6.3.2 Group empowerment: For-profit and NGO training activities

The new approach to skill development tends to be more overtly political in that its primary focus is to support collective action among groups of the poor and, particularly women, in order to achieve specific economic, social and political objectives. Self-help associations (SHA) have become one of the main institutional mechanisms for achieving this. There are two main types of SHA- work-related (i.e. trade or occupation) and community-based.

NGOs help to empower the poor by providing support that enables them to take responsibility for diagnosing their own problems and developing appropriate solutions. This process of empowerment focuses, therefore, on the holistic development of individuals and, in particular, with promoting awareness and attitudes that result in greater self-confidence and self-belief. Only when this has been achieved can worthwhile training be achieved. As a consequence, groups learn mainly by doing rather than as a result of conventional training activities.

Where specific new skills are needed that cannot be acquired through 'self training' and 'solidarity circles', it is essential that training is directly related to meeting these skill requirements and that training methodologies are appropriate for the targeted individuals.

There is a reasonable consensus that individual NGOs should not normally take responsibility for delivering all the services required (credit, technical and management training, technical/assistance), but rather they should be able to tap into a network of specialist organisations, both government and private, which have developed appropriate expertise. Support for capacity building among NGOs is of critical importance if these networks are to function efficiently.

EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING PAPERS 43 Learning to change: Skills development among the economically vulnerable and socially excluded in developing countries Paul Bennell Employment and Training Department International Labour Office Geneva First published 1999 To learn more about this author, visit International Labour Organization's Website.

Like this article? Share it with your friends

E-Mail | Print | More

Related Articles
6.3.2 Group empowerment: For-profit and NGO training activities
	The new approach to skill development tends to be more overtly political in that its primary focus is to support collective action among groups of the poor and, particularly women, in order to achieve specific econo...
Euphemisms for Saying "I Don't Know"
	There are times when the perfect answer to a question is, "I don’t know." At those times, say precisely that, with confidence or authority. Sometimes it's unwise to say "I don’t know."
2.2.2 The concept of training: Contributory factors
	The general failure to clarify precisely what activities should be included in "training to overcome EVSE" has resulted in considerable confusion and vagueness.
7.3.1 Pro-poor development: Mainstreaming skills development for the poor
	Creating a training system that effectively supports the needs of the poor can only be done as part of a broader pro-poor development strategy. Training on its own cannot solve the fundamental underlying problem of ...
3.2 The private sector: Training priorities, resources and reorientation
	Little is known about the extent to which private sector training provision benefits the poor and even less is known about recent trends.

---

Related Forum Posts
	Updated: Facebook- $3,200 in new revenue
	Training
	One Thing To Note
	BNI Groups - do they work?
	Wii Fit so far so good

---

Related Businesses - Evan Elite Authors

The Evan Elite Authors program is currently in beta phase. For details please contact us.