At IMA International we believe all the work we do has to build the capacity of those we work with. One of our long-term collaborations allows us to experience this very clearly.
IMA has been working with FAO-supported Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystems project (BOBLME) to develop and help roll out an innovative interactive training course on an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) since 2012. Starting from a pilot in June 2013, with a cohort of 10 newly-trained trainers, we have supported the Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia teams to run their own national courses. We have been directly involved in delivering and coaching 7 courses and 5 related Training of Trainers (ToTs) in Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India, and we provide ongoing coaching support to multiple partners involved in EEAFM, both in the Bay of Bengal and wider Asia-Pacific region. These courses have had both a national and regional focus, with participants spanning countries across the region. What is really rewarding is seeing how the teams we have trained have taken on the trainer ‘mantle’ in their own ways and at their own speeds, and are now successfully running the EEAFM course both in their own countries and across the region. Existing trainers find our ‘on-the-job’ coaching really valuable and together we can continue to strengthen the EEAFM regional trainer network and also improve both the course processes and content. We are just back from coaching two courses and running two ToTs this March: Chris was in Sri Lanka with EEAFM trainers from Sri Lanka and India, and it very likely that from this process we will have a strong national Sri Lankan EEAFM trainer contingent. Silvia was in Thailand supporting SEAFDEC who delivered the course on a regional platform to participants from Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Myanmar, from here we can see a few more individuals who have the potential to become EEAFM trainers.
The current EEAFM course targets mid-level fisheries and natural resources managers, as well as related economic and planning staff, with the long term aim of improving fisheries management in the region. IMA and partners realise that more advocacy work needs to be done at senior/ policy levels for the EEAFM message to be more widely accepted. So IMA will be facilitating a partner workshop next month in Thailand precisely to collectively agree and develop specific EEAFM-related products for the senior policy level.
It is great to be part of this evolving training.
