Youth Engagement Officer

BACKGROUND

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organization committed to advancing children’s rights and promoting gender equality. Operating in Indonesia since 1969, we established Yayasan Plan International Indonesia (Plan Indonesia) in 2017 as our national entity. Currently, we are implementing our Country Strategy 5 (CS 5) for the fiscal years 2023 to 2027, aligning with our global purpose to advocate for children’s rights and equality for girls. Our ambition is to empower at least 3 million girls and young women to learn necessary skills for work, lead action on issues that matter to them, decide about their own lives and bodies, and thrive in environments that protect them from violence. To achieve this, we are dedicated to identifying and removing barriers that hinder children, particularly girls and young women, from enjoying their rights and fully participating in Indonesian society. Our strategy includes implementing high-quality programs and projects, as well as influencing decision-makers and key stakeholders to foster necessary changes. In the context of a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous) world, Plan Indonesia agreed to adapt and innovate to ensure we remain relevant, impactful, and sustainable.

The rapid growth of the digital industry globally presents significant opportunities for Indonesia, a burgeoning economic nation. The Indonesian Ministry of Commerce projects the country’s digital economy to reach $146 billion by 2025, the largest in ASEAN, and create 3.7 million additional jobs according to McKinsey Global Institute. To support this growth, Indonesia will need nine million digital talents by 2030, averaging 600,000 new digital workers annually. Currently, there is a critical need for experts in AI and cloud computing.

Youth are pivotal in leveraging Indonesia’s demographic bonus to achieve its vision of becoming a developed country by 2045. However, many young Indonesians face challenges in accessing essential technology and digital skills, crucial for success in today’s job market. Rural and economically disadvantaged youth are particularly affected, with limited access to computers and the internet. Even those with access often lack sufficient digital literacy, hindering their job search and career advancement.

According to 2023 BPS data, 25.80% of Indonesian youth are classified as NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training), with female youth experiencing double the unemployment rate compared to males. This highlights the urgent need to bridge the digital skills gap and empower young Indonesians to thrive in the digital era. To address this need, we propose the "AI Fluency for Young Workers" program, an 18-month program that aimed at enhancing AI fluency among young workers and recent graduates in Indonesia, particularly young women from underserved backgrounds.

To respond these situation, Plan Indonesia with support from AVPN will launch AI Skilling for Young Workers Project. Our program targets underserved youth (18-29 years old and at least 60% are young women), coming from our Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship (YEE) Program alumni, recent graduates, and currently employed young workers who may be affected by AI advancements in their current roles with total estimation to 15.000 beneficiaries through our digital platform, KitaKerja, to reach youth across Indonesia. Additionally, we leverage digital platforms and social media to expand our reach and engage potential participants. In addition, KitaKerja can also track the progress and learning journeys of youth participants.

ROLE PUrpose

Youth Engagement Officer responsible on recruitment.  She/he will ensure all the youth recruited will engage the program from the beginning until the end of project cycle.  She/he responsible to initiate, establish and maintain relationship with youth and/or youth organizations to support project key achievement. She/He will also coordinate with TVET & Digital Learning Specialist and YEE MER&KM Specialist for monitoring the youth alumni achievements.

Dimensions of the Role

• The post holder reports to Project Manager.
• The position will develop DIP based on youth engagement strategy that will support the achievement of project target.
• The position will provide technical assistance and advice to training materials and approach in the context of youth engagement.
• This position will initiate, establish and maintain relationship with youth and/or youth organizations to support project key achievement.
• Other tasks that the supervisor required.
• Represent YPII in exchange of information and community of practice forums and events at National, Regional and Global level as requested by Project Manager.

