[PDF] Community Development Toolkit - CommDev

Competencies Assessment13DescriptionIt is important to note from the outset thatgood community development is dependentupon having people with suitable skills andunderstanding to run programs, and ongiving community development staff thetraining support they need to perform theirjobs well. If responsibility for managingcommunity development is given to peoplewhose primary duties and expertise are inother areas, environmental science orhuman resource management for example,it is unlikely that community developmentprograms will run at optimal levels.The competencies assessment is a processfor measuring and recording the skills of anindividual or group. It is a highly flexible tool,which can be performed through a facilitatedworkshop process or an individual basis.PurposeTo identify additional resources, eitherpermanent or temporary, that you may needover time. This tool can be used for selectingconsultants for short-term or intermittentinputs to your programs as well as forchoosing permanent staff. This tool helpsyou to identify and develop the knowledge,skills and attitudes you need to ensure youhave the right team and resources toachieve your community development goals,whatever the size of your organization.It can also help you to assess the skillsavailable in an existing team or that the localcommunity possesses so that you canrecognize training and development needsfor staff and community membersas well as gaps to be filled by additionalpersonnel.Knowledge, skills and attitudesYou need a range of knowledge and skillsin your team to achieve your developmentobjectives (see Table 17). In general, youwould be looking for people with humanitiesor social science training or communityorganization experience to join your team.Direct knowledge of the local community andcultural context would be beneficial, butmore important is experience in workingwell with communities and the ability tograsp quickly the local issues. Yourassessment of people’s skills needs toinclude more than formal training, assomeone with appropriate experiencemay be more suitable than someone withthe right degree but little experience.When to use this toolThe competencies assessment is neededwhen forming your community developmentteam, as early as possible, ideally at thesame time that project construction plansare being made. If resettlement of localcommunities is required for the constructionof the mine and its infrastructure, thencommunity development expertise will berequired to plan and manage the relocationprocess. Then, as the scale of operationalactivities increases, it may be necessary toexpand the team to cover additional areasof community development activity, forexample you may need to hire a smallbusiness development expert. You mayalso need to include additional expertisewhen planning for closure, and certainlywhen implementing closure plans whena combination of experience and localknowledge is essential.In other words, use this tool as early aspossible. Then, re-evaluate the team asneeds evolve.ASSESSMENT TOOLSCommunity Development Toolkit145