Joint training ITC-ILO and DECP for staff and members at ATE Tanzania

From March 2 til 4, 2009 , the DECP -together with the ILO Training Centre Turin- conducted a three day “Effective Employers Organisation” training programme for ATE staff and members in Bagamoyo, north of Dar es Salaam.  
The training was undertaken by Ronald de Leij and Andrew Moore from DECP and by Fareed Jaunbocus and Thierry Marchandise on behalf of ITC/ILO. It was funded by DANIDA through the local company of COWI as part of an agreement for them to work more closely with DECP in supporting ATE.  
The training was attended by some 20 delegates, who followed a programme covering Membership, Services to Members, Advocacy and Governance. 

The first session was taken up with introductions by both the delegates and also the trainers. Each delegate was asked to give some indication of key issues that they wanted addressed during the two and half day training. It was clear from these introductions that the areas covered by the programme as set out would respond to most of those requests.  
Theory was alternated with exercises, e.g. how they would lobby on the minimum wage, an actual and very vibrant question among Tanzanian employers. The questions asked were: 'What is ATE's position in this matter?', 'How will they arrive at such a position?', 'How will they communicate on this with members and policymakers respectively?'  This exercise produced a lot of discussion and good feedback.  
Overall, the training proved to be a very useful two and half days, giving the staff and members of ATE the chance to halt for a moment and think about what it is doing and how they can improve their policy making, their attractiveness to actual and future members and their services to members