International Development & Humanitarian Training Competency Framework

RedR UK and Bioforce

The International Development and Humanitarian Training Competency Framework has been developed by RedR UK and Bioforce to improve the standard of capacity building in the humanitarian sector. The new tool will ensure that aid workers receive appropriate training content via proven teaching and learning methods from skilled, professional trainers.

As the frequency and intensity of global disasters rises year on year, training national and international humanitarian workers has never been more urgent. Ensuring aid workers have essential skills in key aspects of humanitarian relief – from expertise in water and sanitation delivery to dealing with shelter needs to providing cash-for-work programmes– significantly improves response to major natural and man-made crises.

However, as yet, there is no sector-wide standard to ensure the quality of humanitarian training available to the world’s 210,000 aid workers – an increasing number of whom are nationals of disaster-affected countries.

Instead, skills are often passed between aid workers through a chain of training sessions with high risk that the quality of the facilitation and learning dilutes as the numbers broaden. As a result, trainees often do not receive the skills they require and disaster-hit communities fail to get the quality humanitarian support they need.

The new tool– available in English and French from RedR’s website – will help safeguard the standard of humanitarian knowledge passed between aid workers. It has already generated widespread interest amongst leading aid and development organisations with Bond, ELRHA, INTRAC, Mango and People in Aid all supporting the initiative.