Grade: Internship
Publication date: 03 May 2023
Application deadline (midnight Geneva time): 17 May 2023
Vacancy no.:
Job ID: [[10733]]
Department: [[ENTERPRISES]]
Organization Unit: [[SME]]
Location: Geneva, Switzerland
Duration of contract: 3 to 6 months (starting on the 1st or the 15th of a given month)
You are applying to the ILO generic internship roster, which is published several times per year. The roster will be made available to all departments and field offices, which will then select and directly contact suitable candidates. Due to the high volume of applications we receive, the ILO does not inform candidates about the status of their application.
ILO Internship Programme provides an opportunity for talented individuals to:
(a) increase understanding of relevant issues at the international level by involving them directly in the work of the Office and the application of ILO principles, programmes and strategies;
(b) gain practical experience with the ILO directly related to their field of study.
The internship programme is not intended to lead to a career in the ILO. There should be no expectation of further employment at the end of the internship.
**Please note that you can apply to a maximum of three internship profiles during the current application period. If you apply to more than three internship profiles, your application will not be considered for any profile.** Note that you may withdraw your candidature at any time via the Jobs Applied section of your profile.
It is highly recommended that you submit your application as soon as possible to avoid last minute technical issues or delays. Late applications will not be considered.
The ILO values diversity. We welcome applications from qualified women and men, particularly those with disabilities and from non- or under- represented member States. If needed, reasonable accommodation will be provided to those with disabilities in the recruitment phase as well as during the internship to promote equality of opportunities. If you are unable to complete our online application form due to a disability, please send an email to ilojobs@ilo.org
IMPORTANT:
Please only apply for an internship if you fulfil the following two criteria:
(1) You have no close relative serving in the ILO.
(2) This is your first internship with the ILO (only one internship is permitted).
Please note that in the context of the new ILO organigram, the naming of the departments may be subject to change.
The ILO Enterprises Department (ENTERPRISES) is mandated to promote decent work by supporting sustainable enterprises as generators of employment and promoters of innovation and decent work. The Department leads the implementation of technical projects related to sustainable enterprises in close consultation and collaboration with other departments and programmes across the ILO. It combines evidence-based policy development with capacity building and enterprise support services, delivered at multiple levels, through advisory services and a large portfolio of technical cooperation.
Within the Department, the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Unit seeks to support the self-employed, micro, small and medium sized enterprises to start and grow sustainably, creating more and better jobs. There is, in fact, a broad agreement that SMEs are vital to achieving decent and productive employment - as they globally account for two-thirds of all jobs and also create the majority of new jobs – and they are engine of inclusive growth and social development. The SME unit work focuses on five key areas: (i) Entrepreneurship and Management skills; (ii) Productivity, Working conditions and Resilience; (iii) Enterprise formalization; (iv) Access to markets - that includes the systems change initiative (SCI) for productive employment, and inclusive market systems for refugees and host communities (AIMS) where a market systems development is applied; and finally (v) Enabling Environment for sustainable enterprises.
The intern will work as an integrated member of the Systems Change Initiative (SCI) team of the SME Unit based at the ILO HQ in Geneva, Switzerland. The SCI builds on and applies a market systems development (MSD) approach to create decent work and productive employment opportunities for vulnerable populations across the world. The work under the Systems Change Initiative consists of two main pillars, including to (i) creating results and evidence in field projects that can demonstrate that decent work challenges can be addressed by such an approach; and (ii) helping institutionalise a more systemic approach within the ILO, particularly relative to the environment, gender, and the humanitarian-development-peace nexus thematic areas.
The MSD approach is a methodology that seeks to promote changes in economic sectors and value chains. The MSD approach to decent work helps guide projects to address key systemic challenges in these sectors and value chains to enhance: (i) sustainability of outcomes: decent work improvements that last beyond the period of intervention; and (ii) scalability of outcomes: innovations are replicated, spill over and spread beyond just those partners and areas the intervention is directly working with.
