Strategies, techniques and tools to prepare and conduct a needs assessment
- 21 – 25 November 2011, Geneva, Switzerland
This course is jointly organised with CERAH (Geneva Center for Education and Research in Humanitarian Action) and is part of the Master of Advanced Studies in Humanitarian Action curriculum.
Participants can obtain 2 ECTS credits.
Registration and course fees
Course fee: CHF 1500
Registration and payment deadline: 7 November 2011
This course fee applies for participants from OECD and Non-OECD countries.
The above fee is in Swiss francs (CHF). Online currency converter: CHF to USD CHF to EUR CHF to GBP. These are indicative rates, provided by XE Currency Converter.
To register, fill in the online registration form, or download the form and send it to us by email. For further inquiries, please contact us.
Course overview
Click here to download the course leaflet (PDF format).
Whilst good information does not guarantee a good programme, poor information almost certainly guarantees a bad one. Assessments are a vital element of the programme planning process: they provide the information on which decisions will be made. The first part of our course on Project Cycle Management enables participants to learn about and test how to prepare and conduct a needs assessment. The course focuses on assessment strategies, the various tasks to be done throughout the whole process as well as techniques and tools used to improve the quality of information obtained during interviews with stakeholders. This should help participants to improve the quality of their needs assessments and therefore the quality of the relevance of potential projects and operations that may follow.
The course is divided into two parts: 1) What to assess, i.e. the content of an assessment, and 2) How to assess, i.e. the process of an assessment. The course includes a one-day field exercise to practice the newly acquired knowledge and skills.
This course is also available in French. Ce cours peut également être animé en français.
This is part of our training on Project Cycle Management, which provides a solid foundation on the three following core subjects:
-Needs Assessments in Emergency and Rehabilitation Situations (5 days)
- Planning, Programming and Monitoring Projects (5 days)
- Evaluating Projects (3 days)
Participants obtain a certificate in Project Cycle Management after attending the three courses. Each of these courses covers one main subject and can also be taken individually, leading to a course certificate. For more information about Project Cycle Management, please see the overview of courses.
Who should attend
The course will benefit in particular:
- Programme coordinators
- Key field and HQ staff involved in assessments
- Managers supervising field assessments
How you and your organisation will benefit – Learning Objectives
At the end of the course, participants have understood the assessment concept and methods and are able to select and use appropriate data collection tools.
Course programme
The training course is based on a series of modules, which can be adapted to the requirements of the course participants. The emphasis is put on practice and exercises and includes:
- Group-work
- Brainstorming
- Questions and answers
- Role play
- Simulation
- Short presentations
| Day 1 | Overview of approaches in needs assessment
1. Assessing how basic needs are covered
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| Day 2 |
2. Assessment concept
3. The assessment process
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| Day 3 |
4. Tips and tricks for successful field visits:
5. Data collection techniques
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| Day 4+5 |
6. Field exercise in groups
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Individual consultation
As a participant, you can obtain an individual consultation from one of the trainers during the course on how to further develop a project of your own.
