This article has been originally published on Humentum website.
A global nonprofit organization, International Medical Corps, provides emergency health services to people affected by conflict, disaster, and disease. In addition to disaster-relief efforts, International Medical Corps delivers long-term medical support and training to communities in 31 countries worldwide.
In 2020, International Medical Corps HR business partners were working to determine learning needs across country programs. The assessment that followed emphasized a need for instructor-led people management training for mid-level managers. They reached out to Maura Bookter on the HR Learning team to work on a course offering. However, due to competing priorities and the pandemic, development of an instructor-led course was delayed after the initial needs-analysis phase.
International Medical Corps partnered with Humentum a year later to deliver a virtual Management Skills for NGOs course across multiple cohorts. Maura details below what they set out to achieve and why virtual learning in structured groups is a great option.
Addressing the need
Maura’s team manages internal staff learning and performance management, focusing on required trainings for new staff. International Medical Corps works to maintain the highest ethical standards and takes safeguarding and ethical work practices training very seriously. It is essential to ensure new hires and the current 7,000+ staff receive annual training in these areas. Although International Medical Corps does have an online management skills course offered through the learning management system, there has not been a pattern of delivering it to staff as part of a program. Furthermore, International Medical Corps’ HR team recognizes that people appreciate a live experience instead of solely asynchronous learning.
The HR team decided to consider alternative modes of learning to provide a live management skills experience for their learners. Through regular email alerts, Maura came across Humentum’s course, a practical offering that sharpens essential competencies, including relationship and team-dynamic building, communication, and effective management techniques. This virtual management skills course matched most of the learning objectives that had been identified during a needs analysis. Additionally, more staff from multiple countries could participate.
In 2021, Maura and an HR business partner colleague decided to attend the course, which follows a blended learning approach with webinars and self-led activities. They vetted the course in advance, led by Andrea Moffat, to ensure it would be a valuable experience for all.
We found out that Humentum was offering a course with many of the same objectives, and that it is virtual. We also knew we needed a highly experienced instructor who understood our industry—Andrea Moffat met that need. – Maura Bookter