Unit of competency details

Descriptor 

This unit of competency describes the skills and knowledge required for development program work, including understanding of key issues in a range of sectors (i.e. agriculture, health, governance, education, infrastructure, economic growth, enterprise etc.), and their interaction with other programs

Application 

This unit may be applied in a range of development contexts and should reflect the concepts and principles of effectiveness in community development (i.e. ownership, alignment, harmonisation, managing for results and mutual accountability) as embodied in the Paris Declaration and Accra Agenda for Action (AAA)

These skills and knowledge are to be applied within the scope of the person's role and authority

Employability skills 

This unit contains employability skills

Elements define the essential outcomes of a unit of competency.

The Performance Criteria specify the level of performance required to demonstrate achievement of the Element. Terms in italics are elaborated in the Range Statement.

ELEMENT 

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA 

1. Apply knowledge of development program work

1.1 Apply knowledge of the stages and components of the project cycle  and their characteristics

1.2 Work with understanding of the difference between relief and development work and the relationship between them

1.3 Work with understanding of roles, responsibilities, priorities and authority of different stakeholders involved in development program work

1.4 Work with understanding of principles and practices underpinning development program work and their application

2. Work with understanding of key issues impacting development programs

2.1 Apply broad understanding of issues impacting development programs 

2.2 Apply knowledge of potential constraints on and opportunities for development in achieving program objectives

2.3 Apply knowledge of key roles and responsibilities , priorities and authority of key stakeholders  involved in development program to address each type of issue

2.4 Work with awareness of human resources, financing and diverse communication issues in development program

2.5 Work with awareness of differing aid modalities and their implications for implementation of development programs

2.6 Explain how the various issues may interact  with each other in the field environment

3. Contribute to monitoring and evaluation of development program work

3.1 Work with understanding of the importance of and rationales for monitoring and evaluation of development programs as a basis for achieving community development effectiveness 

3.2 Undertake monitoring using relevant tools/ templates, practices and processes in line with development program requirements and own work role

3.3 Participate in evaluation of development program where appropriate in line with own work role and make adjustments to work where indicated as a result of overall evaluation outcomes

4. Address reporting requirements in development program work

4.1 Apply knowledge of contractual and/or organisation obligations  with regards to progress  and financial reports 

4.2 Apply understanding of the importance of donor  relations and opportunities to improve these relationships

REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE 

This describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level required for this unit.

Essential knowledge :

The candidate must be able to demonstrate essential knowledge required to effectively do the task outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage the task and manage contingencies in the context of the identified work role

This includes:

• General field environment
• General project cycle
• Relief to development transition issues
• Specific issues impacting on work and outcomes in development and humanitarian assistance, such as gender, HIV/AIDS, environment and anti-corruption
• Organisation structure, including formal lines of reporting and responsibility
• Organisation support systems and personnel
• Legal and ethical responsibilities, including occupational health and safety (OHS) and environmental regulations, equal employment and anti-discrimination requirements as well as responsibilities in the field context
• Donor priorities, organisation structures and key stakeholders
• Donor funding guidelines and reporting requirements
• Broad knowledge of theoretical thinking and topical issues related to development assistance programs
• Basic analysis techniques
• Organisation policies and procedures relating to issues
• Project development, including:

• cash management
• document storage and security
• donor relations
• financial standards
• handling participant complaints
• operational authority
• organisation software
• personal security
• program design
• service standards

• Agency guidelines, such as:

• Australian Agency for International Aid (AusAID) guidelines, including Development for All (Disability) Strategy and Child Protection Policy
• U.S. Agency for International Development Field Operational Guide (USAID FOG) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
• other relevant agencies

• Partner country's national development strategies, institutions and procedures
• General principles of participatory monitoring and evaluation

Essential skills :

It is critical that the candidate demonstrate the ability to:

• Identify and describe basic development issues and program approaches
• Explain how different program activities interact with sectoral issues, and how individual programs may affect others positively or negatively
• Explain the key roles and responsibilities of relevant stakeholders working on development issues and programs
• Comply with relevant organisation policies, procedures and requirements on OHS, stakeholder welfare, security and related issues
• Effectively communicate with and work safely with others in the work area

In addition, the candidate must be able to effectively do the task outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage the task and manage contingencies in the context of the identified work role

These include the ability to:

• Use appropriate communication and interpersonal techniques with colleagues and others
• Work as part of a team environment to complete tasks
• Identify and clearly define problems and demonstrate appropriate response procedures
• Initiate new ideas or work methodologies
• Accurately plan and organise work activities
• Efficiently manage own responsibilities and timelines for completion of work
• Demonstrate personal management, including initiative, self motivation and direction
• Retain clear sense of personal values and ethics in ambiguous or stressful situations
• Identify areas for personal improvement or training in self and others
• Make situational assessments
• Demonstrate ethical handling of service delivery issues
• Work with people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, showing sensitivity to cultural differences, including:

• awareness and understanding of cultural differences
• ability to express that awareness and understanding clearly and concisely
• ability to build rapport with others, including participants, community leaders, donors and other non-government organisations
• use basic strategies to overcome language barriers (fluency in more than one language would be a major asset)

continued  ...

