By Rachel Adrian
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If you want to travel fast, travel alone. If you want to travel far, travel together”–African Proverb It can be said that partnering creates a whole that is significantly greater than the sum of the individual parts, and in the process builds greater value than any one partner could achieve on their own. But what does it take to make a partnership successful? And what value does partnership broker training bring to the partnership?We recently hosted 2 partnership brokers courses in partnership with the UK Based, Partnership Broker’s Association. The courses are a great introduction to partnerships and the partnering cycle.
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We were extremely excited to partner with ECVO and the Edmonton Community Foundation in hosting Edmonton’s first Level 1 Partnership Brokering course. This course is an excellent and intensive 4-day introduction to the partnership brokering process.Participants engage in discussion, enact case studies and go through the every stage of partnership cycle.One of my favourite parts of level 1 is when the participants make personal ‘journey maps’ to illustrate their partnership brokering process and key learning’s from the course.One participant from this years course compared her Brokering journey to putting together an outfit. She started with a simple black dress: versatile, time-tested and perfect for any occasion. The she added accessories (tools) because every partnership is different. Throughout Level 1 we try to give the participants a wide variety of these tools so they have the perfect ‘toolkit’ for any situation. Last, she reflected about the importance of changing your outfit (or adapting your process) throughout the brokering journey and as you are presented with new challenges. Another participant drew this journey map to illustrate their partnership brokering process. She said that they felt they had been dropped into the deep end without any training or preparation, and the level 1 course taught her how to ‘swim with the fishes’. After the course she felt ready to jump back in by herself!Partnership Brokers Association Level 1 gives participants the skills to effectively navigate through every stage of the partnering process. For more details about the Level 1 course, please check out our selection of partnership blogs, many of which have centered around the course and its role in our work as well as the Partnership Brokers Assocation website!
Training Skills Certificate
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We were extremely honoured to host the very first Training Skills Certificate course in North America. As one of the options for the second level of Partnership Brokers Training, this course is an eye-opening opportunity to delve deeper into partnerships and better integrate partnerships into their organizations. It enables Level 1 graduates to build on current skills, apply the concept and create rich conversations.We welcomed many of our past level 1 graduates, and a few others that had completed level 1 in different locations, to this 4 day course where participants take a much more intimate look into the world of partnership brokering and training.This certificate has so many important takeaways, but in my opinion, one of the most important (and often forgotten!) is Partnerships can be perfect for some situations, but in others a partnership will be nothing more than a hindrance. The certificate also teaches participants how to effectively lead partnership meetings and facilitate meaningful discussion.Please note: there are two options for completion of Level 2 Partnership Brokers Training: The Professional Accreditation and the Training Skills Certificate. For more details about both, please click here.For information about future courses, please keep an eye on the Partnership Brokers Association website.