Conduct a study on Women and Youth Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) in Rwanda: Barriers, Opportunities, and Pathways to Decent Work

Background:

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

Placing women’s rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

UN Women Rwanda is committed to advancing gender equality and empowering women and youth nationwide. Under its Women’s Economic Empowerment pillar, it supports women and youth entrepreneurs to unlock their full potential through entrepreneurship training, access to finance, market linkages, climate-smart agriculture, and Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET). Additionally, UN Women promotes digital innovation by equipping young people with future-ready skills in coding and STEM education, thereby expanding their access to economic opportunities and decent work.

Access to quality education and productive employment remains out of reach for many of the world’s youth. Reducing the number of women and youth who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET) is a key target of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 8.6) by substantially reducing the proportion of youth not in employment, not in education and not in training. (NEET)

According to the Rwanda Labor Force Survey 2023, 32.9% of Rwandan youth approximately 1,148,849 individuals are not in employment, education, or training (NEET), highlighting a significant challenge in youth engagement and economic inclusion. The gender disparity is particularly striking, with 39.4% of young women classified as NEET compared to 25.6% of young men, indicating that young women are more likely to remain outside the workforce even after completing education or training. This issue is closely tied to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8, Target 6, which aims to substantially reduce the proportion of youth aged 15–24 who are not in employment, education, or training by 2030, making it both a national and global development priority.

UN Women conducted a study on \"The Status of NEET in Rwanda, 2022: A Quantitative Analysis of Youth Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET)”. The report finds that 31% of Rwandan youth fall into the NEET category, with a significant gender disparity: 36% of young women versus 26% of young men. NEET rates are highest among women aged 20–24, driven by factors such as early marriage, unpaid care and domestic responsibilities, and engagement in unpaid family agriculture. The analysis shows that higher educational attainment substantially reduces the likelihood of being NEET, while increased domestic workload and rural residence heighten the risk. The report underscores the need for targeted interventions to improve access to quality education, vocational training, and gender-sensitive employment policies.

The Government of Rwanda (GoR) prioritizes NEET as the Country’s Development Agenda as it considers developmental journey of becoming a middle-income country by 2035. This ambition requires the promotion of NEET by promoting skills development, access to quality education and sustainable job creation for economic growth. In this regard, national employment policy (2019) aim to address, the following challenges 
1.    Limited employment opportunities for women due to inadequate skills in the science and technology fields.
2.    Limited employment opportunities particularly for young women in the formal sector 
3.    High probability of NEET due to young women’s work in unpaid domestic and care work, as well as family agricultural production for own use, 20–24-year-old women spend an average of 20 hours a week on domestic and care work.
4.    Young women between 20 and 24 are more likely to be discouraged work seekers than men, suggesting that for many young women in this age group their NEET status is not due to a choice to be involved in family production but rather a lack of alternative employment options.
The UN Women’s NEET report is based on the Rwanda’s Labor Force Survey 2019. In 2024, Rwanda's National Institute of Statistics (NISR) released the most recent Labor Force Survey. In this regard, there is need to update the data on NEET analysis in line with the most recent data in order to ensure concrete recommendations on addressing the NEET including on closing the gender gap.  Young women face higher exclusion due to unpaid care work and limited job access. Addressing this gap boosts economic potential, reduces poverty, and supports Rwanda’s growth and equality goals.

In addressing the persistent challenges of youth and women’s economic exclusion, the UN Women Rwanda Country Office, in collaboration with the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the Government of Rwanda under the implementation of global accelerator for decent jobs and social transitions with the support of multi-trust partner funding, is commissioning a study under the theme “study on Women and Youth Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) in Rwanda: Barriers, Opportunities, and Pathways to Decent Work.\" This study aims to update previous evidence, generate insights into the scale, characteristics, and root causes of NEET status among women and youth. The findings will inform the development of the global accelerator roadmap and guide the design of targeted interventions and policies that promote inclusive economic participation, improve access to social protection, and support sustainable development effort in the country.

UN Women is therefore seeking to engage a national consultant to conduct the study on Women and Youth Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) in Rwanda: Barriers, Opportunities, and Pathways to Decent Work. The consultant will be reporting to programme management specialist and head of programmes and will be supported by women economic empowerment programme Analyst who will be the point of contact on the contract.
The overall objective of the NEET
The study on Women and Youth Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET) in Rwanda: Barriers, Opportunities, and Pathways to Decent Work aims to analyze the factors contributing to the high number of women and youth who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET) in Rwanda, and to identify viable opportunities and strategies to support their transition into decent and productive work. By examining the barriers, they face and highlighting effective interventions, the study aims to inform policies and programmes that reduce NEET rates and promote inclusive, sustainable economic participation. 
Ultimately, the study will contribute to unlocking the full potential of women and youth as drivers of Rwanda’s socio-economic development.
The study will provide recommendations on possible solutions to reduce the number of women and youth in NEET and creating pathways to unlock their full potential, contributing to future employment, inclusive economic participation, and sustainable development in Rwanda.

