The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the Performance Criteria, Required Skills and Knowledge, the Range Statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate this unit of competency:

The individual being assessed must provide evidence of specified essential knowledge as well as skills

The application of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or realistically simulated workplace

Assessment is to occur under standard and authorised work practices, safety requirements and environmental constraints

Consistency of performance should be demonstrated over the required range of situations relevant to the workplace

The circumstantial or unsolicited testimony of project participants, governments or other non-government organisations regarding ethical behaviour should be considered as significant evidence in relation to this unit

Access and equity considerations:

All workers in development and humanitarian assistance should be aware of access, equity and human rights issues in their own area of work

All workers should develop their ability to work in a culturally diverse environment

In particular workers should be aware of cultural, historical and current issues facing the people and culture in which they are working

Assessors and trainers must take into account relevant access and equity issues relating to the culture in which they are working

Context of and specific resources for assessment:

This unit may be assessed independently, however holistic assessment practice with other related units of competency is encouraged

Assessment of essential underpinning knowledge, other than confirmatory questions, will usually be conducted in an off-site context

Resources required for assessment include access to actual community development context or a realistic simulation

Method of assessment:

Assessment needs to take into consideration the practical difficulties associated with attempting on-job assessment in the field

Given the nature of this unit, candidates should be expected to present evidence from within a real field environment

If this is not possible, demonstration of some performance criteria in this unit may be achieved through observing the behaviour and responses of the candidate under a stressful situation similar to those likely to be encountered in the field

Underpinning knowledge may be assessed through:

written assignments

project reports

debriefings

action learning projects

Assessment should be supported by supplementary evidence from a wide range of sources, preferably including evidence from one or more field situations

This describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level required for this unit.

Essential knowledge:

The candidate must be able to demonstrate essential knowledge required to effectively do the task outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage the task and manage contingencies in the context of the identified work role

This includes:

General context of development and humanitarian assistance environment and key components of the relief and development project cycle

In-depth understanding of technical, design and legislative aspects of specific programs and project activities

Project management, monitoring mechanisms, evaluation and performance management

Program and/or organisation structure, including formal lines of reporting and responsibility

Emergency management concepts, principles and guidelines

Problem solving and decision making techniques

Donor priorities and requirements

Contract provisions and management

WHS measures

Basic research, demographic and economic analysis techniques

Data collection and techniques

Sectoral requirements

Relevant policies, procedures and guidelines relating to issues such as:

data collection and analysis

risk management

evaluation

security of personnel and assets

currency transactions and security

document storage and security

data gathering, reporting and recording

evaluation methodologies

industry standard risk evaluation practices

relevant benchmarks in related areas

cross cultural awareness and sensitivity

relevant manuals and standards

Essential skills:

It is critical that the candidate demonstrate the ability to:

Effectively develop and produce implementation plan for specific projects or interventions

Effectively monitor implementation of activities and make necessary adjustments to the plan

Effectively identify personnel requirements, develop terms of reference, employ qualified persons, monitor performance and make recommendations

Effectively ensure availability of tools and equipment, develop and monitor appropriate mechanisms (such as monitoring and contingency), and prepare relevant plans and reports

Effectively communicate with, work safely, involve and mobilise key stakeholders including target communities, key staff and others

Comply with relevant organisation, international and donor standards, policies, procedures and requirements

In addition, the candidate must be able to effectively do the task outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage the task and manage contingencies in the context of the identified work role

These include the ability to:

Develop planning processes

Conduct site investigation and/or inspections

Monitor procedures and work progress

Make adjustments or changes to the design or plans

Interpret and apply relevant plans, procedures and policies

Coordinate activities

Respond to identified problems and concerns in the field

Use safety equipment and personal protective equipment

Select and use appropriate technology

Work with people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, communicate effectively with a range of different audiences using appropriate communication and interpersonal techniques

Interpret and explain complex formal documents and systems and assist others to apply them in the workplace and prepare written advice and reports requiring reasoning and precision of expression

Evaluate and prioritise risks and use emergency risk modelling processes to estimate risk

