In this issue
MDF has released its programme for 2012! Flip through the booklet (on the right side) or directly go to the calendar page. Other topics covered in this NewsLetter are:
- New courses
- Blended learning
- Alliance and network management
- News from South Africa
- Join MDF on LinkedIn, Twitter & Facebook
- Upcoming courses
New courses!
You will find a number of new courses in our programme. Why are we offering these courses in 2012 and what can you expect from them?
Private Sector and Development
Being one of the rare private players in the arena of development cooperation, MDF understands how private organisations operate in a competing market with many different governmental, non governmental and private actors. We believe in Corporate Social Responsibility of organisations who in addition to their own interests, contribute to the development of society and respect the principles of sustainability. We will advocate and translate this vision and approach into concrete advice and appropriate training courses. Have a look on the respective pages of the Comprehensive Assessment, Result Measurement for Sustainable Private Sector Development, and Practising Corporate Social Responsibility.
Management of Organisations
A number of our courses aim to enhance your understanding of managerial challenges and the performance of the organisation. Although it sounds very logic and abvious to manage for results, reality is often different. Information about the achievements is not correct or too late and moreover it is difficult to adjust your systems and change staff behavior in favor of more or better results. MDF will therefore offer the Result Based Management course in 2012.
Organisational and Institutional Development
No development without capacity. This logic makes capacity development a key for successful international cooperation. But whose or what kind of capacity needs to be developed? Leading Organisational Change specifically focuses on how to shape and manage a successful change process through which organisational capacity development is to be realised. Creativity in Organisational Problem Solving provides you with a range of creative tools and methods that will offer you an unconventional perspective on how to face organisational challenges.
Blended learning
Already for a number of years MDF uses blended learning in some of her services. With blended learning we refer to a learning approach that combines learning in a face-to-face (f2f) classroom setting together with online learning (e-learning) methods.
Kindly share your ideas about blended learning so that we can further improve our services to you and to your colleagues. To join the questionnaire click here, it will take about 5 minutes. Thank you!
Alliance and network management
How have you been developing your skills as a network/alliance manager in the past months? And how would you like to continue developing yourself? Share your experiences with fellow practitioners and fill out the questionnaire here. We will feed back a summary.
News from South Africa
In South Africa, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) has started the project “Transforming the Agricultural Colleges into Agricultural Training Institutes” in which all twelve Agricultural Colleges are involved. The project started early 2011 and is funded out of the NICHE programme implemented by NUFFIC on behalf of the Dutch Government. MDF is one of the consortium members.
DAFF is guiding a process in which the Agricultural Colleges will move from Provincial accountability towards national accountability and will directly be linked to DAFF. The College has to adhere to well worked out Norms and Standard which give guidance for their management structure and quality assurance of their services. The strong emphasis of South Africans Government on Rural Development (rural wealth creation) induce that the Agricultural Colleges have a major role to play and to prove that they are able to perform according to set norms and standards. This means that they will be, from now on, be called Agricultural Training Institutes (ATI).
This project (NICHE/ZAF/041) is executed by the Consortium lead by Wageningen University and Research Centre/Centre for Development and Innovation (WUR/CDI), in collaboration with the International Centre for development oriented Research in Agriculture (ICRA), Aeres Group (including CAH, STOAS, GHC and PTC+) and MDF Training & Consultancy.
During the inception period, the team has worked on the development of a participatory approach which would allow the ATIs to learn and advance according to own need and speed. Therefore the approach of Community of Learning and Action (COLA) has been developed. The ATIs will group in entities of 3-5 ATIs around a chosen subject. One ATI takes the lead and all come together in 4-6 sessions planned over one year. They will be supported and monitored by DAFF (and the consortium) in the realisation of the set outcome and deliverables for their ATI.
In the last week of September 2011, the launch workshop of the project took place. The support and interest for the COLA approach is very high. In stead of the planned four COLAs, five COLAs were started up. The following subject will be dealt with:
- Competency Based Learning for Curriculum development in Higher Education (HE) (2 COLAs)
- Competency Based Learning for Curriculum development in Further Education and Training (FET)
- Quality Assurance and accreditation
- Policy development for ATI level (rules and regulations)
Short guidelines for application and the running for the COLA have been developed and endorsed. Funds are available for the meetings. Expert assistance (international and national), training etc for deepening out a certain subject, can be funded upon request.
Next to this modality for capacity building, funds are available for short/long term training, for on-demand training for (grouped) ATIs, for study visits.
For more information on the project, please contact: project Manager DAFF, Ms Jeanette Sprinkhuizen (email: JeanetteSp@daff.gov.za), the project manager Dutch Consortium Mr André Boon, (email: Andre.Boon@wur.nl), or Marie José Niesten (MN@mdf.nl), Director MDF West Africa.
Join us on
Upcoming courses
Institutional Development and Organisational Strengthening
Ede, 5 – 16 December 2011
Come to understand the essential conditions for successful change in your organisation and the implications for individuals working within!
Group Facilitation
Ede, 12 – 16 December 2011
Guide the spirit and wisdom of groups and achieve consensus to find workable solutions.
Knowledge Management for Development
Ede, 13 – 16 December 2011
Have you been able to have the right information at the right place and at the right time? Or are you looking for some more practise and refreshing insights?
Outcome Mapping
Ede, 13 – 16 December 2011
Join and draw parallels with other planning, monitoring and evaluation methods and organise ideas to fit to your context most effectively.
Capacity Works
Ede, 13 – 15 December 2011
GIZ's Capacity WORKS model aims at raising the quality of sustainable development. It is used to steer international cooperation projects and facilitates the management and promotion of professionalisation of all partners.
Other upcoming courses are: Alliance and Network management; Strategic Planning; Advocacy and Policy Influencing; Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning; Writing Winning Proposals; Personal Effectiveness; Leadership and people management; Human Resources Management in an International Context; Managing for Development Results.
More information and registration
Click on the title of the course and for a complete overview of our courses this year view our course calendar or contact our registration officer Ms Marieke Dikken.
Come and join us!
Hans Rijneveld and Herman Snelder
Directors MDF Training & Consultancy
