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6.3.2 Group empowerment: For-profit and NGO training activities

Guest post by: International Labour Organization

Article Overview: 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.

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

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Article Tags: capacity building, collective action, critical importance, e trade, employment and training, empowerment, holistic development, institutional mechanisms, international labour office, management training, new approach, paul bennell, political objectives, self belief, self confidence, sha, skill development, skill requirements, specialist organisations, training methodologies



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