EuropeAid supports capacity development of its staff by providing Methodological Training and seminars in subjects ranging from Policy Dialogue to Aid Effectiveness, Budget Support to Green Economy. Trainings and seminars, held in Brussels and in Delegation, are open to EC/EEAS staff and, in some instances, to participants from partner organisations and governments.
EuropeAid engages the services of specialist trainers to deliver a comprehensive range of methodological trainings for staff. “The aim is to develop our capacities to better design and implement projects and programmes in the field, “ said Eleonora Avagliano, Quality Officer at EuropeAid’s Quality Unit.
Apart from focusing on the main methodological themes, such as Project and Programme Cycle Management, Monitoring, Capacity Development, Aid Effectiveness, Policy Dialogue and so on, trainings are offered on specialised subjects including Applied Macroeconomics and Domestic Revenue Mobilisation.
“The information on training is available to EC/EEAS members on Syslog, and is complemented by information on capacity4dev.eu, where materials for specific trainings are available,” added Ms Avagliano.
For a list of currently available trainings, please visit the Methodological Training page (EC/EEAS access only) on capacity4dev.eu.
Methodological seminars with sector focus are also held in partner countries for staff in delegation. For instance, in the water sector, seminars are held every two years in each region, bringing together about 30 participants.
Sonia Tato-Serrano, a Policy Officer for Water and Sanitation at EuropeAid, organised last October’s training in Lesotho for staff working in EU delegations of English-speaking African countries.
“The purpose of these seminars is to get people working in the EU delegations to meet and get updated on the new guidelines and procedures, as well as all the water and sanitation issues that are discussed at Headquarters,” she explained.
The week-long seminar is divided into presentations, working groups, plenary sessions, debates and field work. The field visit in Lesotho included a tour of the ACP-EU Water Facility-Maseru Wastewater Project, under the guidance of the project’s manager, Palesa Monongoaha, who is also a Senior Engineer with the Lesotho Water And Sewerage Company (WASCO).
Ms Tato-Serrano stressed that the seminars are also ideal forums for exchange of experiences, as every participant is expected to do a presentation of his own work. “There are a lot of common challenges. Often, when somebody raises problems or difficulties faced in their country, someone says, “Hold on, I faced the same problem, and this is how I solved it!”” she said.
“The most important lesson learned from these seminars is that there is no substitute for human contact and peer exchange to help develop people’s capacities,” she added.
The next Regional Water and Sanitation seminar will take place in June, in Rabat, Morocco, for participants from the Neighbourhood Region.
For more information about Methodological Trainings please visit the Methodological Support and Training Group (EC/EEAS access only) on capacty4dev.eu.
This collaborative piece was drafted with input from Eleanora Avagliano and Sonia Tato-Serrano, with support from the capacity4dev.eu Coordination Team.
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