The training of individuals, and capacity building of peacebuilding organisations, strengthens the field as a whole. The furthering of skills, knowledge and personal qualities of peacebuilding practitioners ensures that the right people are there at the right time in the right position. Much of this learning has to come from experience, both professional and personal. However, training also has a role to play: it facilitates the sharing of experiences, creates time for reflection and builds up the necessary skills to carry out effective peace work.

Practices evolve, and much has to be learnt and shared from existing peacebuilding work from the field. This is why, as much as we are a training organisation, we are also a learning organisation. Our trainings are informed by the field, and are practice-based in essence.

We believe the improvement of peacebuilding efforts requires the establishment of transparent and universal standards of professional competency that can serve as benchmarks for quality performance as well as targets to be achieved through training and career orientation.

The training at Alert: Who we train

The training team organises trainings for 3 broad categories:

Newcomers to the field

While prior experience is widely valued in the field of peacebuilding, we believe that a large number of people have something worthwhile to contribute, and would benefit from learning about entry methods to the field. We organise trainings at entry-level to build up skills and knowledge of this un-tapped field of potential peaceworkers.

Field practitioners

Experienced professionals are in need of a space for reflexion, as well as opportunities to enhance their skills and the efficiency of the work they contribute to the field. The practice-based trainings offered at this level are designed to further enhance the needed skills for effective field work, and provide space for sharing experiences.

Strategic level

Policy-oriented organisations need to be kept aware of field practices to inform decision making and effective alleviation of the suffering in countries affected by violent conflict. We provide trainings and workshops for policy staff of policy organisations and governments, in order to affect the changes they want to see in the field of peacebuilding. We also provide conflict-sensitivity training for organisations working in conflict areas, but focussing on other topics.

The courses we run

We see the role of trainer in this setting to help bring out the relevant skills of the participants and facilitate the process of skill-sharing as much as to explain and demonstrate the skills themselves.

Each course has a lead trainer, whose role it is to ensure continuity during the course, and the drawing together of the practical experience brought by the guest speakers or trainers. Our training methodology involves a repeating pattern of demonstration, practice and feedback. We believe people learn practical skills by being shown how to do them, having a chance to try them out themselves, and getting feedback on how they are doing.

Finally, most our courses are assessed, which gives participants the chance to evaluate how much they have learnt, and the best ways forward for them to develop their skills further.

Our partners are spread across the UK, Europe, and beyond. While some of our networking is institutionalised through established networks, we are also in contact with a large number of training organisations and would be happy to direct you to them if needed.

European Group on Training

Since June 2007, International Alert coordinates the European Group on Training for Civilian Crisis Management (EGT), a project funded by the European Commission. We have been involved in this project since its creation in 2002.

In this coordination role, Alert leads the development of a set of common training standards for people going on international peace missions, whether for the EU, the United Nations, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe or other international institutions. Alert will also be involved in providing capacity-building support to the African Union and to other EU Member States to help them develop their own training for civilian peacekeepers and peacebuilders.

The EGT is a group of European organisations running training courses for civilians who play an increasingly important role in crisis and post-conflict situations. Some EGT courses cover topics such as the Rule of Law, Human Rights, Democratisation and Good Governance, as well as Safety and Security or Mission Administration.

The EGT project has a budget of 1 million Euros in 2008/2009, and brings together the expertise of training institutions from 22 Member states of the European Union. For more information, please visit the website of the EGT or contact the EGT coordinator at egt@international-alert.org

Networking

International Alert is in regular contact with training and deploying organisations. These exchanges allow us to constantly challenge our practices and improve on them, as well as share training materials and information on evolving practices.

Most of our partners are grouped under the European Network for Civilian Peace Services (EN.CPS), and the Member Organisations of the Nonviolent Peaceforce. For more information on these European networks, please visit the websites of the EN.CPS and the Nonviolent Peaceforce. For further information, please contact Aurélien Tobie.

The training unit also fosters cooperation at the UK level with other peacebuilding organisations.

Outreach – students

Many university departments throughout the UK offer degree courses in peace & conflict. We have links with a growing number of such departments, where we design and run practical courses to compliment theoretical studies. Students of peace & conflict studies and related disciplines graduate with a good grip on the academic side of this kind of work, but may need more help in how to turn this knowledge into practical skills. We tailor our university outreach to the needs of the students:

• Short, one-two hour long taster workshops designed to open up, and offer ways-in to the sector
A series of workshops for graduate or masters groups, looking at the practicalities of peace work
• A full Core Skills for Working in Conflict course, lasting between five and seven days.
• An assessment simulation (either half or full-day)

As with all our trainings, our student outreach uses participative methods as much as possible.

