Provided the training event was well planned and prepared, course implementation should be relatively straightforward. The main task of the course coordinator(s) and the logistics committee will be to make sure that participants are well looked after, comfortable and feel genuine concern about their well-being while attending the event. No matter how excellent the content and the resource persons, unhappy participants – for good reasons – may learn less easily.
— Participant arrival. Make sure that participants are met when arriving at the venue of the event and that they know exactly what to expect. There is nothing more disconcerting than to arrive in a strange place and not knowing what to do next. It is useful to prepare a welcome letter as well as a leaflet providing important information a source of data or sensory input, organized or arranged into a pattern which can be interpreted. that participants receive upon arrival (see example in annex 5). Regional and international events will require travel arrangements and immigration formalities that need to be considered well before arrival.
— Course secretariat. This will be the ‘nerve-centre’ during the implementation of the whole training event and will be the main point of interaction between course organizers and participants. Those in charge must be well organized and capable of prioritizing and following-up on all requests from course organizers, resource persons and participants. For courses involving a large number of participants, a minimum of two persons attending to these secretarial needs is not a luxury. Often the first and last few days of a course are more demanding in terms of assistance required. Outsourcing certain activities (photocopying, binding, typing, etc.) can also be an option provided such services are available, reliable and included in the budget.
— Registration. Course participants and resource persons will need to register their presence at the start of the training activity. This can be done using a simple registration form (see attached example in annex 6) that can also be used to verify specific information about a participant that may not have been clear from the application form (e.g. for certificates, databases,…). The registration procedure can also be used as an additional briefing for course participants, to request specific action required from them (return travel confirmation, submission of claims, poster preparation, etc.) and to distribute materials (detailed programme, bags, identification badges, stationery, training materials, etc. – see also the ‘logistics checklist’ in annex).
— Course opening. Opening a training event can be informal or formal depending on local customs and institutional arrangements. Regional and international courses often require more formal opening sessions since these serve to also welcome visitors to a country or institution. Identify a suitable guest of honour to officially preside over the session, invite other key persons to attend and identify a master of ceremony to coordinate this session. Make sure all concerned are well-informed in good time about the event and their expected role. Depending on the event, the opportunity of a course opening session can also be used to introduce course participants and resource persons and to take a group photograph.
— Daily activities. The detailed course programme (see example in annex 7), developed in collaboration with the technical committee and timely distributed to all course participants and resource persons, lists all activities (theoretical and practical sessions, demonstrations, poster sessions, field visits, fieldwork, meals, breaks), that will take place during the event with a clear indication of dates, starting and ending times, activity labels and person(s) responsible. Course organizers must be at hand to introduce individual resource persons, especially for their first time presentation, and to make sure that time is kept. No matter how interesting, sessions should not be allowed to run over time since this will inconvenience other resource persons and participants and hinder the smooth running of the event. At no time should participants or resource persons feel abandoned or left without a person in charge.
— Ice-breakers and energizers. Bringing together groups of people that have never met and keeping their attention and active participation going throughout a day and the whole event, can be challenging and will require the implementation of ice-breakers and energizers at selected times. These are short structured activities that are not necessarily related to the training per se but that warm-up, motivate, challenge, acquaint and energize. They should not take more than 15 minutes (maximum 30) and should be well selected, effective, and, where necessary, prepared. Do note that the use and appreciation of some of these activities is often culturally dependent. Not all people feel comfortable engaging in some of them and you should use your discretion when organizing them. Some references on the subject are listed under the recommended reading (see 198).
— Monitoring. Once the training event has started, course resource persons will take a leading role in its implementation but the course organizers should carefully monitor the event and take corrective measures where and when needed. Constant interaction with participants will allow them to detect where things are going wrong and participants as well as resource persons should feel free to provide feedback at all times. The participants may identify a representative, or several ones on a rotating arrangement, to express the feelings of the group. A flipchart and pens at the entrance of the main training room can also allow anybody to express feelings of satisfaction or disappointment at any stage. Care must be taken to address the issues raised even if beyond the control of the course organizers.
— The unexpected. No matter how well a training event has been planned and prepared, there will always be a number of unexpected events, big or small, that will affect its smooth running. Participants or resource persons may not show up or be delayed, equipment may break down, transport may be unreliable, adverse weather conditions can affect fieldwork or visits, and so on. The important thing is to be as much prepared as possible and to think of suitable alternatives in good time rather than wait for things to go wrong. Take things in good stride and keep a positive attitude. A sense of humour is a very valuable asset.
— Evaluation and assessment. Learning from experience in order to improve future training activities will require evaluation and assessment. This is dealt with under topic 9 of this Toolkit – Evaluating and assessing training courses. This will involve both content and logistics aspects and thus must be discussed well in advance with those concerned and the course coordinators. Evaluation can take place on a daily or weekly basis and at the end of the course. Sometimes it can even be useful to evaluate individual sessions that take place during the event. Such detailed evaluation can address very specific issues that would otherwise get lost in more general evaluation tools. The course secretariat reproduces and distributes the evaluation tools and these are analyzed by the course coordinator(s) and included in a course report. Some sample evaluation tools used during courses organized by the Centre are included as examples in annexes 8 a to c and 9.
— Course closing. A formal course closing ceremony provides an opportunity to thank all those who have been involved in planning, organizing and implementing the event. At the same time, participants can be given a ‘certificate of attendance’ (see example in annex 10) and perhaps a copy of the group picture(s) taken during the course. In-service training is often not formal and certificates issued must take this into account since they are often used for career development purposes. In some cases, a course will be formally closed by a guest of honour representing the host country or institution. This person will need to be briefed about the activity so that (s)he can prepare some closing remarks.