Making Learning Matter: Training Impact Evaluation e-forum

http://www.unhabitat.org/programmes/tcbb/forum/index.asp

The e-Forum on Training Impact Evaluation is launched collaboratively by TCBB and the Development Planning Unit (DPU) of the University College London. This initiative comes as a result of the TCBB's ongoing commitment to continuously improve the effectiveness of human settlements training and capacity building. It also aims to explore further the widespread demand for training impact evaluation (TIE) guidelines and methodologies, as this has been repeatedly expressed amongst TCBB's global partners.

This e-forum aims to advance the knowledge on Training Impact Evaluation (TIE), and validate experience on TIE. Therein, it is envisaged that the collective deliberations on the e-forum will lead towards the joint development of an innovative framework and guidelines on Training Impact Evaluation for TCBB's various partner training and capacity building institutions. Such process will furthermore underpin and support the future field testing of methodologies and tools by the partners involved.

Up to 25 organisations have registered for this learning initiative, including a number of local government training institutions who have sent a participant to the workshop "Making learning matter: training impact on performance" organised by TCBB late last year (4-7 October 2005) in Manchester, United Kingdom. At the close of that workshop, participants expressed the interest to further reflect on the impact training organisations can make towards changes in human settlements development.

Promoting Local Economic Development through Strategic Planning; Training of Trainers workshop for Eastern Africa; 21 –25 May 2005; Nyeri, Kenya

UN–HABITAT through its Training and Capacity Building Branch will hold a training of trainers workshop on promoting local economic development (LED) through strategic planning.  The four day workshop for Eastern Africa is proposed to expose lead national training institutions, associations of local authorities, local government ministries and municipalities to locally owned and driven development approaches and tools and also explore opportunities for their enhanced role in supporting LED initiatives in their respective countries and at a regional level.

This will be an opportunity to respond to the emerging need to promote local economic development (LED) in the context of rapid urbanization, and to anchor the role which LED plays in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The workshop will provide participants with the opportunity to draw action plans for LED that will directly complement efforts to achieve MDGs locally.

The four-day workshop will utilize the LED manuals developed by UN-HABITAT and EcoPLan International, promoting an inclusive, participatory process that integrates strategic planning, community participation, sustainability and good decision-making into local economic development.

The collaborating partners in this workshop include the East Africa Local Government Association, The Association of Local Government Authorities of Kenya, and the  Government Training Institute  Mombasa. The workshop will also receive expertise inputs from the Centre for International Cooperation of Israel (MASHAV) based on the memorandum of understanding signed with UN-HABITAT in 2005.

A pool of 24 trainers and informed practitioners from local governments,  training institutes, local authority associations and Municipalities  across East Africa and a set of action plans for possible future implementation and collaboration will be the key output for the workshop.

UN-HABITAT through its Training and Capacity Building Branch (TCBB) is planning a Sub-regional Training of Trainers for South Pacific Island on Local Elected Leadership to be held in Fiji from 27 March to 8 April 2006, in collaboration with Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF). The two-week programme will benefit some 25 trainers representing 8 Islands states (Papua New Guinea, Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Tonga, and Fiji). As well, 40 councillors from surrounding municipalities in Fiji will participate in a pilot training component of the ToT. The training will create a pool of resources persons to design and deliver interactive training programmes on leadership in the region and generate country-specific action plans for implementation and follow-up at the national levels.

For more details see the PDF Document

TCBB is currently planning for the above workshop in collaboration with the Network of Local Government Training and Research Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (LOGOTRI) and Shanghai Administrative Institute (SAI). The two-day workshop will utilize the LED manuals developed by UN-HABITAT and EcoPLan International, promoting an inclusive, participatory process that integrates strategic planning, community participation, sustainability and good decision-making into local economic development. It also provides key links to other training and implementation opportunities that could assist the local district, city, town or community with economic development.

The workshop is part of on-going LOGOTRI activities and is specifically designed to enable leaders of national local government training organisations across Asia to familiarise themselves with tools and techniques for local economic development. The estimated 30 participants will be senior level officials and trainers from the LOGOTRI member institutions, with a capacity to advocate and develop their own national workshops based the LED principles.

For more details see the PDF Document