The intern will work under the supervision of the SCI and in collaboration with other SCI technical staff to support technical work for each of the two pillars. More specific tasks and duties are outlined in the section below
Within the SCI team, the intern will work to:
• Provide technical inputs and support to market systems analysis and implementation of MSD projects in various developing countries, that could include (but not limited to) Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, Mali, Senegal, Ghana, Lebanon, etc.
• Assist the SCI team in positioning the ILO as lead multilateral agency in the application of systemic approaches to decent work. This include supporting different SCI stream of work, such as training, knowledge generation, in-country projects, and the development of global partnerships.
• Support the SCI Team with writing, editing, and dissemination of various knowledge products on topics related to the application and impact of systemic approaches to development interventions.
• Provide inputs to and editing concept notes and full proposal documents for new ILO market systems development projects in collaboration with other ILO teams and department and field specialists.
• Providing technical and logistic support for the organisation of webinars and events related to systemic approaches to decent work.
• Contribute about 20% of his/her time to administrative tasks. This includes facilitating processing of ILO administrative and contracting procedures.
As an intern in the SCI team, you will gain experience on the following areas:
• How the market systems development approach to decent work in value chains development projects can deliver more sustainable and scalable employment-related outcomes;
• How the market systems development approach can deliver both social (employment-related) and environmental outcomes;
• Engagement with multiple stakeholders, including other UN agencies, SMEs, donors, and social partners;
• Project cycle management and adaptive management;
• Monitoring and evaluation, and in particular on Monitoring Results Measurements for private sector development programming.
The candidate should be enrolled in their final year of graduate degree programme or should have completed such a programme no longer than 1 years ago (mandatory) in the field of Economics, Management, Business, International Development, International Relations, Sustainability and Environment.
Relevant volunteer or professional experience with organisations working on development issues is essential. Professional experience in donor-funded development projects is preferable. Field experience in developing countries is considered a plus.
Proficiency in English is essential. Working knowledge of a second official UN language (French or Spanish) is an advantage.
Strong writing skills
Strong communication skills and demonstrated experience in communicating with different audiences
Research skills demonstrated through academic or professional research
Ability to build collaborative relationships and to work in international teams
Ability to prioritize workload
Adaptable to an international, multicultural and multilingual environment, excellent communication skills and be able to work in a team.
Proficiency in MS Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) Basic knowledge of layout / design is considered a plus.
How to apply:
1. Search for an internship profile via the page on ILO Jobs
2. Select the internship profile you would like to apply for, and create a profile on ILO Jobs
3. Complete your candidate profile and apply to the internship profile
4. Be sure to attach a cover letter in the last section of the application, as applications without a cover letter will not be considered and you cannot attach a cover letter after the deadline.
Selection process:
Following a first screening by the Human Resources Development Department (HRD), hiring departments will short-list applicants. You will be directly contacted should an internship opportunity match your profile. If you have not been contacted by any department within six months after your application, you can consider that you have not been selected by any department for this roster. If still eligible, you may apply to the next roster.
If shortlisted, you may be contacted by the hiring department for a written test and/or interview. The ILO may use communication technologies such as Skype, Video or teleconference, e-mail, etc for the assessment and evaluation of candidates.
Stipend:
As an intern in Geneva, you will receive a stipend of 2450 CHF per month from the ILO, unless you receive funding through another institution (for example your university or a foundation). If you receive partial funding, ILO will cover the difference to ensure you receive 2450 CHF per month. Your travel to Geneva will be at your own expense.
In addition to the amounts referred above, each intern shall receive the amount of CHF45 per month, or the equivalent amount in the currency in which the monthly stipend is paid, which is a contribution from the Office towards the cost of medical insurance to cover the period of the internship.
Insurance:
Please note that the ILO does not take responsibility for any costs arising from accidents and/or illness incurred during the internship. You will be responsible for your own insurance coverage for illness and accidents for the duration of the internship at the duty station (whether Geneva or the field).
Fraud warning:
The ILO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process whether at the application, interview, processing or training stage. Messages originating from a non ILO e-mail account - @ilo.org - should be disregarded. In addition, the ILO does not require or need to know any information relating to the bank account details of applicants.
This vacancy is archived.