Training Workshop ReportOn

Business of Agriculture Cooperatives

Training date: 30 April to 4 May 2018The Training venue: Amazing Grace Church Kampong Thom

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អង្គការ វទិ្យាស្ថា� នសម្រ�បសម្រ�លួសេសវាគាពំារសង្គ�The Institute for the Coordination of Social Care Services

1. Introduction

This training on Business of Agriculture Cooperatives (AC) is the second one in the series among all four as stated in the contract between WVI-C, on behalf of the training organizer or client, and the ICSCS, on behalf of the service provider. This training participated by totally 32 participants with 8 females. They hold different positions such as AC Board of Directors Chairpersons, Vice Chairpersons, BoD members, Supervisory Committee, Secretary, Treasurers from four districts; namely Prasat Sambou, Prasat Balang, Stoung and Kampong Svay. This course lasted for five days long and aimed at enhancing business knowledge and skills of AC steering committees in order to operate their AC's business effectively. To do so, this course covered five main topics as described below:

Leadership Human Resource Management Team Building and Problem Solving Financial Management Risk Management

This report mainly highlights some key achievements of the course objectives, the participants' feedbacks and comments on the course delivery and their intentional application of learning points. Moreover, it also suggests some ideas which are foreseen should be done to help the participants apply their learning successfully.

2. The Course Structure and Management

On one hand, this course was jointly managed by the WVI-C CSBD Kampong Thom's Project Team members and the ICSCS trainers' team. To do so, we played two different important roles. The WVI-C's provincial staff members, totally five people, with their names listed below did an overall management of the course through their daily observation and providing us with feedbacks and comments for improvement accordingly. There people included:

1) Mr Be Sophoeun – a project coordinator2) Yim chovorn – a project coordinator3) Ms Ing Rotha – a project coordinator4) Mr Chhim Chhon – a project coordinator5) Mr Hun Chanveasna – a project coordinator

The ICSCS pool of training consultant team, which their names are listed below, played the main roles of facilitating participants' learning ensuring that all the participants could grasp the knowledge and understanding of the content taught as much as possible. The ICSCS pool of training consultant team included:

1) Mr Vong Thavy – Executive Director and Lead Trainer2) Mr Srey Vanthorn – Senior Training Consultant 3) Mr Heng Sophat - Senior Training Consultant4) Ms Hok Chan Phalleap – Training Consultant5) Mr Pov Vanny – Training Administrator 6) Ms Samon Monita – Logistic Officer

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On the other hand, we structured this course in the following way so that we could incorporate, to the best possible of our ability, the given feedbacks and comments from both sides; i.e., the participants and the WVI-C's provincial staff members.

Pre-Test – The course started first by the pre-test as a way to assess the participants' existing knowledge and also to give the trainers an overall idea of where and how they could be flexible in their session delivery.

Daily sessions delivery – The course then followed by each session delivery, one session after the other as presented in above table.

Daily review and evaluation – Towards the end of the day and every day, we got the participants filled in the daily course evaluation form in which we asked them for feedbacks and commons to improve our delivery in the next day.

Course review and participants' intentional application of lesson learned – Just before the course ended, the trainers wrapped up the course quickly so that the participants could recall their lessons learned. This revision was therefore used as the base for the participants to consider and decide which of their lessons they wish and had enough confidence to put in practice when they go back to their work.

End of course evaluation – Towards the end of the course, of course, we asked every individual participant to fill in the course evaluation covering an overall aspect of the training.

3. The Applied Training Methodology

This training mainly applied the adult learning principles. To do so, we used more action methods than the just giving lectures. Particularly, this training incorporated all ways or means which enabled the participants learn as much as possible. These included doing to learn – learning to do and sharing to learn.

At some points we got the participants practically and physically involved in our various learning activities as a way to help them absorb the knowledge of the content taught. For example, we asked them to stand by the leadership quotes which they felt most interested in and helped them reflect and draw key

points with regard to the meaning of leadership. At some other points, we got the participants immediately apply the lessons in class which they got from the trainers' explanation so that they would become more skillful using them. For example, we got the participants work in small groups using their chosen method or tool to analyze their problems in class. For some other topics, we asked them to discuss and share their ideas and experiences either in plenary or in small groups. Through this, it required them using a participatory behavior to learning. Other than that, we also used a variety of relationship building methods

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Share to learn (Behaviors)

Learn to do (Skills)

Do to learn (Knowledge)

and/or exercises throughout the whole course delivery aiming to break away their barriers to learning and at the same time build their confidence to participate as much actively as possible in all the learning activities. 4. The Training Outputs

4.1. The results of pre-test The pre-test was done in form of scoring on a scale from 1 to 5. The smallest number; i.e., No.1, meant that the participants had lowest knowledge and understanding of the content taught. The biggest number; i.e., No.5, indicated that they had already got a very good understanding of the content taught. As the result, we could summarize how the participants assessed themselves in the following chart. This chart indicates that the majority of the participants assessed themselves having low level of knowledge and understanding with regard to five specific subject matters. These included "Human Resource Management", "Risk Management", "Problem Solving and Teambuilding", "Leadership" and "Financial Management". It was commonly understood that the topic regarding Human Resource Management covered a far more broad range of aspects or key components as compared to their practical agricultural cooperatives. This was the main reason why they assessed themselves at a lower level of understanding. They also regarded themselves in the same way for the topics of financial management and risk management. Specifically, they did not have a risk management plan yet to attach with their business plan.

lowest little Average Good Very good0

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Figure 1. Existing Level of Understanding

Unlike the above two topics, the participants did not see and regard themselves as being a leader of their cooperatives and this was the reason they scored themselves also low. For them, the term leader they referred to the ones who led big and/or huge institutions including a country leader as for example. Apart from that, the reason they scored themselves also at a lower level with regard to the problem solving and teambuilding sessions was because that they had never learned any specific method or tool for problem analysis and that they probably could not differentiate the concepts of working as a team and as a group due to the reason that the translation of these two terms in Khmer language are the same; i.e., "Group".

