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I will be “off the air for the next few days whilst my laptop gets an upgrade, so before I sign off until next Tuesday, I wanted to share another holiday discovery with you.

Being involved in the only accredited training course (in the world) for childbirth educators - the Graduate Diploma in Childbirth Education - you can imagine that I am right on top of competency based training. When I was on holiday in Cambodia recently, I went to visit the training facility where young men gain skills in the crafts of stone carving, wood carving, enamelling etc that are traditional in Cambodia. It was a lovely facility, situated in well tended gardens in a quiet corner of Siem Riep, the nearest town to Ankor Wat.

I was very surprised to find a large chart on the wall outlining the various levels of competency to be achieved, the modules of the courses and the basic educational principles of their program. Even in this struggling, developing country they have set up a system of competency based training! I tried to photograph these charts as best I could and here they are:

It would be a major breakthrough if the various hospitals in this country accepted the need for competency based training for the educators that facilitate their prenatal classes. At present, anyone can lead programs for expectant parents, often without any formal training at all, This is a situation that would not be acceptable in any other educational setting, yet it is deemed that expectant parents do not merit a qualified educator for these vital programs.

For those of you who are serious about the work you do as an educator, you should look to obtaining a recognised post-graduate qualification. It will not only enable you to work effectively, but graduates have received pay increases and obtained better jobs as a result of having this educational qualification.

We have students from a number of different countries as it is a distance learning package. The main workshop (mandatory) will be held in Sydney, and if enough students apply from the UK/Europe, in London as well, both at the end of 2004. The web site contains a wealth of information about the Course, feedback from students, FAQs and all the application details, but you will need to hurry - applications for this year’s intake of students closes on January 31st.

Posted by andrea at January 22, 2004 10:17 AM

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