Tracer Study of Development Expert Training

The BMZ-funded project “Key qualifications for international development cooperation” of the Academy for International Cooperation (AIZ) prepares experts and managers of international cooperation for their deployment abroad through further training measures. The courses offered in this framework are intended to promote the capacities of the participants, enable them to work effectively in increasingly complex working contexts and thus contribute to increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the measures of international cooperation (IZ). Every year, approximately 1,600 experts take part in approximately 1,200 training courses. The courses focus on intercultural competence, diversity and country analyses, management and counselling, security, stress and trauma, language and communication, digital literacy and development policy.

The AIZ continuously adapts its courses and course contents to changing contexts and needs. In this context it has established a comprehensive evaluation system. As part of the project’s quality management, annual tracer studies are conducted, collecting the views of the trained experts 6 months after their job placement. FAKT has conducted the 2017 study. 47 experts placed in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe and the MENA countries have been interviewed via skype or telephone. Data was analysed using Mayring’s content analysis.