Development of an evaluation framework suitable for assessing humanitarian workforce competencies during crisis...

Area of Science:

• Humanitarian Aid
• Disaster Response Training
• Professional Development

Background:

• The humanitarian sector requires professionalization to effectively manage crises.
• Existing training centers offer competency-based curricula for humanitarian professionals.
• Simulation exercises are vital for assessing field readiness and core competencies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a competency-based framework and evaluation tool for humanitarian workforce training.
• To present a model for assessing the preparedness of humanitarian providers for field deployment.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of simulation exercises in humanitarian crisis management training.

Main Methods:

• A 2011 field-based exercise simulated a humanitarian crisis.
• The exercise was delivered under the World Health Organization (WHO) auspices.
• A competency-based framework and evaluation tool were utilized and demonstrated.

Main Results:

• The simulation exercise successfully tested knowledge of core humanitarian competencies.
• The competency-based framework provided a structured approach to evaluation.
• The evaluation tool effectively assessed the skills of humanitarian providers in a crisis scenario.

Conclusions:

• Simulation exercises are effective for training and evaluating humanitarian providers.
• The demonstrated competency-based framework and tool serve as a model for future humanitarian training.
• Professionalization of the humanitarian workforce can be enhanced through standardized, competency-based evaluation.