Appendix 3: Establishing training objectives based on TNA

The importance of establishing the training objectives

This appendix is based on the assumption that:

• The personnel groups that need training in Code implementation have been identified (e.g., policy-makers, planners, supervisors, fieldworkers, trainers).
• The specific training needs for each group have been determined through appropriate needs assessment.

In the development of a training course or program for any of the stakeholder groups, the training objectives will be based on the training needs. This is logical since the main objective of training is to fill deficiencies in knowledge and skills.

The objectives, in turn, will become the basis for the development of the training course. The choice of training content, materials and training methods will be influenced heavily by the objectives of the training course.

If the TNA is not conducted properly, the training objectives may not be appropriate to fill the identified needs. This interdependence should be borne in mind so that each "link in the chain" will be as strong as possible.

Factors influencing training objectives

The objective of training personnel groups will be influenced by the following needs:

• Top policy-makers in government and industry need to be aware of, and sensitive to, the extreme threats posed by the relentless depletion of forest resources, and should have the vision and capacity to formulate appropriate policies that motivate or encourage all sectors to help promote sustainable forest management.
• Planners in both government and industry need to respond positively to favourable policies and incentives, and should develop strategic and operational plans that lead to harvesting techniques that are economically viable while simultaneously safeguarding the productive and protective capacities of forests.
• Supervisors at the field level need to oversee field operations effectively to ensure profitable execution of production plans without ignoring environmentally-sound means to maintain forests.
• Workers at the field operations level need to acquire technical knowledge and skills to implement the field operation plans so efficient harvesting operations are achieved without impairing the integrity and productive capacity of the forest ecosystem.

Policy-makers and top government administrators set the parameters for forest management, focusing on sustaining the forest resources for both economic development and environmental services. They need to recognize the importance of the policy environment for the Code and that the Code is a tool for achieving sustainable forest management. But first they have to understand Code recommendations and how they contribute to sustainable forest management in particular, and environmental management in general. A major objective for such policy-makers and administrators may be to internalize the concepts of sustainable forest management (SFM), how SFM contributes to long-term economic development of the country (or of the region) and how SFM is also a strategy for environmental protection. Another specific objective may be for these trainee groups to recognize the link between the Code and SFM.

Planners in forestry agencies and in the forest industry translate policy into strategic and operational plans. In the context of the Code, the training objective may be to enhance their skills to analyze options (at the strategic and operational levels) for incorporating Code recommendations in the plans.

Recommended processes and outputs

The following steps should be taken in formulating a training course:

• Arrive at a common understanding of the nature of the various trainee groups and their respective roles and responsibilities in the decision-making and implementation of timber harvesting.
• Confirm their full understanding of the identified training needs of each of the trainee groups.
• Dissect the phases of forest management ranging from policy development, planning and actual timber harvesting operations, and relate these phases to each of the trainee groups. This will ensure that the training objectives for each trainee group will be correlated appropriately with the roles and responsibilities of that group. The workshop group may consider the following phases:

i. Forest policy development.

ii. Strategic and operational forest management planning.

iii. Forest inventories (pre- and post-logging inventories) and road location surveys (reconnaissance, preliminary layout, final layout).

iv. Layout of logging blocks (coupes) and logging set-ups.

v. Pre-harvesting inventories and tree-marking (for identifying trees to harvest, trees to be left, directions of fall, etc.).

vi. Felling and bucking.

vii. Yarding/skidding operations.

viii. Transport from log-landings to the log-ponds, log depots, etc.

ix. Road construction and maintenance.

x. Support services (workshop workers, camp maintenance and operations).

• Prepare a matrix of training objectives, e.g.:

Table 1. Matrix of training objectives

Trainee group	Identified needs (from TNA)	Objectives of training	Expected knowledge/skills gained
Policy-makers	Knowledge of the Code recommendations and its importance in promoting national development interests	To familiarize policy-makers with the Code, and how its national implementation can promote sustainable development	Positive appreciation of the Code as a tool to stabilize the forest resource base and promote environmental protection and conservation
Strategic and operational planners (government and industry)	Skills in cost-benefit analysis of Code implementation at strategic and operational levels	To provide planners with the skills necessary to undertake cost-benefit analysis of implementing Code activities at macro- and operational planning levels	Familiarity with the rationale and recommendations for Code implementation Cost-benefit analysis of Code implementation
Fieldworkers	Yarding methods under the Code	For fieldworkers to be able to implement yarding methods recommended by the Code	Yarding crews able to make on-the-spot decisions that distinguish between "with" and "without" Code yarding methods