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4.2. The results of post-test

The result of post-test indicated that the participants generally improved their level of understanding at the average level with regard to all of the content taught. Particularly, they have made significant improvement in human resource management and risk management. This indicated that the participants had grasped the knowledge of key elements of human resource management. Particularly, they could tell what the functions of human resource management were as well as the importance of time management through the reviewing session. This improvement was somehow also linked to the problem solving and leadership sessions in a way that managing human resource well would enable them to prevent many problems from happening in the early stage and leaving them more times to think of long term strategies to lead their cooperatives as being a leader.

lowest little Average Good Very good0

5

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Fugure 2. An Increased in Understanding

4.3. The results of course evaluation

At the end of the course, we asked the participants to evaluate an overall aspect of the training delivery. As the results shown in this chart, we could see that the participants felt satisfied with every aspect of the training. More importantly, they acknowledged that they had been involved quite actively in the learning activities throughout the course. Some of them even felt fully satisfied with every aspect of the course.

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Course con-tents

Facilitators guide

Facilitators' preparation

Participation by participants

Refreshment Training venue0

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Figure 3. End of Course Evaluation

4.4. The Achievement of Course Objective

It should be reminded that the course objective was to enhance the quality of ACs business performance through all the five learning topics as described in the introduction part of this report.

Lowest Low Fair Good Excellent0

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Figure 4. The Achievement of Course Objective

The summarized result in this chart tells us that this course achieved its set objectives at between the fair and good levels. We expect that this improvement in knowledge and understanding would enhance the quality of their business performance afterward.

As commonly understood that some included topics in this course covering a far more broad range of aspects as compared to their practical cooperatives, this would make some of those participants find it hard to relate them to their

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work and therefore rated the course objective achievement at just the fair level.

5. The Challenges faced and Solutions

On one hand, we observed that this group of participants had difficulty absorbing the content taught and shy to actively participate in the learning activities during the training. We saw this kind of expressed behaviors since the start of the training, mainly on day one, and even carried over to day two for some whiles. On the other hand and as the trainers, we had to cover all of the planned content taught within the given period of time we had. These were the most challenging issues we faced in this group of training delivery.

Having acknowledged these challenging issues, we therefore applied a variety of relationship building methods and/or activities during the training delivery aiming to break away their barriers to participation. These included using some active energizer games and telling some jokes etc. to create a safety and happy learning environment so that the participants dare to participate and contribute their ideas. With regard to the issue of them being slow in absorbing the learning content, we applied more practical and action based methods as a way to transfer the knowledge to them. For example, instead of explaining how each of the methods or tools for problem analysis was used, we modeled them in a visualized way using the practical problem they faced regarding their business performance to work with each tool. Other than that, we got them work in their AC groups to practice using the tool that they understood the most to analyze one other practical problem regarding their business performance. Having implemented these two solutions, the participants therefore felt encouraged and started to participate more and more actively in all the training activities which led to the above results of their satisfaction as well as the achievement of course objective.

6. The Participants Intentional Application of Learning

Towards the end of the training we did a course review using a method called; the "Head", the "Heart" and the "Hand". The "Head" was referring to key points or lessons that still stayed. in their memories after the whole five-day course. The

"Head" was referring to the key points or lessons which they understood or felt interested in the most. The "Hand" was referring to the lessons which they wish and felt confident enough to apply in their work.

As the result, the participants commonly expressed that they would apply these following key points in their workplaces, which included:

Managing cash flow as a way to prevent financial fraud from happening; Revisit their business plan incorporating the risk management strategies into it; Trying to build trust and motivation among their members as a way to better lead

their ACs; Sharing all the lessons learned from the course to their committee as well as other

members.

7. The Conclusion and Recommendation

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"Head"

"Heart"

"Hand/Feet"

Based upon all of the above reasoning, we can confidently conclude that this training has achieved its set objectives at a satisfactorily level. The participants had grasped the key knowledge and understanding of every topic or subject matter of learning which was foreseen would enhance the quality of their business performance afterward.

However, the real effectiveness of the training takes place not in the training room but rather in the participants' workplaces when they apply their learning. We therefore would like to suggest that the participants' supervisors; i.e., the WVI-C CSBD Kampong Thom Project Team members, providing them with coaching supports on any specific skill or competency regarding the above of their intentional topics of application of learning to ensure success. Additionally and due to the reason that every Agriculture Cooperative (AC) has developed their risk management plan at the end of the training, we therefore would like to suggest that the Kampong Thom Project Team to conduct a follow up and provide with a coaching support as they may require to integrate this risk management plan into their business work plan. Moreover, we also would like to suggest that the Kampong Thom Project Team providing each of their AC a coaching support in how to do cost calculation before starting their business.

Reported by: Srey Vanthorn (Mr)Title: Senior Training Consultant of ICSCS

Reporting date: May 7, 2018Location: Phnom Penh

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