Deal with ambiguous situations

Participate in a team environment to complete tasks

Identify problems and demonstrate appropriate response procedures

Initiate new ideas or work methodologies

Accurately plan and organise work activities

Assess tools, machinery and equipment techniques

Apply skills in:

project management and evaluation

use of communications equipment, including telephone, radio, satellite phone, fax and email

identification of stakeholders

consultation and negotiation with stakeholders

risk analysis

problem definition

adaptability

presentation

efficient management of self, responsibilities and timelines for completion of work

use of effective thinking, problem solving and conceptual techniques

The Range Statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Add any essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts.

Implementation plan refers to:

Detailed framework prepared in consultation with the target communities and generally includes:

key strategies

sequence of activities

relevant processes and procedures

human resources needs

capacity building initiatives

work schedules

monitoring mechanisms

resource allocation and utilisation plans

resource requirements and budget

Key stakeholders may include:

Field staff

Community based organisations

Community leaders or representatives

Organisation/program personnel and managers

Local government representatives and line-agency offices

Non-government organisation representatives

International non-government organisation representatives (e.g. Oxfam, Care International, Red Cross, Water Aid)

Civil society groups

Bi-lateral and multilateral agencies (e.g. United Nations and World Bank)

General project cycle may consist of:

Assessment

Analysis

Planning

Designing

Marketing

Implementing

Monitoring

Reporting

Evaluation

Transition

Concepts and principles of aid effectiveness and community development include:

Ownership, including:

using delivery processes that support partner countries to exercise effective leadership over their development policies and strategies

coordinating development actions

involving communities and local government in decision making, implementation, monitoring and evaluation

encouraging community's and local government's contribution to problem solving

Alignment, involving maintaining a comprehensive understanding of partner countries' national development strategies, institutions and procedures to guide program delivery

Harmonisation:

actively seeking to collaborate with other Official Development Assistance (ODA) partners to create added value and greater development effectiveness

Managing for results, including continuous improvement of systems to:

manage for development results

support evidence-based decision making

Mutual accountability, involving demonstration of:

full transparency and accountability for the use of development resources in program delivery

Major milestones may refer to:

Indicators in work schedule and may include:

commencement of work

completion of work

reporting dates

monitoring visits

mid and project end evaluations

Field constraints may include:

Non-availability of skilled labour

Non-availability of resources

Road blockade due to landslide or other disasters

Non-availability of volunteer labour due to peak season of cultivation, festival time and other related activities

Potential conflicts, riots and violence

Cultural and social taboos and beliefs

Methodology refers to:

Methodology used in monitoring

This may vary depending on the type of monitoring to be conducted and may involve:

participatory monitoring

monitoring by external experts

process monitoring

performance monitoring

impact monitoring

compliance monitoring

baseline monitoring

Contractual provisions may include:

Lump-sum contract

Labour contract

Build-operate and transfer contract

Item-wise contract

Material contract

Fixed-term contract

Data collection tools and techniques may include:

Interviewing

Brainstorming

Direct observation

Participatory mapping

Ranking

Focus group discussions

Venn diagram

Community meetings

Transect walk

Time-use analysis

Trend analysis

Household surveys using structured and semi-structured questionnaires

Wealth ranking

Pair-wise ranking

Matrices

Involve refers to:

How relevant stakeholders may be involved in monitoring and may include activities such as:

planning

review of project outputs

data gathering

field visits and interviews

monitoring impact

report writing

Precautionary or work health and safety (WHS) measures refer to:

Measures that need to be considered during construction work and may include:

effective supervision

carefully designed work methods and well trained workers

regular changeover of workers

safety equipment and first aid kit on site

fencing around the site

provision of a guard or watch man

Precautionary or WHS concerns may include:

lack of expert supervision

careless worker and work methods

tiredness and lack of concentration

faulty equipment

interference by casual onlookers and animals

children playing on unattended sites

Performance variations may include:

Project activities that have not been planned but could occur or are occurring, and are not reported by local staff