youth who are either inactive or unemployed registered with SES. Employment refers to both self-employment and wage employment opportunities.

The ESP project has three components, which are:

• Component 1: Enhancing the scope and effectiveness of the Self-Employment Program (SEP):
• Subcomponent 1.1: Expanding the program scale and scope of support.
• Subcomponent 1.2: Testing the introduction of complementary business support services for selected SEP beneficiaries.
• Subcomponent 1.3: Improving the governance and coordination mechanism of SEP

• Component 2: Strengthening employment services and programs:
• Subcomponent 2.1: Labor market assessment and development of a VTC strategy.
• Subcomponent 2.2: Outreach, profiling, skills assessment and case management for jobseekers.

• Component 3: Project management, monitoring and evaluation:
• Subcomponent 3.1: Project management
• Subcomponent 3.2: Monitoring and evaluation

This Assignment:

The overall goal of this service assignment is to develop and strengthen the channels for reaching non-registered jobseekers (with a particular focus on vulnerable populations), building awareness about the functioning and benefits of the SES services, development and rollout of a communication and outreach strategy targeting both the inactive and unregistered population and organization of various communication campaigns, trainings, public meetings and surveys and developing communication materials specific to the SEP project .

Scope of Work of the Assignment:

Three main tasks have been outlined in Terms of Reference of the assignment, which are as follows:

• Task 1: Develop and present a Consultancy Inception Plan and Report

• Task 2: Develop Communication / Outreach Strategy and Roll Out of Communication Campaign

Task 1: The Consultant will develop and present to MLSPP/PIU a detailed Inception Plan to:

1. Define, in detail, the physical assessment, planning and development steps, methodology and timeline that the Consultant will utilize in achieving the objectives of the assignment,

1. Agree on the relevant stakeholders to be engaged into the development process, and

1. Identify the institutions, groups or individuals who will be expected to provide ongoing support to the Consultant’s activities.

The Inception Plan will include sufficient details to establish the physical assessment, planning and development steps and methodology that the Consultant will utilize in achieving the objectives of the assignment.

Task 2: Through Work Task 2, the Consultant will, prepare communication strategy and outreach program for the project implementation and produce various communication materials. The Task 2 has two sub-tasks (activities):

• Activity 2.1: Development of Communication / Outreach Strategy and Rolling Out the Activities, and
• Activity 2.2: Roll out of the Communication Campaign.

Activity 2.1: Under Activity 2.1:

The consultant will develop communication and outreach strategy targeting both the inactive and unregistered population as well as firms. The strategy will aim at:

1. Strengthening the channels for reaching non-registered jobseekers (with a particular focus on vulnerable populations),
2. Building awareness about the functioning and benefits of the SES services,
3. Collecting job offers (vacancies) from private employers, and
4. Facilitating firms’ participation in available SES employment services and programs with a specific focus on SEP.

The activity will provide information on how employers can benefit from SES products/services. The activity will also support the strategy’s rollout. This will include communication campaigns, and training. This activity will ensure that employers and vulnerable jobseekers are aware of SES services and are encouraged to participate.

In addition, implementation of outreach and communication activities to hard-to-serve populations and employers will allow the SES to expand the coverage of vulnerable jobseekers, many of whom are now excluded, and employers. This will be achieved through:

• Developing a communication and outreach strategy, and

• implementing it at the local level.

The communication and outreach program aim in motivation of all potential beneficiaries, including beneficiaries of the other services of SES and job-matching services for potential wage workers, potential beneficiaries to apply to the SEP program and to start a business, some of the following communication materials shall be developed in a format accessible for vulnerable persons:

• Use of social media channels with informative public serials on SEP,Use of TV for the same purpose above,A flyer – to describe the main benefits of SEP,Short motivational video stories, one for SEP and one for SEA services,Success stories relevant for the most important economic sectors for Azerbaijan, and Meetings and information sharing events to be organized in all regions to provide more details about the benefits and obligations of the project participants.

Activity 2.2: Under Activity 2.2:

The Consultant will roll out the Communication Campaign in two stages.

1. Stage 1) Soft Launch Period: This period shall comprise of planning and implementing the preparatory works for the communication campaign activities to be implemented; they shall be completed within the 15 days of the approval of Communication Plan and Strategy by the Client and the Bank; and

• Stage 2) Hard Launch Period – implementation of the communication campaign activities; The activities in this period will continue within the project period, i.e., approximately 36 months (until end of year 4 of the project).