10023631-Feasibility Study for an African Railway Competence Centre

The objectives of the study: - Stakeholders that could significantly contribute to the achievement of the objectives and/or participate in an industry dialogue are identified. - Labour market demand as well as skills gaps are assessed considering current and future skills needed for the modernisation and development of the railway network in Africa. - The technical, financial, and operational feasibility of one or more sustainable Rail Transport Competence Centres (RCCs) in Africa is assessed including a governance model and conditions for long-term viability and development of a strategic plan considering financial and operations considerations. - Relevant training programs and curricula across all professional qualification levels are developed or modernized. - A strategic plan considering financial and operations considerations has been developed. - Pilot trainings are implemented Work Package 1: Data Collection & Market Analysis: Anticipating and Matching Skills and Jobs in the Railway Sector Consultant shall assess African railway sector: (a) Skills Demand - current/future workforce needs (4-15 years), including job volumes, required skills by qualification level, and necessary training/education; (b) Skills Supply - assess available qualified workforce and analyse current/planned vocational/academic training, mapping existing providers/programs and their capacity/relevance; (c) Skills Gaps - identify geographic, qualification-specific, institutional, and capacity-related gaps, deriving rationale for regional/sub-regional training solutions. The methodology shall be based on ILO"s Working at Sectoral Level: Guide to anticipating and matching skills and jobs, Volume 3 (2016), using desk-based analysis, interviews, focus groups, round tables, surveys, and in-depth case studies. Work Package 2: Pilot training courses about rail transport Following Gap Analysis, pilot trainings (classroom/blended/online) test training models and support stakeholder engagement. They target decision-makers (strategic) and instructors (technical, prioritizing maintenance/asset management). Trainings are universal, tech-independent, with European aspects where relevant and gender-responsive: inclusive outreach, accessible formats, participation targets for underrepresented groups. The contractor shall identify topics; develop compliant technical curriculum (train-the-trainer, study visits, African/European partners); train 20 railway operators (study visit to Europe); create online course on African railway infrastructure/ operation (TUMI platform); evaluate lessons. Work Package 3: Regional Competence Center: Analysis & Modelling The contractor must develop and assess three alternative models for a regional railway training structure in Africa, including regional hubs and online/blended learning. Each model must define institutional setup, governance, curriculum scope, staffing, and CAPEX/OPEX estimates, ensuring inclusive governance, gender balance, and equal access. The contractor will define design assumptions (target groups, qualification levels, geographic scope, accessibility, alignment with AfDB/EU/Germany, language policy, digitalisation), develop three models-(a) centralized independent legal entity, (b) regional hub-and-spoke, (c) existing offers + online academy-each covering institutional setup, functional scope, delivery modes, partnerships, private sector engagement, and technical/institutional/financial/political risks, assess financial viability through a 10-year plan (CAPEX/OPEX, revenue streams, financing mechanisms, cost-effectiveness, scalability, socio-economic benefits), develop training portfolios and curricula for three priority courses (adapted international material), standardized programs/certifications, and trainer/ToT profiles, outline the centre as an innovation space for business exchange, pilot solutions, and project initiation, and conduct a comparative assessment, evaluating models against relevance, effectiv...