TOR-Youth Skills Certificate in Green, Blue, and Circular Economy Business Development

To develop a training certificate with the associated resources to build the business acumen of youth in green, blue and circular economy industries.

Institutional/Corporate Contract

Terms of Reference (TOR)

Summary:

Background:

Globally, over 1.8 billion youth under the age of 25 face increasing threats from climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource scarcity. Despite being among the most affected, young people remain underrepresented in climate decision-making and receive less than 1% of global climate finance. There is an urgent need to shift from climate awareness to tangible youth-led action, particularly through sustainable livelihood development.

In the Caribbean—comprising mainly Small Island Developing States (SIDS)—this urgency is amplified. The region is highly vulnerable to climate shocks, and youth unemployment often exceeds 25%. These dynamics hinder young people’s ability to actively contribute to resilience and economic transformation. However, the transition to green, blue, and circular economies presents an opportunity to create meaningful employment for youth in areas like renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, eco-tourism, and waste management.

To address these challenges, UNICEF and UNDP are partnering under a UN SDG Joint Programme to launch a Youth Skills Certificate Programme that will empower youth and youth-serving professionals to become catalysts for green entrepreneurship and climate action. The initiative promotes the role of education in driving energy transition, innovation, and sustainable behaviors, laying the groundwork for a civic-minded generation capable of advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in climate mitigation and clean energy. 

The Caribbean economy’s shift from agriculture to the service and tourism sectors has created structural vulnerabilities and limited economic diversification. Coupled with persistent youth emigration and brain drain, the region faces a loss of innovative talent. Building a resilient, youth-led entrepreneurial economy is therefore essential. By equipping young people with the skills, mentorship, and financial readiness to develop micro and small businesses in sustainable sectors, this programme aims to stimulate inclusive growth and reverse the brain drain. 

This initiative aligns with and builds upon leading regional efforts, including:

• UNICEF’s climate resilience and skills initiatives in the Eastern Caribbean;
• OECS’s “Youth Empowered for Life” strategy and Youth in Action Network platform for youth civic and environmental leadership; and
• CARICOM’s Youth Development Action Plan (CYDAP) and regional support for youth roles in climate resilience.

The certificate programme will be delivered through in-person trainings in Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, and Saint Lucia, targeting youth workers, environmental officers, and NGO actors. These trainees will be capacitated to scale delivery of the programme nationally, fostering widespread youth engagement in sustainable economic transformation across the Caribbean. 

Specific Tasks:

The purpose of this consultancy is to develop a modular training programme that results in a Youth Skills Certificate, integrating:

• Green, blue, and circular economy business development;
• Climate education and environmental sustainability;
• Youth advocacy and civic engagement for climate action.

The institutional or corporate contractor  will create high-quality, engaging training manuals, facilitation tools, and templates that support both youth learning and implementation. The training should culminate in the preparation of business concept notes, pitch decks, and documents required for accessing local funding, while also building capacity for climate advocacy and community leadership.

The development and delivery of the Youth Skills Certificate Programme must incorporate key cross-cutting considerations that reflect the shared values and mandates of UNICEF and UNDP. These include the integration of gender equality, ensuring that young women and men have equal access to training, resources, and leadership opportunities within the green and circular economy sectors. Inclusion of marginalized groups, particularly youth with disabilities, Indigenous and Afro-descendant youth, and those from rural or vulnerable communities, must be mainstreamed throughout programme design and delivery. Child and youth protection principles should guide engagement processes, ensuring safe, ethical, and age-appropriate participation. The methodology must promote human rights-based and participatory approaches, enabling youth to shape and lead elements of the training process. Furthermore, the programme should adopt a conflict-sensitive and climate-resilient lens, aligning with national climate action priorities and community development goals. Digital equity and environmental sustainability should also be considered, particularly in the creation and dissemination of training materials. These considerations will ensure that the programme is inclusive, contextually responsive, and aligned with broader regional and global development objectives.

