Local consultant to support and guide Department of Journalism and Communication, University of Tirana in conducting a survey and analysis of the media market in Albania
Alert
Vacancy
Background:
The OSCE is now fully engaged in managing the EU-funded Media in Focus project which aims at enhancing media professionalism and independence, and promote media pluralism in Albania. This project builds upon the previous work of the Presence, in strategic partnership with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), to support the transformation of the national Public Broadcaster - Albanian Radio Television (RTSH) - into a modern, strong and independent organization with quality programming, enhanced credibility and public trust. It will also aim to improve media professional standards and enhance media education in Albania, by modernizing the curriculum and educational process of the Department of Journalism and Communication of the University of Tirana (hereinafter “Journalism Department”). The support to the Journalism Department will entail updating the curriculum to include a more practical approach, thus ensuring that graduates are equipped with the skills and knowledge to compete in the modern media landscape. To that end, the project will include training and assessments of existing education practice and human resources needs of current Albanian media, in order to redesign the curriculum to embrace a hands-on approach tailored to the needs of the digitalized age. To embrace regional educational cooperation, exchanges will be organized for the Journalism Department to learn from good practices from advanced journalism public schools across the Balkans and Western Europe. Tat the moment here is a real need to support the Journalism Department of the public University of Tirana as it strives to modernise its curriculum and develop new generations of highly professional journalists, well acquainted with international media standards and better adapted to the modern media market. During Albania’s communist time, the Journalism Department was part of the Faculty of Law and focused mainly on preparing a limited number of journalists who would be working for the only party newspaper, very few press outlets and the state television, Albanian Radio Television. In 1991, the Journalism Department was transferred to the Faculty of History and Philology. Its curricula was reformed and enriched with more courses on historical developments, political systems and Albanian language, as well as courses such as: news writing and reporting, radio journalism, TV journalism, media marketing etc. For 16 years now, the Journalism Department has trained journalists who reach hundreds of thousands of readers and listeners across the country every day. Each year, an average of 100 journalism and communication students benefit from teaching and training methodology in this department through the Bologna education model (3+2 years). Yet, the teaching approach in these modules has been dominated by old fashioned and theoretical-focused “ex cathedrae” lectures delivery. The Journalism Department has repeatedly tried to change the curricula and adapt it to the real needs of the market. The last change of the curricula was completed nine years ago, in 2010. Still, in the era of rapid technological changes, dominated by digital media, the existing curricula seriously lacks the vital practical hands-on approach.
Through modernizing the existing curricula of journalism and communication, students will be equipped with advanced journalistic skills, leading to a better-prepared future generation of journalists contributing to the media market in Albania.
In the same time, the Project will support the conduction of a drafting a media market survey/analysis of the Human Resources needs of Albanian media in order to match desired level of skills and competences with the needs of a future digitalized media market in Albania.
This survey will provide reliable analysed information on main media trends in the country, and feed into the revised curricula and future educational programme of the Department. In addition, three consultation events are planned to be organized with relevant stakeholders related to the assessment of HR needs of media market in Albania.
The Presence is now recruiting one senior local expert to lead work and fully support Deparmemt of Journalism in preparing the mdethodolgy, conducting the survey and finalizing the report on media market needs in Albania.
The consultant will work together with the working group at the Department of Journalism to draft the methodology, prepare the questionnaire and direct work for the interviews to be conducted as well as focus groups. The consultant will also be highly engaged in organizing and preparing the consultation events planned to be organized with relevant stakeholders related to the assessment of HR needs of media market. The consultant will support drafting of a final analysis, including suggestions recommendation with all relevant stakeholders.
The expert will be supported with material and access to Department of Journalism and Communication during his/her visits and will be guided by the Project Manager and Presence staff in charge of the ExB project.
This contact will be in touch on frequent basis during his/her work via skype or phone, plus for ad-hoc exchange of information or questions via e-mail as needed.
The work will include desk research, interviews and meetings with lecturers, beneficiaries and stakeholders. The expert will elaborate on all the areas considered for assistance.
Tasks and responsibilities:
A local expert will be hired on a Special Service Agreement by the Presence for the analysis /survey. He should have an extensive experience in teaching and education process, with a particular focus on journalism and communication.
The report will be based on desk research, a thorough assessment of the media situation and media market needs, existing assessments and data from publicly available sources, the expert’s own professional experience and/or information obtained during the visit/consultation process to Tirana.
The local expert is expected to:
• Draft an outline of the survey/analysis on media market needs in the Albanian media, in close cooperation with Journalism Department, including including methodology, questionnaires, list of interviews planned in diverse media outlets and organizations. • Prepare a first draft of the report, making use of own desk research, first assessment of the data, studies and surveys provided to the expert by the project manager as well as data from the questionnaire, interviews as well as focus groups. • The expert will incorporate into the final product all suggestions and recommendations coming from the working team at the Department of Journalism • Be in close cooperation on a daily basis with the project manager and the Presence staff in charge of the EU-Funded Media in Focus project as well as Media Development Unit, OSCE Presence in Albania during. Constant contact for information sharing and questions will be conducted via e-mail. • Guide the university working team in what kind of support and information is needed for the accomplishment of the tasks. • The local expert is expected to conduct work in person in up to a total of 20 working days for in person meetings and interviews with key stakeholders, beneficiaries and the Presence. The expert will in addition to the fee agreed in this contract, be provided DSA, flight and terminal allowance for the assessment visits he participates in and time spent in Tirana.
Expected Output/Deliverable:
• Outline of the assessment report focusing on the existing education process and teaching methods at Journalism Department, UT, including including methodology, list of literature to be reviewed, questionnaires, list of interviews planned at the Department of Journalism - January 2020 • 1st draft of the report, making use of own desk research, data from questionnaire, studies and surveys provided to the expert by the project manager as well as results from focus groups conducted. • Final report of the media market needs assessment. 30 March 2020
Necessary Qualifications:
• Have a PhD or advanced degree in journalism and communication, political science, social science, law,
• Minimum 15 years of professional experience in education process; Especially in journalism and communication; providing concrete documentation of previous work in the area.
• Computer literate.
• Fluency in English.
Remuneration
The payment for this consultancy will be in accordance with the OSCE established rates and upon submission and approval of the deliverables mentioned above.
How to apply
All applications are due by 27 December 2019. If you wish to apply for this position, please use the OSCE's online application link found under link https://jobs.osce.org/. The OSCE retains the discretion to re-advertisethevacancy, to cancel the recruitment, to offer a contract with modified Terms of Reference or for a different duration. The OSCE is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious, ethnic and social backgrounds to apply to become a part of the organization. Please be aware that the OSCE does not request payment at any stage of the application and review process