The trainer should consider the following when planning country "train the trainers" courses:

Budget

Special attention must be given to budgetary considerations for a course with a time frame of at least 40 hours. For national courses, proper attention must be given to lodging and transportation costs for participants from different areas, to ensure completion in a single and continuous workshop. Local courses allow for more flexibility by splitting modules and permitting a more adequate monitoring of advances and achievements.

Joint work by several public and private institutions, driven by common objectives, can relieve many of the budgetary constraints likely to occur, thereby enriching the workshop with inputs from outside lecturers who would supplement the trainers' work.

Organization

Successful workshops start with planning. Fundamental to success is the adequate articulation for the private and public efforts. Therefore, as a first step trainers must contact public and private institutions capable of supporting the various workshop requirements: technical presentations, logistics, financial considerations, etc. Once the team is assembled, each member should be assigned clearly identified responsibilities to be completed within a specified time frame. Annex 1 gives an example of planning.

Lecturers and other required technical support

Trainers, already exposed to subregional training workshops, will be technically responsible for the workshop. However, sometimes it is very convenient to have the technical support and experience of other members of the institutions in the team or from external consultants. This is especially valuable when specific experiences have to be illustrated. In any case, joint work by the teams is essential to integrate and relate the subjects reviewed. Before the workshop, time should be allowed for meetings to adjust the contents of this Manual to local conditions.

Selecting participants

The number of participants, permitted for efficient workshops, should be between 25 and 30, with different backgrounds and from institutions working with fresh fruits and vegetables in training, technology transfer, innovation and technological development, research, standards, certification and project and programme development and execution. Additionally, the contents of the workshop can be adapted to specific training courses, addressing the special needs from producers, transport personnel, exporters, etc.

Previous contacts with participants

The operative team will invite the participants, in the most suitable way, to consider the following

• The invitation must clearly show the relevance of the workshop in fulfilling a common objective or interest and the resulting benefits.
• It should emphasize institutional and participants' commitments before, during and after the workshop.
• " The invitation should be signed by relevant and respected figures from the horticultural sector with good summoning power.

To plan an appropriate agenda, the following reference documents should be taken as examples:

• Preworkshop Questionnaire (Annex 2).



• Terms of Reference (Annex 3).

Selecting the appropriate location

In addition to elements facilitating the workshop - such as pleasant surroundings, adequate lighting, supporting equipment (multimedia data show projector, slide projector and screen); adequate communication facilities (fax, internet, telephone, computers and printer) and suitable transportation - participants should meet in a more or less secluded location, away from distractions in order to help concentration. These elements may strain the budget; therefore participating institutions should be encouraged to provide them.

Training materials

A copy of this Manual must be given to each trainer together with relevant publications and reference materials for reading and studying. Sometimes it will only be necessary to provide the work sheets and document required for the activities.

Other required materials

• folder with paper sheets
• pencil and/or pen
• nametags
• registration form
• contact list for participants and trainers

The following must be available at all times:

• rota folio
• dry pens (for team work)
• digital projector (two, one replacement)
• slide projector
• screen (wide and in good condition)
• facilities for photocopying work sheets and handouts
• staplers, clips, etc.
• computer and printer

Necessary for initial steps:

• Results from the preworkshop questionnaire (completed by the participants).
• List of participants: name tags and folders.
• Opening ceremony: short and as simple as possible.
• Introduction to the workshop: explanation of contents and methodology.

Evaluation and final report

Responsibilities for delivery and collection of the workshop evaluation forms must be previously defined. The final report, which evaluates the workshop, should include an analysis of the replies produced by the participants in order to allow for adjustments regarding future editions. See Evaluation Form (Annex 4), used in a subregional workshop.

Agenda

The workshop must have an agenda, familiar to the participants beforehand. As an example, an agenda for subregional workshops is included.

Example of an agenda:

Participants commitments

As a follow-up to the workshop, participants should produce an action plan (with procedures and a time frame) to achieve specific commitments. Some commitments for a subregional workshop are:

• Design a country plan to multiply the training received (with dates for the workshop, beneficiaries and strategies to measure impact, etc.).
• Coordinate the country plan with different public and private agents.
• Train and evaluate the impact.
• Prepare a final project evaluation report showing results achieved.
• Prepare a proposal for a "National Action Plan" to implement a quality assurance and safety program for fresh fruits and vegetables.

To report advances in the implementation of the action plan (working schedule), as well as with the required support and consultancies, participants may contact the appropriate personnel.

Backstopping activities with the participants are useful to assess the impact of the workshop and the advances in the activities established in the plan.