Key Activities > Training

Trainings can no longer be viewed as a support system, in the skilled workforce of the 21st century, training is essential. It is the core engine of organization, because it supports the entire skilled workforce. A core component to WPC programming is trainings. WPC has and continues to set up various training sessions for the facilitation of its programmes. Though training is often used as a component of the implementation of a larger project, the need for specific training has also arisen as a project in itself. For instance, in February 2008, WPC successfully organized 'Training Government Officials on Gender Budgeting in Madhya Pradesh'. Gender analysis of government budgets is a critical tool for ensuring a better match between the government's policy commitments and development outcomes for women. This training was a means for sensitizing government officials to recognize underlying gender inequalities and redress them through the allocation of public resources.

During the five years of WPC's existence, a number of specifically lobby training programmes have been organized to teach the steps and strategies of Lobbying. In September 2005, WPC organized a 3-day lobby-training programme in New Delhi. During this event, WPC employed the experience of the European Women's Lobby (EWL) to disseminate lobbying techniques among participants.

Further in September and October 2008, WPC organized six one day training programmes on gender sensitization and micro credit for Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), in Lucknow, Hyderabad, Chennai, Guwahati, Bhubneshwar and Kolkata The training aimed at facilitating discussion on gender issues and its various components and devising methods to institutionalize gender at all levels.

The issues addressed were Gender and Sex, Women's position, Gender and micro credit and Institutional gender mainstreaming- Vision/Mission. Approximately 200 officers were sensitized, and SIDBI had offered to make WPC an institutional partner for formulating gender mainstreaming policies, within the organizational structure.

WPC with the financial support from the Ministry of Women and Child Development organized a Trainer of Training Programme for 25 NGO representatives from different States on 10-11 November 2008 at Manesar, Haryana. The objective of two day TOT was to build the capabilities of the civil society organizations to analyze the state budgets from gender perspective and to lobby and advocate for gender budgeting.