Capacity building, Education & Training
Developing a competent health promotion workforce is a key component of capacity building for the future and is critical to delivering on the vision, values and commitments of global health promotion.
Areas prioritised for action:
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Workforce development in countries with identified capacity needs
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Development of international collaboration on core competencies for health promotion practice, education and training
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Developing competencies and professional standards for health promotion capacity building in Europe (CompHP)
Current and future health challenges demand new and changing competencies to form the basis for education, training development and workforce planning. International developments in health promotion and evidence-based practice provide the context for developing health promotion competencies, standards, quality assurance and accountability in professional preparation and practice. There have been international commitments calling for actions which require a complex mix of technical skills, expertise and leadership, as outlined in the WHO Bangkok Charter, the Millennium Development Goals and the report of the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health. The IUHPE also identified in the Shaping the Future of Health Promotion report the development of a competent health promotion workforce as one of the priorities for action.
Workforce development in countries with identified capacity needs
This work builds on the IUHPE's Brief Report of Gaps and Assets for Capacity Building in Low-Income Countries, which was prepared by the Vice-President for Strategy & Governance. The report highlights a number of key areas for action including the need for professionals trained in health promotion, sustainable funding for capacity building, availability of accessible and culturally relevant training, and opportunities for exchange and skills development.
Building on this report, the following activities are proposed:
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Undertake consultation across identified IUHPE regions/countries concerning their priority training and development needs in building a competent workforce of health promoters.
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Support the identified needs of countries where workforce capacity is lacking by developing mechanisms for the delivery of culturally appropriate courses.
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Identify a range of accessible education and training materials, including on-line resources, to support the delivery of short training courses, academic programmes leading to professional qualifications and continuing professional development initiatives.
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Test the feasibility of IUHPE offering a list of approved short courses within regions by approved trainers who are in a position to respond effectively to requests for training and professional development.
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Build a network of academic institutes across countries and neighbouring regions in order to support professional exchange and the development of a core curriculum in health promotion training at certificate, diploma and master's level.
International collaboration on competencies and accreditation in health promotion and health education
In addition to filling the training and development gap, there is a need to develop a comprehensive system for competency-based standards and accreditation to strengthen global capacity in health promotion, which is a critical element in achieving goals for the improvement of global health.
The IUHPE in collaboration with the Society for Public Health (SOPHE) and other partners convened at the National University of Ireland, Galway on June 16-18, 2008, for the Galway Consensus Conference to promote exchange and greater collaboration on the development of core competencies in health promotion and the strengthening of common approaches to capacity building and workforce development.
The conference organisers issued a consensus statement: Toward Domains of Core Competency for Building Global Capacity in Health Promotion: The Galway Consensus Conference Statement (DRAFT- April 2009)
This Statement identifies eight domains of core competency that are required to engage in effective health promotion practice:
- Catalyzing change
- Leadership
- Assessment
- Planning
- Implementation
- Evaluation
- Advocacy, and
- Partnerships.
The Galway Consensus Statement is intended for several audiences, including: practitioners, researchers, and academics in health promotion and health education; policy and decision-makers in government and non-governmental entities; employers; and international organisations and other institutional authorities, who have a stake and a responsibility in promoting the health of the public. In addition, the core values and principles, domains of core competency, and the statement regarding standards and quality assurance mechanisms, as well as the recommendations and key actions that are contained in the Consensus Statement, are intended to be relevant for all countries.
The Consensus Statement is at present in draft form. The aim of the Galway participants was to put together a framework for international review until a final version with global relevance is presented at the 20th IUHPE World Conference. In addition to a consultation with key IUHPE network members across the globe, the IUHPE's online dialogue forum, Views of Health Promotion Online is running a stream for members and non-members to openly comment on any and all aspects of the draft.
In 2009 the IUHPE journal, Global Health Promotion (GHP) and SOPHE's Health Education & Behavior (HEB) each published an edition with the background papers prepared for the Galway conference. While HEB focused on developments in North America, particularly the United States, in professional competencies and accreditation; GHP brought to the forefront international perspectives. In addition to scholarly papers reviewing international literature on competencies, presenting European developments and comparing the United Kingdom and the United States, this edition contained commissioned commentaries from Africa, Australia, Canada and Latin America. Both GHP and HEB issues are available open access on their respective websites in SAGE's online platform until the upcoming IUHPE World Conference in July 2010.
For more information on the CompHP Project please click here.
This workplan is being developed in close collaboration with members of the IUHPE Global Board, in particular with the President and Vice Presidents and staff of the IUHPE Head Office. Details of the work as it progresses will be posted on this site. The support and active engagement of health promotion colleagues around the world will be critical to ensuring the successful implementation of this plan.
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