ICTworks by Inveneo

The use of ICT to strengthen youth employability in the developing world ought to be pursued vigorously. To be clear: ICTs aren't the only route to improving the employability of youth, but it should be used as a key tool because of the anticipated growth potential and youth employability crisis experienced by most societies in the developing world.

Making money from movies in Nigeria

Youth constitute more than half of the world’s population, of which 81 million are unemployed− 7.8 million more than the number in 2007− a disproportionate number as youth only make up a third of the world's working population. No where is youth employability constraints worse than in the developing world, where a majority of the world’s youth live.

This is a huge development challenge. Clearly, a deeper engagement with youth is needed to foster more sustainable futures. That must start with efforts to equip young people, a demographic force, with marketable ICT skills because of the immense employment and wider economic opportunities ahead.

Barely 15% of the half a trillion dollar global IT-enabled services market, which is expected to treble to between US$1.5 and 1.6 trillion by 2020, has been tapped, according to the World Bank. Developing regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa reap the least rewards from this unprecedented opportunity for economic growth and skilled jobs. The fact that they experience higher youth and overall unemployment levels should serve as an impetus for creating an enabling environment for ICT innovation and expansion. It is a paucity of ICT skills across the continent that cause it to lag so far behind amid rapid growth in the telecoms and services sector. This reduces the potential returns on ICT investment, restricts the quality of service delivered and stifles new investment across a continent in need of rapid and sustained new enterprises.

Souktel services in the Middle East

As the World Bank's flagship ICT initiative for Africa, the New Economy Skills for Africa Program: Information and Communication Technology (NESAP-ICT), puts it: “The lack of skilled manpower is a binding constraint to realizing the potential of the sector. Even India which has 30% of the global labor supply suitable for the industry expects a shortfall of 0.8 to 1.2 million skilled workers for its ITES industry by 2012.” The onus is therefore upon Sub-Saharan Africa and other developing parts of the world “to boost its "talent" profile so as to benefit from this burgeoning market opportunity”.

That talent profile depends on the nature and quality of training and education that the developing world's youth are exposed to. It is my view that a range of incentives and curricular reforms are needed to ensure that young people are suitably trained to acquire jobs in the ICT sector and explore entrepreneurial opportunities.

The current mode of education in most developing countries is outmoded. Significant curricular reform is needed, including the creation of advanced ICT curricular modules to supplement and be integrated into basic ICT courses for youth in schools, youth centers and technology hubs. By improving the curriculum in developing countries with enhanced ICT focus in the fashion proposed, skill levels and employability among young people will improve. Furthermore, these employability skills are likely to enable more young people to venture into entrepreneurial activities.

Jim Wiggins adjusting a WiFi antenna in Saint Marc, Haiti

(download this job description in pdf form)

Position Summary:

Inveneo is seeking a Project Engineer who will implement technical solutions in the rural and developing world, train Inveneo’s growing global network of IT partners, and seek new appropriate technologies. Inveneo’s engineering team is small and agile. Our engineers must be technical generalists able to adapt quickly to unpredictable conditions and unforeseen technical challenges.

Major Responsibilities:

• Guide technical aspects of projects from design through implementation:
• Evaluate potential projects
• Prepare technical quotes
• Survey project locations in the field
• Assess project technical requirements
• Design technical solutions including server/workstation hardware, wireless/wired networks, solar/generator/battery power systems and appropriate software applications
• Deploy technical solutions in the field
• Build technical capacity of Inveneo partners by leading both classroom and practical training sessions
• Provide technical support to Inveneo partners and clients via phone, email, chat, online forums, and other channels
• Identify and research new technologies to assess suitability for the rural and developing world
• Create and maintain documentation and training materials
• Collaborate with the broader ICTD community using social media tools
• Assist Inveneo staff members with internal technical support requests
• Maintain and expand a broad range of technical skills in a self-guided manner

Required Job Skills and Experience:

• Strong self-starter, able to drive projects to completion in circumstances where little guidance and support is available
• Minimum 2 years Linux systems administration, desktop and server
• Minimum 2 years Windows systems administration, desktop and server
• Minimum 2 years LAN networking experience, including implementation of gateways, firewalls, NAT, and web proxies
• Minimum 2 years script and software development in one or more of the following languages: Python, Shell, Ruby, Java, C/C++, Perl
• Ability to administer network systems including but not limited to web servers, routers, firewalls, proxy servers, and mail servers
• Familiarity with GPS technology
• Ability to communicate highly technical information to a less technical audience
• Ability to deliver training in classroom and project settings
• Ability to work with people from a wide range of cultural, socio-economic, and religious backgrounds

Highly Desirable Job Skills and Experience:

• Experience traveling and working in developing regions
• Long distance wireless networking experience
• RF engineering experience
• IP routing experience
• AC, DC, and/or solar electrical system experience
• VOIP telephony experience
• Satellite connectivity experience
• Proficiency in French, Portuguese, Spanish, or Arabic

Additional Comments:

• Position is full-time, based in San Francisco
• Must be able to travel internationally to Inveneo project sites in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Middle East (Approximately 30% - 50% travel required)
• Must be willing to work outside of standard hours as needed to interact with international partners
• Must play well with others

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Position Summary:

Inveneo is seeking a Senior Technical Project Engineer who will be under contract to lead the continuing technical rollout for Inveneo’s Haiti Rural Broadband Program.

