Albanian citizens are likely to continue to emigrate for employment, which will have a major impact on the country’s development. Therefore, it is important to provide valid alternatives of employment in the country, especially in those areas experiencing a considerable tourism inflow in the recent years. Other considerable changes to the migration landscape in Albania include: the facilitation of internal migration of the Albanian workforce, an increase in employment opportunities for potential internal migrants, the creation of sustainable reintegration opportunities for returned migrants also, the encouragement of diaspora investment, plus the engagement of communities and businesses representatives will all reinforce conditions for working, living and investing in Albania.

In August 2024, IOM Albania started the implementation of the project “Strengthening Local Institutional Capacities on Migration in Albania” funded by the UK Government. The aim of this project is to contribute to enabling local governments to effectively manage migration and diaspora matters. This includes a focus on promoting employment for internal migrants, reintegrating returned migrants, and encouraging diaspora investments, while strengthening inter-institutional coordination and migration stakeholders’ engagement, all the while reshaping the narrative on migration.

The project will support central and local institutions in Albania to develop and strengthen capacities, whilst piloting the legal, administrative, and operational procedures for internal migration. In addition, it will build capacity among institutions on return and reintegration, and diaspora engagement aiming to increase employment opportunities for the Albanian workforce. This will be done in tandem with supporting the inter-institutional cooperation of local and central government agencies, both vertical and horizontal coordination. In addition, the project aims to change the narrative on migration targeting the public at large with a special focus on youth and their self-improvement/empowerment.

This includes:

• Consolidating the national regulatory framework by drafting new guidelines, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on internal migration, return and reintegration of Albanian emigrants, diaspora engagement in local development, and developing inter-agency cooperation protocols followed by trainings, and capacity building of public officials at local level to effectively apply, test and pilot the improved framework.
• Exploring and supporting cooperation opportunities and mechanisms between local government, business community representatives, local communities, and other stakeholders to encourage internal migration aiming to increase employment opportunities for Albanian workforce. Additionally strengthening the horizonal and vertical cooperation between the two governance levels and other related stakeholders, including a fully-fledged communication campaign targeting all segments of society, with a focus on youth and women. This will be achieved through designing and implementing Inter-Municipal Pacts for Employment (IMPEs) between Municipalities, business community representatives and the public employment/VET services. Selected Municipalities in North Albania (most affected by emigration) and South/coastal municipalities (most affected by considerable seasonal tourism) will participate in the design and piloting of the IMPEs.
• IMPEs will serve as a competitive alternative to securing job opportunities, decent salaries, skills development, transfer of knowledge and skills to home municipalities, compliance with the labour code and the social/health insurance legal frame, while discouraging – from an individual, social and economic perspective – irregular migration abroad from Albania. The Inter-municipal Pacts for Employment will act as an effective tool for employability, especially with regard to internal migration, thus contributing to contrasting irregular emigration, especially from the most marginalized areas of Albania.

The principle of inter-municipal cooperation is embedded in the Albanian Law on Self-Governance. The establishment of IMPEs will be founded on environmental, social and economic sustainability. Well-formulated and well-structured IMPEs can create quality jobs, reduce inequalities, and advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as the objectives of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration. IMPEs also foster shared commitments and responsibilities, enhancing opportunities and improving citizens’ quality of life, as well as empower migrants as agents of change. As instruments of participatory democracy, IMPEs are built on the quality of relationships among institutions, economic and social representatives, mutual recognition of each signatory’s role in society, shared strategic objectives, and collective responsibility.

The project will also ensure gender mainstreaming and the inclusion of minority groups, promoting inclusivity and diversity in the relevant practices. In summary, the project will help Albania develop more effective and inclusive opportunities for its residents, with a focus on strengthening local capacities.

To achieve the project objective, the project team are working to ensure that (Outcome 2): Inter-municipal Pacts for Employment (IMPEs) are enforced and contribute to a prompt, predictable, safe, and orderly internal migration process. To do so, the following activities are planned to be implemented including:

• Support with the creation of at least 1 IMPE involving at least four selected Municipalities in north and north-eastern Albania (affected by potential outgoing internal migration) and at least 3 coastal/large Municipalities (affected positively by incoming tourism and working opportunities). The IMPE(s) will set clear objectives for internal migration employment opportunities, employability outcomes and indicators and division of tasks for achieving the envisaged results.
• The IMPE will include local partnerships with business communities, employers’ associations, sectoral associations (such as the Tour Operators and Tourism Associations) trade unions, regional offices of the National Agency for Employment Agency (NAES), etc. These partnerships will be supported through the organization of Migration and Diaspora Local Community and Business Forums at the municipal level.
• Directly support project beneficiaries – potential internal migrants – with an Individual Employment and Education Plan (IEEPs) for internal migration. The IEEPs will include: elaboration of individual assessment of skills, competences and knowledge, set up of a personalized roadmap for improving skills and competences, individual training and coaching, provision of an information and orientation toolkit for internal migration employment opportunities, accompanying and coaching of the beneficiaries, legal and contractual support for the beneficiaries and employers, liaison functions with the hosting municipalities, local communities and business communities, re-skilling/upskilling after the seasonal employment for employability at the municipality of origin. At least 20 IEEPs will be supported through the project for each Municipality for the 4 selected Municipalities in north and north-east Albania (effected by potential outgoing internal migration).

