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Some thoughts on the prerequisites, structure and implementation of
short courses in fisheries in developing countries.
Tumi Tómasson
Programme director
United Nations University, Fisheries Training Programme
The UNU-FTP offers six month post-graduate training in fisheries. There is a strong
practical element to the training with emphasis on the application of knowledge and
skills to analyse issues and solve problems that are of importance in the daily work of
the participants (fellows). The main goal of the UNU-FTP is “to help interested
countries to achieve their fisheries development goals, through capacity development
in key areas and institutions”. The goal is reached by “strengthening the professional
capacity of trainees and improve their ability to carry out their duties at home”.
The training is carried out within the Marine Research Institute and the Icelandic
Fisheries Laboratories in Reykjavík. Both research institutes have strong links to the
fisheries sector and their primary function is to carry out research, monitoring and
assessment to assist government and industry to improve the management and
utilisation of the fisheries resources. The training is highly influenced by the
environment in which it is conducted. The way people identify issues, how they
approach and solve problems and communicate their findings, is an integral part of
the training.
Apart from the institutional setup, there are several advantages of having the training
in Iceland. Fisheries form the backbone of the economy, the fisheries administration
is highly developed and efficient, and the fishing industry and support services are
varied and adaptive. Iceland is small in most aspects, but the fisheries compare
favourably with any fisheries in the world. The advantages of being situated in a
small society are used to strengthen the programme as both expertise and facilities are
easy to approach and access.
Partner countries of the UNU-FTP should have fisheries that are either of national or
provincial importance. The focus of the training programme is institutional capacity
building. Key departments, institutions, organisations or companies are identified and
candidates are selected for training through a thorough on-site interview process and
in consultations with those in charge.
The professional background of the fellows, both in terms of education/training and
experience, is diverse, but all have completed at least a first university degree and
about 40% have a second or a third degree. They all have at least two year work
experience and in the programme they assume considerable responsibility to “find
their own level” within the programme to derive maximum benefits in terms of
individual growth and professional development. They are required to make a
number of presentations on various aspects of the fisheries in their home countries
and put them into a regional and international context, evaluate their development
potential and identify key areas for improvement.
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The UNU-FTP has been in operation for almost seven years. It started off small, but
today about 20 fellows attend the programme each year. Because of the individual
attention fellows get and the setting of the programme, further increase in the number
of fellows is not envisaged. Instead the UNU-FTP has explored the possibility of
holding short training courses in partner countries in cooperation with local fisheries
authorities and former UNU fellows. This is in line with the policy of the UNU to
take more of the activities of their programmes into the cooperating developing
countries.
Through visits to partner countries and institutions, and personal acquaintance with
over 100 fellows that have taken part in the training programme, the UNU-FTP has
accumulated important contacts and identified important areas of further capacity
building in the cooperating countries. It is in this light that the UNU-FTP has
embarked on the road of developing short courses with partners in their home
countries. The model for these courses is described below as a stepwise process,
though it is not necessarily as linear as it may seem.
1.
Identification of subject and level of course. The fellows of the UNU-FTP are
engaged in this process and the outcome depends on the country but also on
the individuals. Many developing countries have gradually been gaining
control over large marine areas through enforcement of a 200 mile EEZ, and
see possibilities for economic growth through development of off-shore
fisheries. This generally involves export orientation to expensive but
demanding markets, such as the EU, Japan and USA. Fisheries on in-shore
and coastal stocks are usually low-technology, low-investment in developing
countries and coastal fishermen are usually among the poorest people in these
countries. In spite of lack of technology, stocks are frequently overexploited
and post harvest losses are a serious problem. Different situations call for
different types of capacity building and at different levels.
2.
Identification of partners in developing countries. It is important that the
training be relevant to the situation in each country. Technical experts from
the UNU-FTP work with partners in developing countries, preferably lead by a
former UNU-FTP fellow, to set objectives and goals, identify suitable
materials, develop new examples etc. A standard training package may be
available, but it needs to be adapted and modified to suit local conditions.
This includes slide presentations, notes, demonstration materials and other
supplementary materials.
3.
Where applicable, the training material needs to be translated into the local
language.
4.
Part of the course development is to conduct the course once or twice (two
trials), get feedback from participants and local experts and revise the course
accordingly.
5.
Finally, the training materials are made available on the Internet.
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It is important that a group in the recipient country be responsible for the work and
conducting of the courses. An initial workshop will take place in the recipient
country. In some cases it may be important for members of the group to travel
abroad, e.g. to Iceland to acquaint themselves with more developed fisheries. Where
possible, work should also be done over the Internet.
Courses should only be offered on the basis of a well established need and at the
request of the recipient country. Local costs, such as local travel and accommodation
for the partners and work facilities, should be paid for and provided by the partner
country. This is important to maintain a certain level of commitment from the
recipient country. If not, there is a risk that people loose sight of the need and that
courses will mainly be attended by “professional course goers”, to limited benefit for
fisheries development.
A course does not have to be developed overnight. In some cases when a need has
been identified, a first step might be to invite potential professional partners to the six
month UNU-FTP training in Iceland, or this can be done after the first workshop.
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