The Partnership Brokers Association

The 5-day residential basic training for partnership brokers is now well known. Open cohorts (global or regional) are running at the rate of 7 a year. But we have also developed other models – both ‘in-house’ / single organisation cohorts and for established partnerships. We have undertaken pilots with a number of organisations including Africa Development Bank, AusAid, Government of Newfoundland Rural Secretariat, and Microsoft. And they work! Next to explore are adaptations to single issues / themes and we are in discussions with a view to Level 1 courses targeting the extractives sector, humanitarian relief agencies, and donors.

If you would like to know more or explore with us the possibility of a tailored version of the basic training contact us.

Our first partnership brokers training in Australia was in August 2005 – since then there have been 5 further cohorts – now run under license to Dixon Partnership Solutions). The ‘critical mass’ achieved through 6 cohorts has produced some interesting post-Level 1 brokering collaborations. As just one example, four Level 1 alumni from the region have come together to build partnering capacity in Primary Health Care Partnerships in Queensland, Australia. Three of the same team have also been involved in assisting business / community partnership brokers working in education as part of a recent Federal Government initiative throughout Australia.

This group found that, even though they had come from different cohorts, working together was easy as there was common experience, tools and approaches. The team is hoping that their learning from these brokering projects will be part of the Partnership Brokering Project research work going forwards.