Essential skills  (contd ):

• Use emotional state control
• Use communications equipment, including telephone, radio, satellite phone, fax and email
• Use computing equipment and common software programs
• Use administration and routine office procedures
• Demonstrate adaptability and the ability to deal with ambiguous situations
• Select and use appropriate technology
• Apply skills in:

• setting priorities
• undertaking new tasks
• adapting to different environments and responding effectively to challenges
• communicating effectively with a wide range of different audiences
• working safely and encouraging a safe workplace
• accessing organisation records and information sources
• interviewing
• networking
• language, literacy and numeracy skills such as those required to:
• collect, analyse and organise data
• communicate in spoken and written form with a range of audiences
• adjust spoken and written language to suit audience
• prepare or customise materials
• calculate and estimate times, costs and quantities

EVIDENCE GUIDE 

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the Performance Criteria, Required Skills and Knowledge, the Range Statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate this unit of competency :

• The individual being assessed must provide evidence of specified essential knowledge as well as skills
• The application of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or realistically simulated workplace
• Assessment is to occur under standard and authorised work practices, safety requirements and environmental constraints
• Consistency of performance should be demonstrated over the required range of situations relevant to the workplace
• The circumstantial or unsolicited testimony of program participants, governments or other non-government organisations regarding ethical behaviour should be considered as significant evidence in relation to this unit

Access and equity considerations :

• All workers in development and humanitarian assistance should be aware of access, equity and human rights issues in their own area of work
• All workers should develop their ability to work in a culturally diverse environment
• In particular workers should be aware of cultural, historical and current issues facing the people and culture in which they are working
• Assessors and trainers must take into account relevant access and equity issues relating to the culture in which they are working

Context of and specific resources for assessment :

• This unit may be assessed independently, however holistic assessment practice with other related units of competency is encouraged
• Assessment of essential underpinning knowledge, other than confirmatory questions, will usually be conducted in an off-site context
• Resources required for assessment include access to:

• workplace location or simulated workplace
• specifications and work instructions
• policy manuals and procedure manuals (international and local, including sector specific manuals)
• relevant documents (such as staff assessments, memos, leave records and performance reviews)
• relevant equipment (such as vehicles, office equipment and communications equipment)
• managers, co-workers and other staff

Method of assessment :

• Assessment needs to take into consideration the practical difficulties associated with attempting on-job assessment in the field
• Given the nature of this unit, candidates should be expected to present evidence from within a real field environment
• If this is not possible, demonstration of some performance criteria in this unit may be achieved through observing the behaviour and responses of the candidate under a stressful situation similar to those likely to be encountered in the field
• While it is unethical and inappropriate to place a candidate in real danger, a life-like simulation may provide the best opportunity to observe 'near-real' responses
• Underpinning knowledge may be assessed through:

• written assignments
• project reports
• debriefings
• action learning projects

• Assessment should be supported by supplementary evidence from a wide range of sources, preferably including evidence from one or more field situations

RANGE STATEMENT 

The Range Statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Add any essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts.

Project cycle is :

• A well-known relief management construct used to describe the normal life-cycle of a development program
• The project cycle generally includes:

• assessment
• analysis
• design
• marketing
• monitoring
• reporting
• evaluation

Issues impacting development programs may include :

• Human resource issues, such as:

• hiring of local staff
• local labour hire laws
• local workers' demand for daily cash payment
• staff accommodation and other conditions
• evacuations

• Communication issues, such as:

• dealing with local or international media
• preparing press releases
• hosting media visits
• preparing non-media marketing information

• Finance issues, such as:

• acquittals
• budget submissions
• preparation of invoice and receipt books
• cash security
• foreign currency restrictions and transactions

• Technical issues specific to the program such as:

• land ownership
• sectoral coordination

• Local capacity issues
• Local ownership and management issues
• Infrastructure issues

Key roles and responsibilities may include :

• Operational
• Line management
• Preparation of financial reports
• Preparation of non-financial reports
• Design of program
• Monitoring of program
• Evaluation of program

Key stakeholders may include :

• Community members and representatives
• National and/or local government
• Private sector organisations - local and international
• Donors
• Other government and/or non-government organisations
• Voluntary civic and social organisations
• 'Internal' stakeholders, such as:

• Immediate managers
• Organisation's national hierarchy
• Organisation's international or regional managers
• Designated staff with specific program responsibilities

Interact refers to :

• Interactions which occur when one program or intervention has an impact, either directly or indirectly on another
• Interactions may also be considered to have occurred when one program or intervention stops another one from being implemented
• For example, a health intervention may stop other water interventions going ahead and this impact is considered an intervention

Community development effectiveness includes :

• Ownership, including:

• using delivery processes that support partner countries to exercise effective leadership over their development policies and strategies
• coordinating development actions
• involving communities and local government in decision making, implementation, monitoring and evaluation
• encouraging community's and local government's contribution to problem solving

• Alignment, involving maintaining a comprehensive understanding of partner countries' national development strategies, institutions and procedures to guide program delivery
• Harmonisation:

• actively seeking to collaborate with other Official Development Assistance (ODA) partners to create added value and greater development effectiveness

• Managing for results, including continuous improvement of systems to:

• manage for development results
• support evidence-based decision making

• Mutual accountability, involving demonstration of:

• full transparency and accountability for the use of development resources in program delivery

Obligations may include :

• Regular reports
• Specific activities
• Outputs
• Inputs
• Training sessions

Progress reports may include :

• Monthly reports
• Situational reports
• Verbal presentations
• Annual plans
• Evaluations

Financial reports may include :

• Acquittals
• Budget submissions
• Preparation of invoice and receipt books

Donors may include :

• Government:

• Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID)
• Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
• European Union (EU)
• Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
• U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)

• Multilateral:

• World Food Program (WFP)
• United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

• Private donor:

• internal
• external

• Corporate donor
• Local representatives of all of the above
• Local host government

Line managers are :

• Managers with direct authority over and responsibility for staff reporting to them

Scope of authority may include :

• Delegation to sign cheques or authorise, purchases and payment of invoices
• Delegation to negotiate contract changes with, donors
• Delegation to authorise use of program equipment
• Delegation to recruit or direct staff
• Delegation to determine changes to program