On June 17 and 18, 2009, LMRF and the M&E unit of DED delivered the Introductory Workshop of the 2009/2010 Emerging Researchers Capacity Enhancement Programme (ERCEP) in the Balmoral Hotel, Durban. It is already the 3rd time the LMRF and DED run this programme with Petra Penninkhoff, of Royal Tropical institute in the Netherlands as the principal trainer.

The demand for the programme is increasing: the 2007/08 cycle counted 19 participants in 2008/09 21 participants made the cut from 31 applications received, and this year 45 applications were received from government departments, NGOs, the private sector and independent consultants. To allow for a truly interactive, participatory and effective programme only 25 participants can be admitted. The introductory workshop therefore serves as part of a rigorous but transparent selection process in which career path and motivation for becoming a Monitoring and Evaluation for Development are key criteria.

The workshop also provided an introduction to the basic characteristics on Monitoring, Evaluation and Impact Assessment (ME&IA): how they differ and how they complement each, and outlined the fundamental first steps in setting up a proper ME&IA framework. The main message brought across is that ME&A is a programme or project management tool that not only serves accountability but in particular provides the information needed to steer a project to achieving its objective, having its intended impact and avoiding negative side effects.

This set-up of the introductory workshop ensures that even those applicants who ultimately will not be selected for the training programme will have had some exposure to ME&IA and its significance in the planning and implementation of programmes and projects.