Posted on Mon, 25 Mar 2024, 07:52

Deadline on Fri, 03 May 2024, 23:59

The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) Secretariat is soliciting:

• Nominations for qualified experts to take part in a Working Group (WG) to develop plant health officer training curricula and support the development of a learning platform and relevant e-learning courses and guidance materials.

Scope and purpose:

The working group experts will be tasked with identifying key plant health officer positions and describing the roles, responsibilities and functions of each. They will collaborate in developing appropriate curricula and syllabuses, identifying relevant learning materials, developing an e-learning course and designing a learning platform.

The curricula and learning platform will assist national plant protection organizations (NPPOs), regional plant protection organizations (RPPOs) and the IPPC Secretariat to identify and develop appropriate training programmes that establish a baseline knowledge and common understanding of the Convention and the systems and processes for its implementation by officers who are involved in plant health roles or functions.

Additional information about the purpose, scope and content of the plant health officer training curricula may be found in the specification: https://www.ippc.int/en/publications/90725/

Instructions for making nominations

Nominations must be submitted by the IPPC Official Contact Points (OCP) of an NPPO or RPPO, or by a senior official for nominees employed by a university or an international organization. A nomination should only be made if the nominee has agreed to his/her nomination and can allocate appropriate time to the working group's activities. A Statement of Commitment signed by the nominee, the nominee’s supervisor and the nominee’s employer is required.

Each nomination must be accompanied by the following documentation:

1. Nominee details form: The form should be saved in MS Word and named as follows: COUNTRY_SURNAME_Firstname_WG Nominee.
2. Statement of Commitment: The document should be read carefully by each nominee and discussed between the nominee and their supervisor/manager and their IPPC Official Contact Point (OCP), for NPPOs and RPPOs. The form must be signed by the nominee, their supervisor or manager, and submitted by a senior person in authority from the organization that employs the nominee (e.g., their OCP). The file should be named as follows: COUNTRY_SURNAME_Firstname_Commitment.
3. The nominee’s Curriculum Vitae (CV) – electronic copy of the nominee’s CV (MS Word) with the file named as follows: COUNTRY_SURNAME_Firstname_CV. MS Word version of the document is preferred.

All the submissions should be sent to the IPPC Secretariat by e-mail ([email protected]) with a copy to [email protected] no later than 2024-05-03. Please include “Plant Health Officer curriculum” in the subject line.

Working format and logistics

The first virtual meeting of the WG is tentatively planned for 2024-06-05. The work of the working group is expected to be completed by 2025-06-30. Experts are expected to spend an average of 2-3 days per month contributing to the development of the curricula, learning platform and e-learning courses.

The working group is expected to work remotely using virtual meetings and other online tools. Virtual meetings will be organized on a biweekly or monthly basis, as needed. The start time of the meetings will be selected to minimize the impact on participants and may be rotated so the same people are not inconvenienced every time.

A face-to-face meeting may be organized, if the Secretariat considers that an in-person meeting is needed to progress the work.

Experts must have access to stable internet and must make every effort to attend all meetings.

Selection criteria:

The members of the working group will be selected based on their technical and practical expertise relevant to the topic. Geographical representation from both developing and developed countries will also be considered to ensure that the material developed is globally applicable and reflects best practices from all over the world.

The criteria that will be used for selecting WG experts are the following:

1. practical expertise and deep understanding of national phytosanitary systems;
2. pedagogical expertise in developing curricula and in course design and assessment;
3. practical expertise developing, implementing and supervising phytosanitary training programmes;
4. practical expertise managing phytosanitary training programmes;
5. good understanding of the IPPC, International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures and CPM Recommendations;
6. practical expertise in the use of IPPC Guides and training materials, including e-learning materials;
7. experience in conducting PCEs and participating in the PCE Facilitator training;
8. experience in the development, preparation and delivery of distance-learning content and programmes (distance tutoring, self-study courses, online collective training);
9. experience in blended learning (e.g. combining e-learning and traditional face-to-face teaching);
10. experience in monitoring and integrating post-certification achievement into the curriculum;
11. strong working knowledge of English and ability to formulate ideas and write clearly in English.

Further details are provided in the specification: https://www.ippc.int/en/publications/90725/

Questions? Please contact Barbara Peterson ([email protected]).