Weaving a Stronger Fabric for Improved Outcomes

Purpose: To explain how training and education events (TEEs) can be designed to increase the likelihood of achieving behavioural objectives. Approach: The approach combined both a quantitative review of evaluation surveys undertaken at the time of the TEE, and qualitative telephone interviews with selected attendees (20-25% of the total population of trainees) a year or more after they attended the TEE. Findings: The regional natural resource management organisation, is a 'fabric' composed of warp and weft threads. The warp threads are constant and represented by on-going programmes, and the weft threads, run across the warp threads, with the two acting in concert to keep the organisation (fabric) strong. The four weft threads that interweave across the programmes are: the contract specifications (obligations of trainer and CMA staff), the Training and Events Database (TED), the trainer, and the Community Support Officer (CSO). Practical Implications: The 'observe-reflect-plan-act' action learning cycle provides the framework to define the roles, responsibilities and functions of the four weft threads in the Training and Education Programme (TEP). The CMA should influence and invest in the weft threads as well as take time to reflect on past TEEs and thereby improve their ability to contribute to community capacity-building outcomes. Originality/value: The evaluation of training and education events a year after their delivery provides a unique opportunity to reflect on whether there have been lasting impacts on landholder behaviour from participation in the TEE.