In the second article of the series, we explore the recent execution of the Vocational Train the Trainers course in Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Kyrgyzstan.
Since the beginning of 2024, the MIEUX+ team has held three training sessions using the blended approach infused in the Vocational Train the Trainers course in Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Kyrgyzstan respectively. Each of the three recent training sessions had its own specificities and lessons learned that will be applied by partners in the future.
Costa Rica: Migration and Health in focus
During the pandemic, the Directorate General of Migration and Immigration (DGME), together with the Ministry of Health of Costa Rica had requested support to strengthen their measures to protect and assist migrant populations, especially during crises. After the corresponding protocol was formulated, an online course on Migration and Health was developed to further the objectives of the Action.
Subsequently, as an additional measure to ensure the sustainability of the Action, a group of trainees from the Ministry of Health and DGME participated in a replica training of the online course by choosing one module and committing to training their colleagues on that subject in turn.
The composition of the training group itself was noteworthy, as the Ministry of Health selected participants from several regions and included medical practitioners who were in direct contact with migrants and indigenous communities.
El Salvador: Consular Protection with the Diplomatic Institute
The overall objective of the Action was to support the Salvadoran Foreign Service in developing further its capacities in Consular Protection, especially by gaining knowledge of EU Migration and Asylum Policy. After a series of activities that narrowed the scope using, among others, focus groups, a tailored Training Needs Assessment was developed together with the Diplomatic Institute "Doctor José Gustavo Guerrero".
As a culmination of these efforts, a group of Salvadoran Consuls and Ambassadors came together in Madrid for five days to acquire new competencies in the training cycle. It was the first time that the course was undertaken by high-level staff; this factor can promote greater sustainability as lessons learnt from higher management usually permeate through the lower echelons of hierarchy.
Moving forward, the skills, knowledge and attitudes acquired during the five days will echo positively in the execution of daily tasks helping the Salvadoran community abroad.
Kyrgyzstan: from the classroom to the seven regions
The Secretariat of the Council for Migration under the Speaker of the Kyrgyz Republic Parliament requested MIEUX+ support to strengthen the knowledge and skills of central and regional migration authorities on labour migration and protection of migrant workers’ rights.
The Action saw local, regional and national Kyrgyz public institutions collaborate in the formulation of a needs-based training course on Labour Migration, which in itself was adapted from a prior course provided by American University of Central Asia.
The selected institutions participated in a tailored five-day Vocational Train the Trainers course, certifying a pool of trainers that represent the seven Kyrgyz regions. It was the first time that these officers collaborated in person. They have now taken their commitment one step further by establishing a Community of Practice to learn from each other in the application of skills and knowledge gained during their training.
Structured, functional and sustainable training
The Vocational Train the Trainers course is part of a structured approach to capacity development enshrined in the Encore MIEUX Capacity Development strategy that the team has been implementing during this phase. Part of this renewed focus is the emphasis on the Training Cycle, the application of Adult Learning Techniques and transversal skills-building for participants from partner authorities.
Despite this harmonised approach, as always MIEUX’s demand-driven nature implied that each training session was specifically tailored to the needs of the partners and adapted in unison with official training institutions to ensure a sustainable ripple effect. In total, an estimated 80 trainees in Brazil, Cameroon, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Kyrgyzstan and Uganda have taken part in this course and will in turn train the next batch of participants in their respective institutions.
Related News