Methodology:

The institutional or corporate contractor will:

1. Conduct a desk review of:
• Existing regional and global youth climate, sustainable economy and entrepreneurship training models, design and lessons learned from implementation.
• Relevant OECS, CARICOM, UNICEF, and UNDP frameworks;
• Financing pathways (grants, loans, youth funds) in the Caribbean, specific consideration for scaffolding support in implementing countries: Antigua, Dominica, St. Lucia and Barbados.
2. Design a certificate-level training curriculum, suitable for delivery to youth in implementing countries
3. Develop:
• Facilitator and participant manuals
• Presentation decks
• Templates for business management, planning and financing applications
• Youth advocacy tools and communication resources
• Climate education content linked to Caribbean realities and global frameworks (e.g., SDGs, Paris Agreement)
4. Virtual training material validation engaging key stakeholders, NGOs and CSOs. Process should outline selected methodology, theory of change and implementation schedule recommendation for countries.
5. Coordinate and deliver a Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop in each of the four countries.
6. Support integration of practical outputs into training (concept notes, pitch decks, grant/loan-ready documents).
7. Support identified sample group in the delivery of youth focused training.
8. Develop post-training evaluation tools and a follow-up coaching plan template. 

Draft Training Modules

Reporting: 

• Ø The institutional or corporate contractor will report to Lyston Skerritt, Adolescent Development Specialist for project management, implementation and payment processing. Regular meetings will be scheduled for oversight and deliverables will be as agreed in the submitted RFP. 

• Ø Expected background and Experience:

The Institutional or Corporate contractor  team should represent an interdisclinary capacity with the minimum of the following qualification.

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in sustainable development, environmental sciences, education, youth development, economics, social sciences, or a related field.
• Proven expertise in green, blue, and circular economy principles, particularly as they apply to micro and small enterprise development.
• Strong understanding of climate change adaptation, mitigation, and the intersection with youth entrepreneurship.
• Demonstrated experience designing and developing participatory training manuals, curricula, and presentation materials tailored for youth and youth-serving professionals.
• Experience integrating business development tools (e.g., business model canvas, concept notes, pitch decks, loan/grant applications) into capacity-building programs.
• Cultural understanding of Caribbean programmatic implementation 
• Some prior experience with UNICEF or UN agency programme planning

Evaluation Criteria:

The technical evaluation will be considered in accordance with the following information:

Technical Proposal: 70 points

1) Overall Response (10 points):

a) Understanding of, and responsiveness to UNICEF requirements;

b) Understanding of scope, objectives and completeness of response;

c) Overall concord between UNICEF requirements and the proposal.

2) Company and key personnel (20 points):

a) Team leader: Relevant experience, qualifications, and position with firm;

b) Team members - Relevant experience, skills & competencies;

c) Organization of the team and roles & responsibilities;

d) Professional expertise, knowledge and experience with similar projects, contracts, clients and consulting assignments;

e) Financial status.

3) Proposed Methodology, Approach and System (40 points):

a) Quality of the proposed approach and methodology;

b) Quality of proposed implementation plan, i.e how the bidder will undertake each task, and time-schedules;

c) Risk assessment - recognition of the risks/peripheral problems and methods to prevent and manage risks/peripheral problems.

Note: The Financial Proposals will be opened only to the companies considered technically approved (range between 49 to 70 points).

Financial Proposal (30 points)

The Financial Proposal will be opened and tabulated within the Technical Proposal and the final range will be provided.

Recourse: 

UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs are incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines. Performance indicators against which the satisfactory conclusion of this contract will be assessed include timeliness/quality of submission and responsiveness to UNICEF and counterpart feedback.  

Property Rights:

UNICEF shall hold all property rights, such as copyright, patents and registered trademarks, on matters directly related to, or derived from, the work carried out through this contract with UNICEF. The bidder must submit all documentation and source code where necessary to UNICEF upon successful launch. 

Payment Terms/Schedule: 

Full payment will be made against all agreed-upon deliverables, as outlined in the table above, after successful provision of the services and submission of the final invoice to the Contract Manager.  Full payment is required within 30 days after satisfactory performance.  UNICEF General Terms and Conditions will apply for non-satisfactory performance. 

How to Apply:   

The application package should include the following:  

1. Technical Proposal  

1. Financial Proposal* (Detailed budget stipulating all-inclusive fees) 

*Financial Proposal to be issued exclusive of Sales Tax (ABST)/VAT in accordance with UNICEF’s Basic Cooperation Agreement with the Government of Antigua, Barbados, Dominica and Saint Lucia..

1. Evidence of similar services provided in the past or currently; include a maximum of two (2) examples showcasing company expertise in the areas outlined in this terms or reference: 

Prospective institutional or corporate contractors should apply to the email address above with the subject line “Youth Skills Certificate in Green, Blue, and Circular Economy ” no later than 24th, September , 2025, 17:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time).