OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : Education Sector (ED)

Duty Station: remote

Job Family: Education

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract : From 1 to 6 months

Recruitment open to : External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Duty Station Time) : 22-OCT-2025

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

BEFORE APPLYING

Please note : This call for applications is open to Corporate Applicants.

Important: Do not apply via the online career portal. Instead, please submit your bidding proposal in currency euro and supporting documents by email to uil-learningecosystems@unesco.org with the subject line: ‘Teachers as Lifelong Learners: Policy Recommendations’, following the instructions outlined in the "Application Process" Section

OVERVIEW OF THE CALL FOR APPLICATION

1.  Introduction and background

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development serves as a comprehensive guide for United Nations member states to advance in five crucial dimensions: people, prosperity, planet, partnership, and peace, with quality education (SDG 4) highlighted as a key goal to "ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all." Lifelong learning, central to sustainable education policies, integrates learning and living across all ages and contexts, requiring a trained, active, and committed teaching workforce. Teachers and educators play a crucial role in providing transformative learning experiences that help learners achieve their full potential and develop lifelong learning capabilities, while continuously reflecting on their practices and adapting to evolving societal changes.

Long Description

Against this background, the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) and Shanghai Normal University (SHNU) have launched a project titled "Teachers as Lifelong Learners: International Research, Policy, and Practice on Lifelong Learning for Teacher Education (2023-2026)." This initiative aims to generate evidence-based insights into policies and practices that promote the development of teachers as lifelong learners and facilitators of lifelong learning. Phase I of the project (2023-2024) focused on conducting a comprehensive literature review and drafting six national case studies (China, Chile, Germany, Qatar, Finland, and South Africa). In addition, two thematic papers on ECCE teachers and adult educators have been drafted. A synthesis report has been developed to provide a comprehensive overview of all aspects of the project and other key sources while identifying gaps and strategies to promote lifelong learning of teachers and their role as facilitators of lifelong learning worldwide. Moreover, a webinar series on four core aspects of lifelong learning for teachers will also be organised by December 2025 to continue discussing some emerging themes of this research.

Building on the key findings of Phase I and in alignment with the objectives of Phase II of the project, key resources- policy recommendations, curriculum guidelines, and monitoring guidelines, along with relevant training modules- will be developed. In many countries, existing educational policies, particularly regarding initial teacher education and continuous professional development for educators, have yet to explicitly include the promotion of lifelong learning. Guidance on the monitoring of these policies and programme implementation is needed to ensure that teachers and educators are provided with the conditions to become lifelong learners and to foster lifelong learning in their students.  

Long Description

In this context, UIL is inviting relevant research institutes and centres or/and education consultancy agencies to submit technical proposals for developing:

• Brief policy analysis report on the global and selected national policies on lifelong learning and teachers
• Global policy recommendations that promote teachers’ lifelong learning and their role as facilitators of lifelong learning.
• A sample training module for policymakers and ministries of education on developing national policies that position and empower teachers as lifelong learners within education systems.

2.  Scope of work and objectives

Under the supervision of the Team Leader of the Quality Learning Ecosystems (QLE) programme, UIL, the consultant team will:

2.1 Review key documents of Phase I of the project (synthesis report, national case studies, and thematic papers) and identify gaps.

• Locate, review, and synthesize additional information and resources to enrich the recommendations in the Phase I research reports.
• Utilize resources such as:
• Education 2030 Framework for Action (2015)
• UNESCO’s Teacher Policy Development Guide (2019)
• UNESCO/Education International’s Global Framework of Professional Teaching Standards (2019)
• ILO Recommendation concerning the status of teachers (1966 and 2024 Follow-up from the High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession)
• EU-ILO Policy actions to improve TVET teachers’ quality for market level skills delivery (2020)
• UNESCO's technical and vocational education and training for successful and just transitions (2022-2029)
• ILO-UNESCO Meeting of Experts on Policy Guidelines on the Promotion of Decent Work for Early Childhood Education Personnel (2013)
• UNESCO Recommendation on Adult Learning and Education (2015)
• CONFINTEA VII Marrakech Framework for Action (2022)
• Reimagining Our Futures Together: A new social contract for education (2021)
• Report on the 2022 Transforming Education Summit (2022)

• Review the ideas and suggestions gathered from the experts during the workshop in Shanghai in June-July 2025.
• Draft a brief policy analysis report on the global and selected national policies on lifelong learning and teachers.
• Meet with the other Phase II consultancy teams for initial collaboration and onboarding.

2.2 Draft outline of the policy recommendations with key objectives and different sections.

• Meet with other Phase II consultancy teams to receive feedback on outlines.
• Contribute to a multistakeholder consultative methodology development along with other consultancy teams.
• Finalize the brief policy analysis report on the global and selected national policies on lifelong learning and teachers
• Organize expert consultations with selected relevant stakeholders, experts, and government representatives on the draft recommendations including the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030.

2.3 Prepare the full draft of the policy recommendations and meet with Phase II consultancy teams in preparation for presenting drafts for the global expert feedback and validation.

These recommendations will:

• Advocate for strategic investment in teachers as a high-leverage approach for long-term education transformation into lifelong learning systems.
• Identify and articulate key characteristics of teachers as lifelong learners and as those fostering lifelong learning, incorporating an actionable, inclusive, participatory, and humanistic vision.
• Clarify the interplay of these dual roles, offering insights into how each can support the other.