Specific Objectives:
Analyze the status of NEET including with the demographic gender lenses profile of women and youth:
•     Analyze the current prevalence and demographic profile of women and youth in NEET in Rwanda and identify key factors contributing to their disengagement from education, employment, and training. (Disaggregate NEET data by gender, age, geographic location, disability status, and other relevant factors to understand the diverse experiences and challenges faced by different groups.)
•     Identify and analyze the key socio-economic, cultural, and structural barriers preventing women and youth from engaging in education, employment, and training in Rwanda.
•     To assess coverage and access of youth and women to social protection schemes with a specific focus on the responsiveness of existing social protection schemes to the needs and priorities of youth and women. 
•     Evaluate how well Rwanda’s strategies for women and youth employment and skill development align with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and how these contribute to reducing the rates of NEET.
Opportunities for Reducing NEET: Policy, Programmes, and Partnerships:
•     Explore how Rwanda’s National Strategy for transformation and other legal frameworks aim to support women and youth in NEET by promoting practical skills, vocational education, access to social protection and social services and opportunities from entrepreneurship skills helping them to build better futures.
•     Assessment of existing public and private policies, programmes, and initiatives aimed at reducing NEET rates and promoting decent work for youth and women.
•     Assess the extent to which TVET programs in Rwanda have contributed to equipping women and youth with market-relevant skills and facilitating their entry into the labor market, and to explore ways to enhance TVET delivery.
•     Investigate the opportunities and challenges related to women entrepreneurship in Rwanda for the following high-potential sectors such as agriculture, green energy, digital innovation and technology.
•     Explore the role of public-private partnerships in creating job opportunities for women and youth, particularly in high-demand sectors such as ICT, manufacturing, and services, and to assess their effectiveness in reducing NEET.
•     Assess the impact of initiatives aimed at increasing digital literacy and access to digital platforms for women and youth, particularly to improve their employability and create new job opportunities in the digital economy.
•     Highlight good practices and scalable models from Rwanda and other comparable contexts that have successfully addressed NEET-related challenges.
•     Propose actionable policy and programmatic recommendations for to sustainably reduce NEET rates, with a particular focus on creating inclusive opportunities for young women
Description of Responsibilities/Scope of Work 
The consultant will be responsible for delivering a high-quality, evidence-based study that informs policy and programmatic interventions for women and youth Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET) in Rwanda. Reporting to the UN Women Country Representative through the Programme Management Specialist (P3) and working collaboratively with the Macro Economic Consultant, the consultant will undertake the following tasks:
•     Design a robust and context-specific research methodology that aligns with the study’s objectives. This should include the identification of appropriate qualitative and quantitative research tools, sampling strategies, and data collection methods on NEET in Rwanda as well as updated labor force survey report.
•     Review global and national literature, policies, and frameworks related to women and youth unemployment, underemployment, UN Women NEET study report and NEET to establish a foundational understanding and provide baseline data for the study.
•     Identify and engage key stakeholders involved in women and youth development (employment, training, education, entrepreneurship, etc.), including government ministries and agencies, educational and training institutions, private sector actors, civil society organizations, and development partners.
•     Design and implement data collection instruments such as surveys, focus group discussions, interviews, and case studies. These will capture insights from women and youth NEET, service providers, employers, and other stakeholders.
•     Collect and assess existing data from national sources, such as the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR), and from youth-related programs and institutional reports.
•     Perform in-depth analysis of qualitative and quantitative data to assess the extent, causes, and consequences of women and youth NEET in Rwanda, evaluate the effectiveness of current interventions and identify gaps.
•     Synthesize findings highlight structural and systemic barriers and constraints within the education and employment ecosystems.
•     Highlight successful models and initiatives from Rwanda and comparable countries that have addressed NEET challenges effectively to inform local adaptation and scale-up.
•     Draft a detailed and well-structured report presenting the study’s findings, analyses, and actionable recommendations with accompanying executive summary that captures the key messages, findings, and recommendations of the study. 
•     Deliver presentations of key findings to relevant stakeholders, including government officials, donors, private sector actors, and women and youth-serving organizations and collect feedback to be incorporated into the draft versions of the study to enhance its quality, relevance, and usability.
•     Provide the final report, executive summary, presentation slides, datasets, and any other relevant materials in the required formats.

During this assignment, the consultant is expected to produce the following key deliverables:

No

                                        Deliverables

Tentative time frame

1

Inception Report

2 weeks

2

Data Collection and Analysis

3 weeks

3

Draft Report

 2 weeks

  3

Presentation of Findings 

1 week

4

. Final Report 

1 week

Institutional Arrangements and Supervision

The consultant will be contracted by UN Women and will work under the direct supervision of [focal person or department]. Technical oversight will be provided by a steering committee composed of representatives from relevant ministries, agencies, and partner organizations. Regular briefings will be scheduled to monitor progress, provide feedback, and ensure alignment with strategic priorities.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy. However, the consultant is expected to undertake official travel as necessary for field data collection, stakeholder consultations, and presentations. The consultant will indicate field and related expenses in the financial proposal to the contracting UN Women in accordance with the applicable organizational policies and guidelines.

Competencies :

Core Values:

Core Competencies:

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Experiences .

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Application Process 

Interested candidates should submit their required documents:

Statements :

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