In the framework of the project, the baseline assessment of the local government capacities on migration and diaspora governance, and inter-institutional cooperation, will be built upon to define the legal and institutional framework and capacities to promote employment opportunities for internal migrants, the reintegration of returned migrants, and the facilitation of diaspora investments in Albania. More specifically the baseline assessment will serve the following purposes under specific themes such as: Legal and institutional framework, inter-institutional cooperation; Internal Migration – Inter-municipal Pacts for Employment (IMPEs); Capacity building needs; Stakeholder analysis and mapping of public authorities at a central and local level and Diaspora and Migration Structures (DMS) services and pilot municipalities.

In reference to this consultancy the baseline assessment will, among others, serve the following purposes:

• Evaluate the baseline assessment conducted on promoting employment for internal migrants, reintegrating returned migrants, and encouraging diaspora investments, at municipal level and inter-institutional cooperation between the local and central level institutions. Through this evaluation, identify the gaps and needs to propose the most feasible approaches to achieve the above project objectives.
• Take stock of the current legal and institutional frame on promoting employment for internal migrants, reintegrating returned migrants, and encouraging diaspora investments, identifying each actor’s roles and responsibilities, resources and capacities, and main gaps, to inform the design of the new legal and institutional frameworks for regular emigration and to provide suggestions for reviewing the current legislation related to migration and labour migration governance.
• Provide suggestions for a coordination mechanism at both horizontal and vertical level, taking into consideration the existing mechanisms, adding more responsibilities and actors and/or proposing new ones.
• Explore the cooperation opportunities, mechanisms and best practices between Albanian municipalities and fields of cooperation; between municipalities, business community representatives, local communities, and other stakeholders to facilitate internal migration for employment opportunities.
• Identify mechanisms and any existing forum like the Inter-municipal Pacts for Employment (IMPEs) between Albanian Municipalities and other actors. Additionally, identify municipalities in need of increased labour force and the skills needed to match labour market gaps as well as the municipalities with high level of unemployment and the skills available. Propose the IMPE between the municipality whose unemployment’ skills match the labour market needs of the other municipality.
• Explore municipalities willingness to enter into the Inter-municipal Pacts for Employment (IMPEs) relationships with other Municipalities and other relevant actors as well as cooperation mechanisms and tools in operational level.

In addition, in the framework of the project the process for the development of the Standard Operation Procedures including the consultation workshop and training delivery on Standard Operation Procedures of the Migration and Diaspora Structures in municipal level regarding the internal migration, targeting 61 municipalities officials and other stakeholders is going on.

Two consultants, 1 international consultant and 1 local consultant will be engaged to develop the Individual Employment and Education Plans (IEEPs) for internal migration.

The engagement of the international consultant will take place for 30 working days starting tentatively from 20.01.2025 to 31.03.2025.

The engagement will serve the following purposes under the specific themes as below:

1. Development of the Individual Employment and Education Plans (IEEPs) for internal migration methodology and tools:
   1. Development of the methodology, tools, the process and the timeframe for the design and implementation of the IEEPs in Albania.
   2. Identify the actors who should be part of the design and implementation of the IEEPs in Albania.
2. Directly support project beneficiaries – potential internal migrants from pilot municipalities which IMPEs are approved, with an Individual Employment and Education Plans (IEEPs) for internal migration:
   1. At least 20 IEEPs will be supported through the project for each Municipality of the 4 selected Municipalities in north and north-east Albania (effected by potential outgoing internal migration).
   2. Each IEEP will include:
      1. elaboration of individual assessment of skills, competences and knowledge and the set-up of a personalized roadmap for improving skills and competences, individual training and coaching,
      2. provision of an information and orientation toolkit for internal migration employment opportunities,
      3. accompanying and coaching of the beneficiaries,
      4. legal and contractual support for the beneficiaries and employers and liaison functions with the hosting municipalities, local communities and business communities,
      5. re-skilling/upskilling after the seasonal employment for employability at the municipality of origin.
3. Stakeholder Consultation: 
   1. Support stakeholder consultations throughout the process, in cooperation with IOM.
4. Capacity-Building Support: 
   1. Support the development of capacity-building/guidance tools for agencies involved in Individual Employment and Education Plans (IEEPs) for internal migration.
   2. Support the development of M&E tools for the capacity building sessions, including pre-/post-knowledge assessments, and satisfaction/feedback surveys

The International consultant in cooperation with the local consultant, will submit deliverables as below both in English and Albanian language:                                              

1. First deliverable –Inception report including a methodology, tools, the process, and the timeframe for the design and implementation of the IEEPs in Albania; to be reviewed and endorsed by IOM. – Deliverable by email potentially by 10 February 2025.
2. Second deliverable – Development of the Individual Employment and Education Plans (IEEPs) for internal migration methodology and tools – Deliverable by email potentially by 28 February 2025. First instalment payment
3. Third deliverable – Directly support project beneficiaries – potential internal migrants from pilot municipalities which IMPEs are approved, with an Individual Employment and Education Plans (IEEPs) for internal migration. At least 20 IEEPs to be supported through the project for each Municipality of the 4 selected Municipalities. Deliverable by email potentially by 20 March 2025.Second instalment payment
4. Fourth deliverable – Develop and submit in cooperation with the local consultant capacity-building/guidance tools for agencies involved in IEEPs including M&E tools for the capacity building sessions – Deliverable by email potentially by 25 March 2025.
5. Fifth deliverable – submit a consultancy report on the work done under this assignment including findings, recommendations, and best practices if any. – Deliverable by email potentially by 31 March 2025. Third instalment payment 

• timeliness,
• responsibility,
• initiative,
• communication,
• satisfactory completion of tasks indicated in this ToR;
• quality of products delivered.