From learning to the evolution of professional practices
Skills development is most valuable when it has a tangible impact on how one carries out a role, makes decisions, works with others or drives change in professional practice. Through ‘Practical Transformations’, the IIRCF highlights how a need for professional development can be translated into a structured, supported and assessed learning pathway.
These experiences help to illustrate the path from an initial situation to the skills employed, the learning achieved and the desired developments in professional practice.
Any intervention begins with an understanding of the environment in which the beneficiaries operate: the responsibilities they hold, their professional realities, the constraints they face, the organisation’s expectations and the level of maturity of the target groups concerned. This analysis of the context helps to avoid standardised solutions and ensures that the intervention is tailored to the actual needs identified.
The next challenge is to identify precisely what needs to change: a skill that has not been sufficiently mastered, a new responsibility, a practice that needs to be professionalised, a role that needs to be strengthened, or a collective capacity that needs to be developed. This stage provides a clear direction for the development pathway and enables learning to be linked to the situations that professionals actually face.
Based on these needs, the IIRCF designs a tailored programme that may combine training, support, case studies, practical exercises, the sharing of experiences and assessment methods. The content, the learning progression and the learning methods are organised in such a way as to promote not only the acquisition of knowledge, but also its application in professional practice.
Learning is reinforced through scenarios that enable participants to apply the concepts covered to their own workplace realities. Case studies, role-plays, individual reflection, group discussions and self-assessment exercises help to transform the knowledge acquired into guidelines, methods and behaviours that can be put into practice.
Results are assessed on the basis of the learning outcomes achieved, the assessments carried out and the participants’ ability to better understand or master the skills covered. Depending on the programme, this assessment may focus on knowledge, practical skills, professional attitudes or the progress observed throughout the course.
Professional development does not end with the completion of a training course. The skills and knowledge acquired may need to be consolidated, developed further or applied to other roles and responsibilities. The IIRCF therefore pays particular attention to the continuity of learning, the progression of career paths and, where relevant, the introduction of new stages of professional development.
As part of the capacity-building programme being delivered for the AF-CNSS, the IIRCF has delivered an initial training course on professional leadership. The course covered the fundamentals of leadership and management, communication, team dynamics, ethical leadership, responsible decision-making and personal development.
Delivered online, the training combined structured lessons, the sharing of experiences, case studies, self-assessment exercises and ongoing educational interactions. The assessment carried out at the end of the programme made it possible to evaluate the skills acquired, particularly in the areas of leadership, professional communication, ethics and emotional intelligence.
This initial initiative forms part of a wider professional development programme comprising several training courses designed to strengthen various professional skills and roles within the relevant sector.
