Paradigm shift from training to capacity development
During the first seven years of the project, REPC-MD has organized more than 50 trainings on conservation topics. These trainings were very popular. But we started to realize that it is very difficult for us to measure our impact. We, and most of our partners were more interested in going beyond expert based training and academic curricula, to equip PA staff with right skills and competences. The development of the Standards was the first step to move towards a competence approach. Instead of identifying topics or content to be taught to protected area managers and conservation actors, this approach looks for ways to help them better perform their job. Although we primarily worked on protected area management, we were able to duplicate the approach to a competency-based training program for conservation faculty-members. We have improved our assessment and evaluation methods to assess not only learning gains but to obtain proofs of performance as well.
Competency approach requires collaboration at individual and institutional level because the aim is improvement of job performance. Close collaboration with the Ministry in charge of PAs and with major NGOs helped us to position PA manager as a job on itself with its own sets of knowledge, skills and attitudes, and to develop a system of competency recognition. • Recent global advancements in PA capacity development confirmed the adoption of a competence approach. We got ideas from IUCN WCPA work as well as initiatives in other countries of East Africa.
The competency-based approach to enhance skills and identify gaps takes time for PA staff to understand, persistence is needed. We had the same guest lists for any of our event related to professionalization of PA management, in order to build a consistency of people that understand and assimilate the concepts and tools – or at least, are aware of the development of the approach. The position of the government (ministries and agencies) is really essential for real ownership and engagement by the various stakeholders. When the Ministry showed that it adhered to the vision and helped launch the initiative, other partners followed. The frequent change of staff at the Ministry level forced us to repeat some steps.