Background

Better Work – a collaboration between the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group – is a comprehensive programme bringing together all levels of the garment industry to improve working conditions and respect of labour rights for workers and boost the competitiveness of apparel businesses. Currently, the programme is active in about 2,000 factories employing more than 3 million workers in 13 countries.

As well as advising factories, Better Work collaborates with government agencies to improve labour laws and with multinational buyers to ensure their collaboration and support toward sustainable compliance. It also advises unions and employers’ representatives on how to give workers a more significant say in their lives and works with donors to help achieve their broader development goals. Better Work’s vision is a global garment industry that lifts millions of people out of poverty by providing decent work, empowering women, driving business competitiveness, and promoting inclusive economic growth.

With the support of funding from the European Commission and in collaboration with the ILO Office in Colombo, Better Work Sri Lanka was launched in 2022. Instead of offering the traditional factory engagement package, Better Work Sri Lanka has placed a key focus on building and strengthening the capacity of tripartite partners in Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) initiatives. Specifically, between September and December 2022, Better Work implemented a Training of Trainers (ToT) program to train 70 Master Trainers from the Government, employers’ and workers’ organizations as National OSH Industry Advisors to promote the establishment and fostering of high-functioning worker-management OSH committees in Sri Lanka’s garment sector. To date, 54 of the 70 participants completed and graduated from the training program, and around 125 OSH committees were established following the program.

Objective

Better Work Sri Lanka seeks to contract a researcher (or small team of scholars) with substantial regional and sectoral knowledge to carry out an assessment of the level of contribution of the Training of Trainers (ToT) program to the increased capacities of the participants, the Master Trainers, to act as catalysts of change, deliver high-quality training on effective OSH management systems and ultimately support the establishment and fostering of well-functioning worker-management OSH bipartite committees across a sample of local garment factories.

Scope of work

The contracted researcher(s) are expected to conduct a qualitative study (e.g., a qualitative impact assessment, a contribution analysis or comparative case studies, etc.) to assess:

1. To what extent the Training of Trainers (ToT) programme contributed to the capacity building of the National OSH Industry Advisors (the Master Trainers).
2. To what extent the newly trained National OSH Industry Advisors are contributing to the successful establishment and fostering of worker-management OSH committees in factories.
3. To what extent are the OSH committees fostering social dialogue in the workplace.

It is envisioned that the researcher(s) will:

• Engage with the BW team to refine the impact evaluation design and logistics.
• Familiarize themselves with the Training of Trainers (ToT) program, conducting in- depth interviews with the BW team.
• Review and analyze the existing baseline survey data and preliminary interviews conducted among Master Trainers in June-September 2023.
• Design the interview guides and relevant data collection instruments.
• Conduct in-depth interviews with a select sample of National OSH Industry Advisors who participated in the Training of Trainers (ToT) program. For interviews, a gender- balanced minimum sample of 6 people is desired (at least two representatives for each of the ILO’s constituents: government (Ministry of Labour), employers (Joint Apparel Association and the Employers Federation of Ceylon), and workers (trade unions).
• Conduct in-depth interview discussions with factory managers as well as focus group discussions (FGDs) with OSH committee members (both workers’ and managers’ representatives) in a minimum of 6 plants.
• Analyze data and produce a short final report presenting key findings and recommendations.

Tasks and deliverables

The expected timeline of the study is from May to July 2024. The following set of deliverables (with corresponding tentative timeline) are expected to guide the work of the contracted researcher(s):

Payment schedule

The contracted researcher(s) will be paid upon satisfactory completion of deliverables to be determined and upon receipt of signed invoices. A tentative payment schedule is provided below:

Qualifications

• Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in Anthropology, Sociology, Development Studies, Economics, or other Social Sciences, with a strong focus on qualitative research methodologies.
• At least five years of proven experience in conducting qualitative research, including designing, implementing, and analyzing qualitative studies.
• Experience with impact evaluation studies, particularly in educational or training contexts.
• Strong theoretical and practical knowledge of qualitative research methodologies and techniques (e.g., ethnography, case studies, grounded theory, thematic analysis).
• Proficiency in using qualitative data analysis software (e.g., NVivo, etc.)
• Experience in training of trainers programs, with an understanding of adult learning principles and pedagogical techniques.
• Ability to assess the effectiveness and impact of training programs.
• Excellent writing and presentation skills, with the ability to produce clear, concise, and insightful reports.
• Experience in disseminating research findings to a variety of audiences, including academic, practitioner, and policy-making communities.
• Demonstrated ability to manage research projects, including coordinating with multiple stakeholders, adhering to timelines, and managing budgets.
• Fluency in the language(s) of the target population of the training program, in addition to proficiency in English (or the primary language of the project documentation).
• Experience working in diverse cultural settings, showing sensitivity and adaptability to local contexts.
• Strong understanding of research ethics, particularly in relation to handling sensitive information and ensuring confidentiality and consent in qualitative research.

Reporting

The contracted researcher(s) will report to the Global Technical Officer for Research and Impact.

Submission

All applicants must send their technical and financial proposals to: research@betterwork.org. The deadline to submit your application is 8 May 2024, at midnight (CET). Only selected applicants will be contacted for an interview.