Position : Programme Manager of the Development Instructor training programme
Employer : KwaZulu-Natal College, Durban, South Africa
Location : Durban, South Africa
Location : Durban, South Africa
Duration : Aug 2002 – Feb 2007
Responsibilities:
- Managing and facilitating a training course for community activists.
- Management of residential facilities for 30-40 adults.
- Leadership of trainee staff.
- Facilitation of adult training course.
- Development of curriculum and design of training materials
The Development Instructor training programme provided theoretical and practical education for community activists. The training focused on project management and leadership skills, together with general understanding of development issues concerning southern Africa.
The participants came from all corners of the continent. The aim was to produce activists who could match their commitment and spirit with techniques and experience in order to deliver projects in their own country.I was employed for five years, first as a facilitator and later as the project manager. One of my achievements was leading the re-structuring of the curriculum to sucessfully atain accreditation by the government.
Operating within difficult conditions with a multi-national group of staff and participants, the position demanded creativity and practical problem solving. I gained a great deal of confidence, inter-personal and project management skills. I also gained a deep understanding of community development through different participatory techniques.The programme was run in partnership with the community based projects Humana People to People who provided work experience placements for our participants. Thus the programme consisted of six months training at our campus in Durban, followed by five months work in a project either within South Africa, or in Zimbabwe or Mozambique.