DEALING WITH DISASTERS 2010 ELRHA and the Professionalisation Agenda Professor Brian Hobbs, University of Glamorgan Jessica Camburn, Director of ELRHA, Save the Children

What is ELRHA? ELRHA is the first collaborative network dedicated to supporting partnerships between Higher Education institutions in the UK and humanitarian organisations and partners around the world. ELRHA is a stakeholder’s initiative that works on behalf of the humanitarian and higher education sectors The project is principally funded by the four regional higher education funding bodies for the UK ELRHA is hosted by Save the Children UK And governed by a representative steering group

Our work to date Funding for collaborative projects Mapping expertise across UKHE Creation of a new research matching facility Developing humanitarian careers advice and profiling training and internship opportunities Commissioning research into professionalisation within the humanitarian sector

Professionalisation ‘Professionalising the humanitarian sector: a scoping study’ Peter Walker & Catherine Russ A demand for an internationally recognised humanitarian profession A need for coordination in the development of accredited courses for the sector

Professionalising the Humanitarian Sector Background 1.Few universally recognised qualifications 2.Diminishing individual professional integrity 3.Lack of systematic and applied learning 4.Unsystematic personal accountability 5.Shallow basis for state and employer trust

Research Methodology Literature review –Professionalisation –Certification –Humanitarian Aid Quality programmes Focus groups Individual interviews On-Line surveys

Demographics of the on-line respondents P 4&5

Geography of the on-line respondents P 4&5

What did we find? Professionalism Core values, knowledge and skills Present training opportunities

Why bother? Life & death service –Humanitarian workers need to be more professional because their actions and decisions affect so many lives, sometimes in very dramatic ways

Why bother? Values matter –A more professional practice would be more relevant, more effective and more efficient in keeping the human dimension at the centre of its practice

Why bother? Quality matters –It will improve the quality of people who are applying and securing jobs, which ultimately will improve the humanitarian response.

Criteria for a modern profession 1.Repository for specialised knowledge 2.Knowledge used in an altruistic fashion 3.Therefore autonomy to self regulate 4.Responsibility to expand the Knowledge 5.Responsive to the users of the profession P 6

Who is a professional humanitarian worker? Professional Humanitarian Workers Nutritionists Accountants Drivers Water/San Logistics Public Health Workers Enumerators P 12

Professional Feedback System Academia Knowledge repository Formal qualifications Research Primary Clients Receive services Feedback on services The profession Field practice Testing knowledge Self regulation

Professional Competencies Experience Knowledge Skills Values P 7

Professionalisation – Yes or No? P 21

8% dissenters 1. Too complex 2. Entrench Northern exclusivity 3. Foster a mercenary attitude 4. At heart humanitarianism is an act of political solidarity so a professional model is inappropriate

Why bother with a profession? P 30

Key values for all humanitarian workers P 30

Key skills for all humanitarian workers P 32

Why we need certificates “I first of all want to know, do they have the practical skills, then, do they have the technical skills and lastly, do they have a Masters?” “After many of the INGOs left, the local staff were left with nothing – no references, no certification, no jobs. How can they prove they worked in the response?”

Most wanted competency certificate P 39

Individual Professionalism Certified, guaranteed Safeguards integrity Promotes competence Supports evidence- based learning Personally accountable to the clients

Certification Routes Curriculum-based Completion of subject-based professional education Competency-based Demonstrate mastery of a common body of knowledge through examinations, education and experience Portfolio-based (Accreditation of Prior Learning) Extensive documentation. Show competencies are covered through education and/or experience P 41

Certified Training Level 1 Basic need to know (Entry) Level 2 Project management (1-2 years) Level 3 Middle Manager e.g Country (5 years) Masters level degree

Existing initiatives Humanitarian Competencies Project (HCP), WVI IFRC Field School Training module CARE BIOFORCE SCF HLA/CILT/LLA/Fritz HPCR/PHAP InterAction/INSSA LINGOS/PM4NGOs RedR UNDP P 22

Core Competencies: Knowledge Livelihoods, gender, protection and other cross- cutting issues. The structure of the humanitarian sector International humanitarian law Quality assurance mechanisms Safety and security issues Humanitarian mandates and principles

University Masters degrees Liverpool/Bioforce Oxford Brookes The University of Leicester University of East Anglia University of Hertfordshire UK University of Salford London University University of Glamorgan Vilnius University Noha Universities across Europe Australian National University University of New South Wales Deakin University Royal Roads University Tufts University

Age of degree programmes

Average annual enrolment

Which type of associations below do you think are the most important to establish?

A Humanitarian Professionals’ Association Of, for and by the people Sets standards Certifies members Can expel members Is independent

Employer Recognition Sponsoring employers Encourage certification Require certification? Ensures transferability of skills between organisations

What might the system look like? Professional Association National Spin off Accredited training groups Certified training Trainer accreditation Criteria for membership Employers P 55

Proposal Summary 1. Professional Association 2. Certified Training 3. Certification Routes 4. Core Competencies 5. Accredited Trainers 6. Academic Association 7. Core Curriculum 8. Employer Recognition

Our future strategy Two Objectives: To bring together the research community and the international humanitarian community to create world leading partnerships, which produce research that has measurable impact in the humanitarian field To further enhance the professionalisation of the humanitarian sector by bringing together organisations, initiatives and universities from around the world to develop and test an internationally recognised humanitarian certification process