Organizational Excellence

C4L offers adult learners the opportunity to acquire useful skills and knowledge in a number of areas over a relatively short period of time in an informal setting with similarly motivated people.

At C4L, the operative term is interactive, because in adult learning, it is the learners themselves who take responsibility for the process – not the teachers.

Additionally, C4L recognizes that learning is not just about formal training.  As a residential facility, C4L is able to provide participants with opportunities for resting, relaxing, reading, researching, reflecting, refreshing,  revitalizing,  recuperating, renovating, rejuvenating… and realizing the innumerable benefits of networking together.

Events at C4L can vary from days to a full year.  Sometimes C4L is the "host" venue and the training is provided by "guest" facilitators.  In the case of accredited training, C4L itself has an Assessor qualified by the ETDP SETA, although its own registration is with the MICT SETA.  The specific Unit Standards that can be facilitated and assessed at C4L by C4L are listed below, with the relevant SAQA number, the number of credits and at what level.

NGO Management Courses

Corporate Governance

Both the corporate nature and the roles of individual Board members of a non-governmental organization (NGO) are covered.  Participants are introduced to the skills of strategic planning & policy formulation, for which Board members are responsible in an organization.

252042  Apply the principles of ethics to improve organizational culture (5 credits at Level 5)

230446  Contribute towards organization policy development (8 credits at Level 5)

116484  Evaluate a specified code of ethics and/or code of conduct (6 credits at Level 5)

Leadership

The question is always asked:  What makes great leaders great?  Different styles of Executive leadership are examined in terms of their pertinence and effectiveness in different settings and situations.  The concepts of leading by example, effective delegation and leading from behind are explored.

252030  Analyse compliance to legal requirements and recommend corrective actions (4 credits at Level 5)

264976  Demonstrate understanding of the legislation, policies and procedures that underpin community development in a specific context (4 credits at Level 4)

Project Management

"Plan your work, then work your plan."  Participants will learn the steps in the Project Cycle.

Some Unit Standards that C4L can provide accredited assessment for are:

120379  Work as a project team member (8 credits at Level 4)

110480 Design and implement a system for the on-going monitoring, reporting and evaluation of a local economic development programme (8 credits at Level 6)

120384 Develop a simple schedule to facilitate effective project execution (8 credits at Level 4)

264981 Explain and implement a basic community development project in own work context (6 credits at Level 4)

230442 Manage youth projects and development processes (15 credits at Level 5)

Managing Human Resources

This course is designed both to teach and reinforce the fundamental skills of personnel management, including: How to motivate people, how to recognize and reduce stress through counseling, how to increase employee satisfaction and defuse conflict through team building.

15237  Build teams to meet set goals and objectives

13952  Demonstrate basic understanding of the Primary labour legislation that impacts on a business unit (8 credits at Level 4)

11816  Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the rights and responsibilities of the individual under the South African constitution

117855  Design and implement plans to deal with conflict situations (15 credits at Level 5)

116494  Explain ethical principles for equality of opportunity (6 credits at Level 5)

254068  Recruit, induct and manage volunteers (6 credits at Level 5)

Mobilizing Resources

Resourcing a non-governmental organization (NGO) is always a huge challenge.  In this course, diverse techniques of fund raising are explored, as well as strategic issues:

• Combining different elements to have several income streams
  
• Fund raising through "friend-raising" or networking
• Social enterprise, legacies, tax recovery, etc
  
• Preparing effective grant applications to achieve success when competition is fierce

114592 Produce business plans for a new venture (6 credits at Level 5)

NGO Finance

Managing the financial accounts of a non-governmental organization is complex, because unlike in the market place situation, with NGO's, those who receive the services and those who pay for them are different entities.  The participants in this course will receive practical, hands-on training.

Managing Time

The expression "African time" suggests that this resource is managed in different ways in different settings.  Participants will learn that they must unerstand and pay attention to not only their own sense of timing, but in the marketplace more importantly to the timing needs of their customers and clients, where “time is money”.

Managing Technology

Technology purchases are a big-ticket item for any organization, so choices have to be made that are appropriate to the context and requirements.  This module helps to line up and evaluate the criteria for selection, based on the needs and situation.

Managing Information

There is more and more data to be managed in an organization - whether in a simple phone directory or from a complex Monitoring System. The options are explored.

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Courses in the Human Services

Disaster Management

Based on the disaster cycle, the emphasis in this course is put on teaching mitigation and preparedness, although not to the exclusion of relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction. This course uses examples from both natural and social disasters.

Counseling

C4L's roots are in Grief Counseling for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC).  Broadly speaking, this can also address the deeper personal issues that arise during emergency and crisis situations. Peer-counselors learn to be empathetic and effective in providing support. To learn how to counsel others, active listeners must go through the process themselves and deal with their own issues first, dealt with before trying to deal with those of others.

C4L is now taking this to a higher level - accredited training in Active Listening.  These skills can be applied in any social services sector.  C4L is forming a Joint Venture with two other entities to make this "lay training" available across South Africa.

Training Facilitators

C4L offers baseline introduction to adult learning (distinct from Assessor or Moderator training):

• Train-the-Trainer module to teach those with technical competence how to pass on their skills effectively
• Consultancy module to coach professionals to develop skills for providing expert advice to clients, and how to manage and maintain client relationships
• Culture & Management module to explore the effect that changing the settings has on managerial performance and style
  

Advocacy

Advocacy is the activity of pleading or arguing in favor of something, such as a cause, idea, or policy.  In this course, participants learn that justice and peace are fundamental to development and fulfillment of potential.  Furthermore, they will learn that peace-making may take many forms and be effective in situations from the domestic level to the political. 

Experiential Team Building

Pamoja

Pamoja, a Swahili adverb meaning together, is what we call a special 3-day - 2 night corporate package at the C4L campus which combines some classroom time on group dynamics and team building with the experiential approach of our obstacle course.

The obstacle course, called Pilgrims' Progress, features 18 challenges which require team effort to overcome.  Each obstacle has to be approached with courage, ingenuity - and old clothes!  It is part of our strategy to emphasize collaborative team approaches to management and decision making.

This package includes some socializing time as well, so it is designed to stimulate motivation and cohesiveness in the workplace.

A minimum of 8 and a maximum of 20 participants can tackle the course at any one time.

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Mpumalanga Youth Organizations Forum

In collaboration with the German Development Service (GIZ), C4L formed the Mpumalanga Youth Organizations Forum and reached over 40 member groups in Mpumalanga Province with OD mentoring.  This programme ran for 7 years, ending in December 2011.

The Forum remains intact although GIZ departed from Mpumalanga province at the end of 2011.

C4L is making an effort to include members of this Forum in other initiatives, for example the Project Management learnerships due to start in 2013.