Terms of Reference- Baseline Study -STEP

INTRODUCTION

World University Service of Canada (WUSC) is a leading Canadian international development organization focusing on three programmatic areas: Economic Opportunities, Education, and Empowerment. Our vision is  a better world for all young people. It is a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable world in which all young people, especially women, persons with disabilities (PWD) and marginalized youth from refugees and host communities, are empowered to secure a good quality life for themselves, their families, and their communities. 

WUSC currently works in 25 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, with an annual budget of approximately CAD $50 million. Globally, we partner with a network of higher education institutions, civil society organizations, private sector partners, professionals, students, volunteers, faculty, and community leaders who help us achieve our mission. 

STRENGTHEN SKILLS TRAINING ECOSYSTEMS AND PATHWAYS (STEP) PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Strengthen Skills Training Ecosystems & Pathways in Kenya (STEP) project is a seven-year initiative implemented by the World University Service of Canada (WUSC). The project aims to improve the economic well-being of displaced and host community youth in Kenya, with a focus on refugee and host populations in Kakuma, Kalobeyei (Turkana County), and Dadaab (Garissa County).

STEP seeks to strengthen pathways to employment, entrepreneurship, and digital livelihoods by supporting market-responsive Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), enhancing inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystems, expanding access to digital work opportunities, and addressing systemic barriers affecting youth economic inclusion.

The project aims to contribute to positive change for  over 10,000 youth, with at least 60% being young women and approximately 70% being refugees or displaced persons. It will do so by strengthening the capacities of ecosystem actors including Refugee-Led Organizations (RLOs), Women’s Rights Organizations (WROs), Organization of Persons with Disabilities (OPD), Entrepreneurship Support Organizations (ESOs), TVET institutions, employers, and government agencies.

The project is grounded in a Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI), Safeguarding and Human Rights-Based Approach, recognizing intersecting vulnerabilities faced by young women, persons with disabilities, persons with diverse Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC), and other marginalized groups.

Purpose of the Baseline

The purpose of the STEP project's baseline study is to support key stakeholders in  defining, measuring and documenting the project's achievements in terms of a set  of expected outcomes.  Further, it aims to empower stakeholders to collaboratively measure progress towards them,  review achievements, and adapt strategies as needed and appropriate.

Specific Objectives 

Aligned with this purpose, the baseline study will achieve the following specific objectives:

• Validate Theory of Change (TOC)Assumptions:
  • Assess pre-implementation contexts and integrate the perspectives and experiences of diverse community members, including women, young youth, PWD, marginalized groups, refugees and host communities to validate the ToC assumptions, gaining insight into  community members' perspectives and experiences to inform and refine the overall program implementation strategy. 
  • Gather quantitative and qualitative insights from community members to validate  the assumptions within the project’s ToC, allowing for the revision and refinement of the program design where appropriate. 

• Establish PMF Baselines & Targets:
  • Determine baseline values and define end-of-project targets for all outcome and output indicators within the Performance Measurement Framework (PMF), including appropriate disaggregation and equity dimensions,
  • Recommend refinements and adjustments to indicator formulations and measurement methodologies based on baseline findings. 
• Baseline Youth Economic & Livelihood Status: 
  • Establish baseline data on the economic wellbeing, employability, skills readiness, and entrepreneurial capacity, agency and decision-making of young people in the areas of operation, 
  • Map and assess existing local opportunities for employment, entrepreneurship, and digital work to understand the demand side of the youth livelihood ecosystem. 
• Analyze GESI,  Power Dynamics and Safeguarding: Benchmark the capability of key ecosystem actors—including TVETs, ESOs, RLOs, OPD WROs and other relevant actors—to deliver inclusive, market-relevant,  gender-responsive services, disability-inclusion and safeguarding-sensitive services (utilizing the Institutional Performance Assessment System). 
• Inform the Project MERL Plan: Provide strategic, evidence-based recommendations for finalizing and operationalizing the results-based Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) framework, including equity-sensitive indicators, safeguarding measures, accountability and feedback mechanisms, ethical data-collection protocols, and future data-collection requirements .
• Design, contextualize, and implement the Household/individual Resilience Measurement Survey (RMS) across project locations to establish baseline resilience scores and track metrics  to be re-measured at Midline and Endline, including consideration of differential exposure to shocks, coping strategies, access to support, agency and safety across population groups. Develop, contextualize, pilot and baseline key instruments within the project's MERL system, specifically ensuring that all instruments are inclusive, accessible, culturally appropriate and safeguarding-sensitive:
  • Institutional Performance Assessment System: Establish baseline capability scores for ecosystem actors (TVETs, ESOs, RLOs, WROs, OPD) to deliver inclusive, market-relevant , gender-responsive, disability-inclusive and safeguarding-sensitive services;
  • MSD Partner Adapt-Expand Survey: Baseline early systemic adoption, operational changes, scaling behaviors and institutional practices  among direct Market Systems Development (MSD) partners including actions that strengthen GESI, safeguarding and accountability .
  • Crowding-In Survey: Design baseline tools to measure indirect, market-wide replication and systemic crowding-in by non-partner market actors over time, including the extent to which inclusive, safe and equitable practices are adopted.

Access the detailed Terms of Reference through this Link