Accountabilities

Program Quality

• Provide critical technical input into the strategy, design, indicators and proposed detailed implementation plan of youth engagement strategy.
• Develop and review program implementation guidelines, proposal, tools, materials for youth engagement under Project
• Be updated on youth engagement tools from Plan International, including utilization of MMIS digital platform for monitoring youth achievements
• Conduct mapping on youth organizations relevant to the needs of the project. Build contacts, liase and collaborate with identified youth otranizations
• Build and implement internal mechanism to have continuous engagement with youth target as well as youth engagement stakeholders and provide the youth opportunities to voice out internally and externally
• On behalf of the project, will coordinate in day to day basis and handle administrative task on the recruitment process, supporting youth during reskilling and continue the support untill placement and post placement
• Alert Project Manager and coordinate with internal related staff as well as external stakeholder (if required) if there are any variations from initially agreed workplan and strategy
• Develop relations and network with youth organizations in the context of providing support for the young people.
• Develop solid recruitment plan, and ensuring high quality result of the recruitment
• Ensuring youth data is updated from the enrollment untill completion of the program
• In charge of the use of Youth engagement platforms and promote the utilization among youth and youth organizations

Building Capacity

• Advise other project staff member on ways to improve project quality
• Providing capacity building for appointed partner in terms of youth engagement in economic sectors
• Monitor and Evaluate performance of partners and consultants in relation with youth engagement
• Support continuous learning of other technical staff through workshops, seminars and conferences.

Learning

• Documented learning in project documents and reports
• Share learning and best practices and insure that they are incorporated into future work
• Help to develop and oversee ToRs for Youth Engagement-related activities.
• Ensure up to date with current trends of youth movement nationally and globally, and YEE in covid 19 context
• Conduct continuous search for innovation and improved learning program practices within and outside Plan Indonesia to pursue continuous program improvement

Networking and advocacy

• Initiate, establish and maintain relationship with youth organizations that can support the achievement of the project
• Represent YPII in TVET and youth related forums as requested by Project Manager

Safeguarding Children and Young People (Safeguarding) and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GESI)

• Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in project design, during implementation and as principles applied in day-to-day work;
• Participates actively in capacity building and learning event on Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion;
• Submits required documentations (reports, checklists, action plans) to implement policy, standards and approach on Safeguarding and GESI;
• Understands and puts into practice the responsibilities under Safeguarding and GESI policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), ensuring that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.

Key relationships

Internal

• Project Manager: provide technical support, mentoring and capacity building on project implementation
• TVET & Digital Learning Specialist: provide technical support, mentoring and capacity building on project implementation
• YEE MER&KM Specialist: liase and coordinate in MER supporting activities in provide the data needed for monitoring and evaluation
• GESI Specialist: Consultation for GESI integration and monitoring

External

• Implementing partners: provide support and capacity building for Private Sector engagement activities
• Consultants: assess and review deliverables to ensure quality
• Private Sector Associations: initiate and maintain relationship, engage for placement as well as post placement support, engage for digital platform utilization
• Youth communities: engage for youth recruitment and capacity building activities

Technical expertise, skills and knowledge

Essential

• Bachelor degree in social sciences or any related field
• At least 3 years of experience in private sector engagement (include MSMEs), with existing network companies, in particular HR division in several targeted regions
• Good negotiation and networking skills
• Well informed about industry trends on labor market during COVID 19 in Indonesia
• Good interpersonal communication and facilitation skills for mentoring and knowledge sharing 
• Possess good judgement to deal with conflict
• Able to work both in team and independently with minimum supervision
• Extensive networks with MSMEs and companies in targeted regions

Desirable

Networks with youth organizations and / or to youth

YPII Values in Practice: LeT'S ACT

Lasting impact

• We strive to achieve a significant and sustainable impact on the lives of children and young people, especially children and young women from marginalized groups.

Equal, inclusive, empowering

• We respect all people, value differences, and promote equality across our programs and workplaces.

Transparent & accountable

• We create a working climate and partnership that is trusting, honest, transparent, and accountable for the decisions we make and the impact our work has on our stakeholders

 Smart & lifelong learning

• Every time, there are new things that we can learn, so we are eager to seek knowledge that is beneficial for ourselves and the organization.

Adaptive & innovative

• We are aware that existing problems and future challenges cannot always be solved with a conventional mindset, so we are constantly innovating in search of breakthroughs.

Collaborative

• We collaborate with various parties, both internally and externally, based on good faith and the principles of partnership that apply in the organization to achieve common goals.

Taking Measured-Risk

• We realize that risk is part of decision-making, so being brave to take measured risks is the key for us to keep moving forward to be superior and at the forefront.

Physical Environment

• Typical office environment in Jakarta, with frequent travel to project locations.

Level of contact with children

• High contact: regular interaction with young people (age from 18 – 29)

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