Announcing the new Engagement Facilitation module
Engagement Facilitation
The first course to be developed for 2018 under IAP2 Australasia’s new model of education governance is Engagement Facilitation. The intention of this course is to upskill engagement practitioners in planning for a facilitation process and to manage the situation in which they find themselves. Increasingly, it seems that engagement practitioners need to facilitate the progress of a project internally as well as externally. Hence, this course will enhance the essential professional skills of practitioners but not create facilitators, per se – we need to make that very clear. Information about ways to gain a facilitation certification will be provided.
The successful tender was awarded to Make Stuff Happen PL. and principal consultant, Ian Colley, who has a career in facilitation (in-company and public courses), change management and executive roles in training policy and delivery in government and corporate contexts, is now working with an IAP2 Australasia (IAP2A) Project Panel to develop the course.
What is education governance and what difference does it make?
Courses can be developed from a range of sources, such as a role specification, a new employment requirement or just a good idea. Sometimes the need for a course can seem obvious but it is important for a professional institute to validate the need and to ensure that the course is ‘right’ for the intended cohort. Such a process usually means commissioning an appropriate author, running a pilot and incorporating the feedback into the course development. Trainers are then trained to deliver that course.
IAP2A has instigated the concept of a project panel that acknowledges the participant and relevant research, oversees the development of the course, then reviews the performance of the course each year, and recommends enhancements or the commissioning of ‘the next step up’ or a complementary course.
The key task of IAP2A’s Project Panels is to act as a reality check to make sure it is developing a course that meets the needs of members. The Engagement Facilitation course Project Panel consists of:
- Two IAP2A trainers (Rachael Edgington [Aus] and Chris Mene [NZ]) who know our participants and can convey their concerns and priorities
- Current participants or graduates of IAP2A’s Certificate in Engagement Claire Paddison (WA), Tanya Vernes (Vic) and Debbie Gee (NZ) who likewise know what they personally – and their colleagues in engagement – need as professional development
- Karen Wilden (ACT) who is a stakeholder representative – as ACT engagement staff will be required to manage the progress of more projects internally and external, she has offered to host the pilot for our ‘target skill group’ in April.
Ian Colley proposed that the course address the need to plan for the facilitation needs of a project and to practise the necessary skills. This reflects the findings of the research where practice, new tools and increased confidence rated highest as desired outcomes. The class size is being limited to 12 to ensure practise.
The course is being offered in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in May.