2.4 Based on the full draft of the policy recommendations, prepare a training module in English for policymakers and education ministry officials on the UIL Learning Hub with agreed numbers of sessions and proposed instructional design.

• Meet with all Phase II consultancy teams to discuss module development and agree upon set structure.
• Offer this training to at least four national teams.

2.5 Improve and finalize the policy recommendations and associated training module on the UIL Learning Hub.  

Meet with all Phase II consultancy teams to review finalized documents and modules.

3. Deliverables

The deliverables for this consultancy will be divided into two timelines: November-December 2025 and January-July 2026. From deliverables 3.1 through 3.3, the first part of the contract will be established. Upon successful completion of these three deliverables, the second part of the contract will be created to deliver from 3.4 through 3.8.

Part I

3.1 Brief report on the key recommendations for policies based on the existing research reports of this project, the gaps, and additional resources for review and synthesis - 14 Nov 2025

3.2 Initial outline of the policy recommendations with key objectives and different sections - 21 Nov 2025

3.3 First extended outline and begin preparation for presenting to expert consultations - 10 Dec 2025

Part II

3.4a Final brief policy analysis report on the global and selected national policies on lifelong learning and teachers - 20 Feb 2026

3.4b Full draft of the policy recommendations for further feedback and validation (Version 1) - 20 Feb 2026

3.5a Expert consultations with selected relevant stakeholders, experts, and government representatives on the draft recommendations - 13 Mar 2026

3.5b Improved full draft of the policy recommendations Version 2 (max 40 pages, excluding annexes) - 13 Mar 2026

3.6 Draft training module with agreed-upon numbers of sessions and proposed instructional design in English on the UIL Learning Hub - 30 Apr 2026

3.7 Organize the training for at least four national teams - 15 May 2025

3.8 Improve and finalize the Policy Recommendations and training module based on the feedback from the participants - 30 July 2026

4. Requirements:

• The policy analysis report, policy recommendations and training module should be written in English with extensive data and literature to support the proposed recommendations;
• Brief policy analysis report on the global and selected national policies on lifelong learning and teachers up to 40 pages (Times New Roman font, single-spaced, excluding references).
• The policy recommendations should be up to 40 pages (Times New Roman font, single-spaced, excluding references).
• The content of each section should be well-connected, with a clear structure and coherent arguments throughout to support the proposed policy recommendations.
• The content of the training module and its sessions is clear, with relevant instructional strategies and assessment tools. 
• All sources should be properly cited by using the Harvard referencing style and by following academic standards and no copyrights are violated.
• The policy recommendations and training module should follow the requirements of the manual as outlined in the UIL Style and Referencing Guide.

Long Description

5.  Supervision and Collaboration

The consultancy team will be overseen by the Team Leader of the Quality Learning Ecosystems (QLE) programme. The consultant team will work in close coordination with:

• Relevant programme specialists
• A group of other consultants for Phase II
• Other UIL units, including Publications and Communications (as needed)

If the application involves multiple team members, a lead consultant must be designated to act as the main liaison between the consulting/research team and the QLE Team Leader.

Collaboration with other Phase II consultant teams- particularly those working on curriculum guidelines and other training modules- will take place at five key intervals, coordinated by the QLE Team Leader:

1. Initial Onboarding and Project Discussion – November 2025
2. Review of Document Outlines – December 2025
    (to gather feedback before developing Version 1)
3. Post-Version 1 Review – February 2026
    (to prepare for expert consultations)
4. Post-Version 2 Review – April 2026
    (before development of training modules)

6.  Location and travel

The consultancy assignment will primarily be home-based in any location and can be done by working remotely. The consultancy team should be available to meet with the UIL team (online) during the office hours of Hamburg, Germany.

7. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Demonstrated experience in producing high quality reports, policy recommendations and training materials in the education sector through a multistakeholder consultative process.
• Expertise in lifelong learning, adult learning and teacher education, with the ability to design effective training modules for policymakers with a humanistic vision.

• Understanding of global and local education systems and policy environments.

• Experience working across different countries and education systems, with the ability to adapt content to various cultural and regional contexts.
• Previous work with UN agencies, international organizations, or governments in education is a strong advantage.

APPLICATION PROCESS

For the application, please do not use the application tool. 

For the application, interested teams of experts will need to submit one consolidated pdf document, which includes the following information:

• An executive summary, not more than 3 pages, with a proposed detailed methodology for completing this project, including the stakeholders for consultations.  
• A financial proposal or detailed budget in Euros for delivering these three components i.e. policy analysis report, policy recommendations and training module;
• A list of team members with specific technical expertise and the lead consultant as clearly specified, with their short CVs with the focus on their previous relevant consultancy assignments and deliverables and relevant expertise to this project;
• A sample of previous relevant policy related consultancy project deliverables.

The proposal should not exceed 10 pages. Proposals missing any of the above will not be considered.

Submission method: Submit your proposals by 22 October 2025.

uil-learningecosystems@unesco.org with the subject line: Teachers as Lifelong Learners: Policy Recommendations

All inquiries must be sent to learning ecosystems email account by 22 October 2025.

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