Capacity Development & Technical Cooperation

This training lasts two days in HQ and up to three days in Delegations.  

Kindly note that training courses in EU Delegations are organised on-demand and in this case the modules are tailored on the country/region sector priorities.

Training Objectives

The purpose of the course is to give participants an understanding of the power of Capacity Development (CD), as reaffirmed in the Busan High level Forum on Aid & Development Effectiveness, both to support change and achieving sustainable results. By the end of the course participants will have : 

• Understanding of the core concepts of Capacity Development and how the EC is integrating these concepts into its development aid strategy
• More familiarity with Capacity Development as a way to facilitate organisational and system-wide change processes and reforms
• Information and resources for the practical application of Capacity Development support into the current and future programmes, from design through to monitoring for capacity results 

For a glimpse on the course please read the article Re-thinking Capacity Development Training After Busan and watch the video interview on the first pilot session.

Trainers

• Anthony Land
• Jos Brand

Jos Brand explains capacity development and why it matters: 

Views from participants

Valentina Auricchio on incorporating capacity development both in delegations and headquarters:

Friederike Beier on using capacity development principles to implement the Gender Action Plan (See also the Public Group on Gender):

Target Audience

DEVCO Operational staff working in Headquarters and in Delegations with their partners. DG NEAR staff managing ENI cooperation, both in Delegations and Headquarters.

The courses on Capacity Development and Policy Dialogue (restricted to EC and EEAS) are organised in sequence recognising the close interrelation of the two processes in the context of Development Cooperation. Interested participants are therefore encouraged to follow both courses.

Language

This course is offered in English

Content

• The core concepts, dimensions and models of capacity and its development.
  • Levels, type and themes for application
  • Models and theories
  • The relevance of culture and context
  • Methodologies
• Approaches to change processes
• Capacity Development indicators: formulating, measuring and showing results
• How to apply EC development cooperation procedures to foster Capacity Development throughout the programme and project cycle
• Resources and tools to enhance Capacity Development through knowledge sharing and peer-learning

Method

The course will be a combination of presentations, exercises to review content and case studies, small group works and discussions. Interaction and contributions from participants is an essential component of the training: participants will be asked to bring in their day to day experience in project and programme identification, formulation ad implementation.

Course Materials

DAY 1

• Session 1: Workshop overview
  Seminar objectives, participants’ introductions, course background and main elements of the course
• Session 2: Concepts and principles
  Inventory of critical issues to consider for CD, key definitions and presentation of the conceptual framework
• Session 3: Fit to the Context and Existing Capacity
  Generate participant cases and Explanation and discussion of context assessment
• Session 4: Partner's Demand and Ownership
  How to assess whether there is true demand for CD; how to avoid blueprint approaches and build the CD support base on the Partner vision for change? Link to participant's cases
• Session 5: Result-oriented design - 1
  How to follow clear results-chains for support to capacity development, working backwards from results to inputs and Exercise on results chains.

DAY 2

• Session 5: Result-oriented design - 2
  Monitoring of CD processes and results + exercises on linking results and indicators.
• Session 6: Designing the Change Process
• Session 7: Facilitating harmonisation
• Session 8: Facilitation in practise 

Methodological Training References

• Toolkit for Capacity Development, EUROPEAID
• The EC "Guidelines on making TC more Effective"
• Thematic Session on Capacity Development - Busan 2011
• Institutional Assessment and Capacity Development - Why, What, and How?
• EU Common Position for the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (Busan, 2011)
• Learning Package on Capacity Development, Part 1: The Core Concept

Further viewing