International Capacity Building System for pro-poor market development facilitators,rev3
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Transcript of International Capacity Building System for pro-poor market development facilitators,rev3
International
Capacity Building System
for Facilitators
of Pro-Poor Market Development
The Context
• paradigms of pro-poor VC development and facilitation are gaining strength
• increasing demand for field staff who can facilitate sustainable VC development that achieves impact at scale
• strong pressure on organisations to minimise travelling due to Climate Change
The Challenges
• supply of training is not well coordinated and not coping with the demand
• majority of field facilitators work in distant locations
• cannot afford to pay expensive courses and the travel costs to attend
• cannot afford the time to be away from their work and families
The Opportunity
• awareness of the importance of SUSTAINABLE capacity building
• good supply of new knowledge (academics and practitioners)
• existence of sustainable learning and peer-support networks
• ICTs made possible reaching out to large numbers of people in distant locations and at low cost
Central Idea
• a sustainable, international SYSTEM
• that integrates the best knowledge, professionals and institutions
• to build capacity, mentor and connect
• large numbers of field staff
• in different contexts worldwide
• at low costs
A fascinating puzzle
Picture of first brainstorm session, March 2010
Piece #1: The Groove
Piece #2: Donors focusing on VCD
Piece #3: MaFI
Piece #4: Local Learning Groups
Piece #5: Training Courses
Piece #6: Field Practitioners
• Current staff or newcomers
•Working or wanting to work in pro-poor market development
•Who need basic concepts and skills
•Who need to connect and collaborate with communities of experts
•Who come from linear, supply-led, top-down approaches
Piece #7: The “Missing Link”
An entry point into the world of pro-poor market development facilitation for large numbers of current and new practitioners.
Proposed solution : a distance, low-cost, short course with a focus on the very basics of pro-poor market development facilitators in the field.
5 functions of the “Missing Link”
• Integration (of different materials and
techniques)
• Production (of new materials)
• Delivery (of basic content and training)
• Certification
• Mass Access (large numbers of trainees)
• 150,000 undergraduates• 30,000 postgrad students• Nearly all part-time• 50,000+ sponsored by employers• Totally dedicated to distance learning• Experience in students with low qualifications• 25,000+ students live outside the UK• Ethos rooted on ideal of inclusion of low-
income students
A potential partner to build the “missing link”
Milestones of the exploration so far…
• 9 March 2010: exploratory meeting between
Practical Action and Open Uni
• April-Sep: Email discussions with key
stakeholders (trainers, donors, networks,
practitioners)
• Sep 2010: workshop Practical Action, OU and
DFID’s M4P Facility project
The system at work…
• training matl’s
• trends and needs
• joint learning agendas• focus on facilitation• link local-global
• further training (advanced courses)
• training matl’s
• trends and needs
•co-funding (for access to level 101)
Entry-level course•training matl’s• follow-up• mentoring
• networking• peer-support• channel to share new experiences
Typical alumni profile and possible benefits:
• Graduated after 3-6 months (ideally less)• With the basic skills to understand the main elements of
facilitation of pro-poor market development• With the ability to connect to a wider international
community of practice (virtual and face-to-face)• With the drive and peer-support to apply new knowledge
in the field• Fast-track access to MaFI and reduced rates to more
advanced courses such as AFE, ILO, OU and Springfield (incentives for students)
• Projects facilitated by graduates get extra points when assessed by donors who “approve” the training course (incentives for the graduates’ employers)
Key principles of the system
• Economic Sustainability (including the investments made by donors)
• Integration: the system should integrate sources of knowledge and training providers as much as possible
• Win-win: the system’s business model has to provide benefits to all the “pieces” involved
• Continuous Learning: this is not about a one-off course; this is about iterative learning, and sustainable networking and peer-support
Proposed Action Plan
• Create small group of promoters of the initiative (task force?)
• Analyse entry-level course models and requirements/implications
• Survey stakeholders (mainly trainers) to understand their position,
interests and needs
• Review main courses in the market to identify gaps. (To make sure that
entry-level course adds value to existing courses instead of competing
against them)
• Define content for the entry-level course (from 100 to 101)
• Market analysis to find out maximum investments ($ and time) that
typical practitioners are willing to invest to get to 101 level
• Create Advisory Group to maximise coordination of parts of the system
(e.g. trainers, donors, NGOs, networks, etc)
• Design and pilot entry level course (during 2011-2012)