Touching the Future: IDI’s Story of Growing Generations of Training & Learning Specialists
Author: Archana Shirsat, Deputy Director General, INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI)
“I touch the future. I teach.”- said Christa McAuliffe, a teacher selected for NASA’s Teacher in Space programme in 1986, highlighting the profound impact educators have on shaping future generations, innovators, and leaders. Her motto reflects a philosophy that teaching is lifelong, influential, and often shapes the future
It will come as no surprise then that as I sit down to pen my most cherished reflections and experiences of growing with the INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI), the most iconic story that comes to mind is the one about IDI’s journey of growing people – pools of training specialists, eLearning specialists, blended learning specialists, and facilitators.
It is a story that spans across IDI’s years in Canada and Norway; a story that has touched hundreds of lives and many Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) across all INTOSAI regions. It is a story that has stood the test of time by pivoting to adapt to changing needs; scaling from growing people to growing institutions for sustainability and impact. It is also my story!
Becoming an IDI Certified Training Specialist
I was introduced to IDI’s systematic approach to training in the early 2000s while learning how to conduct a financial audit at the National Academy of Audit & Accounts in Shimla. In 2002 SAI India nominated me to participate in the IDI-ASOSAI programme developing the second batch of training specialist for ASOSAI. What followed was seven weeks of a life-changing experience. It was fascinating to interact and learn with more than 30 participants from SAIs across the ASOSAI region. It was my first experience of seeing such diversity of SAIs, language, cultures, and audit practices. A facilitation team from the first batch of training specialists from ASOSAI facilitated our learning journey in adult learning principles and theory, training needs analysis, course design and development, and facilitation skills. We learned by doing; practicing and applying our knowledge and skills. What inspired me was not only the technical competencies but the values and personal attributes that my teachers demonstrated.
They demonstrated trust in our ability and experience, they created a safe space for us to learn, they listened to our ideas and emotions, and they asked thought provoking questions. We could always trust them to give eye-opening feedback, and we had the opportunity to apply our learning by designing an audit training. At the end of seven weeks, I was certified as an IDI training specialist, I was a part of a regional and global community of training specialists, and it changed my life! I tell this story because it is not only my story, but that of most of the IDI certified training specialists.
Growing generations of training specialists
From 1998 to 2015 IDI created a community of training specialists in Arabic, English, French, Spanish and Russian across all INTOSAI regions. These pools went on to design, develop and deliver training and learning initiatives in their own SAIs, for their regions, and for IDI. They paid forward by contributing to the creation of subsequent batches of training specialists and they grew as SAI leaders, some going on to become Heads of SAIs and members of top management of the SAI. Some of us also joined the IDI!
Blending to move with changing times: Embracing digitalisation in learning
Keeping with the times, IDI started experimenting with eLearning and moved from standalone training to capacity development initiatives. We transformed the face-to-face training specialist format to a blend of in-person and online formats to create the next generation of eLearning specialists, blended learning specialists, and Learning Management system (LMS) administrators. In 2015, we launched IDI’s own LMS. By 2019, we had created 136 LMS administrators and 104 certified eLearning specialists across INTOSAI regions and 32 certified blended learning specialists in ASOSAI. Over the years we have helped both regions and SAIs in building and managing LMS. We also wrote a textbook for eLearning specialists Initiative Preselect – IDI
While formats, platforms, and mode of delivery changed, the heart of IDI’s training philosophy and values remained the same. The learner-centred, facilitatory approach empowering women, inclusion, and respect for diversity and country context stayed intact.
Resilience during the COVID era: Healthy Interactions online
It is this investment in people and infrastructure for digital education that helped us to stay resilient during the COVID era. It was heartening to see IDI staff and our pools of resource persons adapt to online capacity development and interactions with elan! Coming out of this experience we wrote ‘Healthy Interactions’ capturing our experiences and recommendations for online interaction.
From people to institutions: Taking a facilitatory approach to capacity development
We have Since 2005 IDI started moving from standalone training to more comprehensive support for people, processes and institutions. Regardless of subject matter or nature of our support, it’s the facilitation skillsets and approach that led to empowerment and sustainable change. Recognising the power of the facilitation approach, we built it into most of our growing resource pools. We started experimenting with developing pools of ISSAIs facilitators – a person who had deep learning of ISSAI implementation and facilitation skills. We also included rapid learning in design and facilitation skills as part of all mentor training for all IDI resource persons.
Our pools of training and eLearning specialists played a key role with tremendous in-kind contributions to the design, development, and delivery of key initiatives like PESA qualification for auditors, SAI Young Leaders, and Sustainable audit practices. More importantly, IDI’s facilitatory approach guides all our capacity development design – we empower and facilitate rather than supply.
Reimagining learning and growth: Growing Professional Competency Development Specialists
As we continue to grow those that touch the future – developments like the adoption of ISSAI 150 on Auditor Competency Development, the emergence of tech and AI and its constantly changing nature, a complex and uncertain world order, and demands of leaving no one behind – we are reimagining our next generation of learning specialists. To create a future-ready generation of learning specialists, we are currently designing a ‘Global Certificate for Professional Competency Development Specialists’
In conclusion, on the occasion of IDI’s 40th anniversary, I would like to pay homage to all my teachers and shout out a big thanks to the generations of training and learning specialists, all IDI people, all our partners both in- and outside INTOSAI, and all our resource persons who have poured their hearts and souls in growing people and institutions. I would like to leave you with the promise of continuing to touch the future by nurturing the next generations of those that grow others. May our tribe grow!