This position will require strong technical (networking), project management and relationship management skills and the candidate must speak fluent French. The candidate will report to the Program Director and also dotted line report to Inveneo’s CTO, who will lead the network architecture design.

Major Responsibilities:

Participate in the design of the Haiti backbone in close cooperation with and under the leadership of the CTO

Manage the deployment and stability of the Haiti backbone network based on program goals and key milestones set by the Haiti Program Director

• Contract and manage Inveneo in-country Inveneo Certified ICT Partners (ICIPs) to deploy and repair portions of the network backbone
• Perform quality checks on the network infrastructure deployed by partners
• Provide technical guidance and day-to-day responsibilities to in-country technical volunteers
• Quarterly reporting for the Haiti Connected Cities project (for network deployment)
• Manage equipment logistics and inventory management with Inveneo staff

Build capacity of local Inveneo ICT Entrepreneurs (the Inveneo BATI Program)

• Provide technical training to BATI in classroom (Phase I)
• Provide hands-on (Phase II) technical training to install customer links to service provider and Inveneo standards
• Train select BATI to perform low-power computing installations
• Create training materials and BATI installation documentation in French

Monitor and Maintaining overall health of Haiti Rural Network

• Ensure the technical quality of BATI and ICIP projects are to Inveneo standards
• Provide in-country second level technical support for the Haiti Connected Cities project. Proactively monitor and maintain the Connected Cities network.
• Participate in tool requirements and development (e.g. monitoring dashboard)
• Transition monitoring and maintenance to local Inveneo Certified Partners at the end of the program

Local Project Sales

• Share service provider connectivity leads and project leads to the responsible party at Inveneo or the appropriate Inveneo Partner in Haiti
• Play a technical advisory role for local computing projects

Read the details and apply today!

DAI’s Office of Information and Management Technology (OIMT) is looking for an Information Communications Technology (ICT) Senior Analyst who will design and implement innovative ICT solutions for DAI.

Reporting to the Senior Manager, ICT Services, the ICT Senior Analyst will support DAI’s information technology and knowledge needs around ICT services, implement technology strategies and solutions in conjunction with DAI’s sectors, and contribute to proposals and new business efforts. This position will be based in Bethesda, Maryland, with potential for periodic overseas travel.

The position will focus on providing ICT solutions to DAI’s five sectors: Economic Growth, Governance, Environment and Energy, Stability, and Health and will address ICT needs across the project lifecycle - from proposal development through project implementation and close-out.

Responsibilities:
• Identify, research, design, and implement ICT solutions that support DAI’s field projects and reflect DAI’s strategic objectives
• Work with home office and field staff to manage and implement ICT activities including but not limited to the areas of e-governance, mobile phones, social media, citizen engagement technologies, crowdsourcing, geospatial and visualization tools, websites, m-health, market information systems, data collection, etc.
• Support business acquisition by designing ICT solutions and integrating ICT activities into proposals, leading small and medium proposal efforts, developing proposal budgets and documenting corporate capabilities related to ICT
• Identify and manage ICT partners and subcontractors as needed
• Conduct outreach to and training activities for DAI staff on various aspects of ICT solutions
• Collect, document and distribute best practices; document key project information related to DAI’s ICT solutions
• Monitor industry trends related to ICT to inform client services and tools
• Perform other responsibilities related to the ICT team as assigned

The Fostering Agriculture Competitiveness Employing Information Communication Technologies project (FACET) is coordinated by USAID/EGAT/I&E/ICT and funded by USAID/AFR/SD/EGEA - the team that oversees the design and implementation of USAID's Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative (now named FTF ¡V Feed The Future) for sub-Saharan Africa.

FACET is designed to support USAID Africa Bureau Missions and works with implementing partners, national and local governments, and the private sector to provide technical assistance to better enhance the competitiveness and trade in the agriculture sector across Sub-Saharan Africa.

To achieve its objectives, FACET has two components:
1) Knowledge sharing across Missions regarding sustainable and scalable approaches to using ICT to increase the success of FTF activities; and
2) Short term technical assistance to projects to improve agriculture through the use of ICT.

Position Summary:

The Senior ICT and Agriculture Specialist will both lead the project as well and ensure the technical quality of project materials and provide technical assistance to USAID on an as needed basis.

Essential Job Functions:
- Oversee the project and provide technical assistance, including field-based assistance, across the agriculture sector using ICT tools. Field-based assistance may vary from short-term to ongoing assignments.
- Evaluate and assist USAID thinking through the deployment of agriculturally appropriate technology based solutions .
- Conduct a demand survey of USAID/AFR missions in SSA in order to gauge a systematic sense of the ICT application demands of missions and their agriculture-related projects.
- Write as well as oversee the production of quality thought pieces (including briefing papers, presentations and other forms of knowledge sharing) for USAID Missions and implementing partners on agriculture and ICT best practices.
- Enlist the support of other donors (e.g., foreign governments, private sector, etc.) and create multi-sector alliances focused on USAID/AFR FTF countries.
- Provide overall programmatic support to FACET and its team.
- Other duties assigned by the Center Director, as necessary.

Read more and apply today!