Training Topics

Mix and match international development courses to build the capacity of your team.

IDI 100

Issues and Tools in 
International Development

This course provides participants with an overview of the key development paradigms, theories and models needed to understand and assess the critical issues from a project manager’s perspective. These issues include, but are not limited to: gender, environment, human rights, food security, health and livelihood. Participants are also introduced to the respective roles of NGOs, IOs and bilateral agencies as key actors in international development.

IDI 101

Management of Humanitarian Assistance

In this course, participants are provided with an overview of the key management skills essential for humanitarian assistance projects. The course begins from a broader managerial perspective and examines issues like understanding the causes of disasters, early warning systems, and aid assessment. The course then focuses on more specific skills needed to manage humanitarian assistance, including: setting-up country offices and related agreements; food aid; planning and providing for emergency services (shelter, food, health care); project planning, monitoring and evaluation; and transportation, warehousing and distribution of procured goods.

IDI 103

Project Design and Planning

Participants will develop the basic skills needed to understand and design development and humanitarian projects - from needs assessments through project conceptualization, stakeholder participation and engagement, and monitoring and evaluation of key project indicators. The course begins with an overview of the project cycle and theories of change before moving into exploring needs assessments and feasibility studies. Participants will learn to develop logical frameworks, basic performance indicators project plans and Monitoring and Evaluation plans. This course will concentrate on providing students with the logic and tools needed to support program design at a strategic level and lay the groundwork for participants to study each of these topics in more depth in future courses.

IDI 105

Humanitarian Logistics 
and Aid Management

Prerequisite: IDI 101

This course builds on the foundation skills and knowledge learned in IDI.101 – Management of Humanitarian Assistance and provides participants with the advanced training NGO staff need to understand and manage humanitarian logistics (procurement, warehousing, transportation, distribution, etc.). Participants also learn how to set up and manage food aid programs.

IDI 106

Participatory Techniques in
Monitoring and Evaluation

Prerequisite: IDI 103

Participants will be introduced to developing and using participatory techniques for monitoring and evaluation in development projects. This course will integrate real-life scenarios such that participants gain a practical understanding of evaluation theories and develop a tool-kit of skills and knowledge that can be applied in the field.

IDI 107

Management of Operational NGOs

This course will focus on the management, administrative, human resource and logistics skills needed to be an effective manager of a development project and/or program. Focus will be placed on leadership and negotiation skills, and will use cases and examples from real world situations to illustrate and reinforce learning.

IDI 108

Financial Management for 
NGOs in the Field

Prerequisite: IDI 107

This course provides participants with the financial management and accounting skills NGOs need to maintain project accounts, financial records and budget controls. Once these basic skills are learned, participants are taught how to prepare annual and project budgets, tender and procure in the NGO context, and report against the financial requirements of donors. Also explored are the basics of risk management and internal controls.

IDI 109

Proposal Writing

Prerequisite: IDI 103

This course builds on the basic concepts and skills developed in previous IDI courses such as "Project Design and Planning" and "Participatory Techniques for Monitoring and Evaluation" to provide participants with the skills they need to write winning development and humanitarian proposals. Participants will learn about the different donor requirements for a range of development and humanitarian funders including traditional multi and bilateral donors, foundations and nontraditional actors. The course will have a specific module outlining the Canadian funding scene, allowing participants to interact with funding requirements for the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD). Participants will learn and practice using tools such as Results Based Management (RBM), Log Frame Analysis (LFA), and risk and performance indicators, and how to assess, analyze and respond to donor requirements with winning proposals.

IDI 111

New!  Peacebuilding, 
Conflict Transformation
and Impact on Development 

The course will give participants an understanding of how to cultivate a culture of peace and skills needed for peace and conflict transformation. Participants will be introduced to conflict analysis, conflict transformation and peacebuilding skills, combined with theories of change, and developing peacebuilding programs. This course will offer students the opportunity to critically address the skills that are required in conceptualizing peace, conflict transformation, non-violence, and development. Participants will learn how conflict impacts development; how conflict sensitivity strategies are integrated into development and ways in which peacebuilding strategies can impact development.

IDI 206 

Security Training for 
Aid Workers in the Field 

This course will focus on practical operational strategies to ensure staff and asset security while working on international aid projects. The course will provide an overview of the global security situation for aid workers, and look at how changes to the contemporary operating environment have influenced the way agencies approach field security practices. Issues such as child soldiers, resource wars, non-traditional armed forces and political unrest will be discussed with respect to how they influence safety and security. In addition, participants will learn how to create security plans for themselves and their agencies.

IDI 207

Human Rights and
International Law 

Participants will examine international legal provisions that ensure respect for the individual and for the populations caught in conflict. They will also examine human rights law applicable to refugees and internal displacement. The course will examine International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and other relevant human rights law. To assist participants with this task, the course topics will address: definition and development of IHL, components and purpose of IHL, the role of International Committee of the Red Cross, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, refugee law and general human rights law, UNHCR role, NGOs role, assistance vs protection of human rights, and advocacy.