Independent research projects: standards, assessment, evaluation of training

In an effort to improve on our trainings, International Alert also conducts research projects related to trainings.

We strive to provide the highest quality of training and therefore aim to implement proven standards in the field of vocational training, and adapt them to the peacebuilding sector. Current research is being conducted around European Vocational Education and Training standards, with regards to training accreditation and implementation standards.

We also are developing ways to research the impact of training in the field, by evaluating the ways in which training influences the work of peacebuilders on the ground. We have also conducted specific research projects for other actors, such as a training needs assessment for the EU mission to Kosovo (EULEX).

To access the list of courses we run at entry level, please click here

The peacebuilding field is large and diverse. Peacebuilding activities range from trauma work to education reform, from arts therapy to civilian protective presence. This variety can present newcomers with a confusing picture. However, it also means that the needs in this field are extremely wide and that contributions can come from a large number of sources: whatever your background, there are ways to contribute.

It is also often felt that field experience is essential and a pre-requisite for employment in this field. In this case, entry points are hard to find and opportunities are scarce to join the community of peacebuilders.

While field experience is invaluable, entry points do exist. It is our opinion that the peacebuilding field would benefit from a larger, better prepared pool of people equipped with the right skills and personal qualities needed in the field, and many organisations are looking for new talents and do not require extensive experience.

In this view, the training unit offers training and resources for people interested in learning more, and joining the field of peacebuilding.

Training

We provide entry-level trainings to give people a better understanding of the peacebuilding sector, and to develop the skills and personal qualities needed for a first field mission. These trainings are run at two levels: Level 1 provides an overview of the peacebuilding sector – who the major actors are, either across the peacebuilding sector or in a specific sector of activity, such as civilian protection. Level 1 courses provide participants with entry points for employment, or further professional & personal development. Participants will be provided with analytical tools to assess their motivation and skills compared to the needs of the peacebuilding sector.

At Level 2, the trainings focus on the core skills needed for field work. They are designed to prepare participants from all walks of life for a first mission in the field. They help people with a keen interest to learn more about the practicalities of field work in a conflict region, and provide them with an assessment of their skills and abilities.

You do not need to participate in a training course at level 1 to then go on and apply for level 2 courses. More importantly, participants should find a training course that suits their own area of interest and level of expertise. To learn more about a specific course and whether this is the right course for you, please contact the Training team , or read the course description.

Resources

The training unit works closely with a number of recruitment and deployment organisations to include their inputs into the trainings we provide. We also provide guidelines and suggestions for employment into the peacebuilding sector.

The training unit has contributed to the creation and maintenance of the Peaceworkers Register, an International roster of people, from entry to expert level, and used by a range of employers. For further information, please visit www.peaceworkers.org.uk.

For access to the International Alert guidelines, please visit the resource page.

To access the list of courses we run at practitioner level, please click here

The implementation of peacebuilding activities is a challenging task, demanding both a high level of skills and knowledge, and the ability to reflect and share experiences amongst practitioners. The training unit of International Alert regularly provides training courses for peacebuilding professionals working in the field, or already selected by deployment organisations to prepare them for specific missions. These trainings bring together highly experienced trainers and field practitioners, giving them the opportunity to further their skills, reflect on their activities and learn from each other.

These courses are organised by International Alert, but can also be requested by a specific organisation to prepare their own staff to a particular task.

These are hands-on, practice-based trainings which do not focus solely on theory, but explore the practical abilities of the participant to implement the required projects in a particular field. The trainers are experienced practitioners, but sharing and contributions from participants are required.

The training unit organises three types of courses for field practitioners: courses for selected personnel before deployment, at level 3, courses for practitioners with limited overseas experience, at level 4, and experts training for civilians already working in the field and with considerable experience at level 5.

To access the list of courses we run at strategic level, please click here

National and international governments make decisions with a potentially huge impact on conflict-affected areas. It is essential that the staff of these organisations possess the necessary knowledge of conflict for their decision making to be conflict sensitive, so that they are in a position to have a positive influence the situation in conflict-prone areas.

The training unit has worked alongside partners such as the British Government, the European Union and international development organisations working in conflict or post-conflict areas to develop conflict-sensitivity courses, and further the knowledge of their staff of the specificities of conflict-prone regions.

These courses address issues such as conflict sensitivity and development work in conflict settings, gender issues in conflict areas, and other such essential subjects specific to conflict.

The unique position of International Alert, working both in the field and at policy level, allows the organisation to bring voices from the field to the policy level, and inform policy decisions directly relevant to the field settings. This dual level of experience makes for informed, adapted courses for policy level practitioners.