Irish credit unions join international drive for new financial training tool

A group of international organisations are working to develop a new learning tool for second and third-degree financial co-operatives. While financial co-operatives represent 10% of all co-operatives in the...

A group of international organisations are working to develop a new learning tool for second and third-degree financial co-operatives.

While financial co-operatives represent 10% of all co-operatives in the world, they account for 27% of all co-operative employees and 65% of all co-operative member-customers. The training programme, called My.Financial.coop, is aimed at second and third-tier organisations of financial co-operatives, which provide technical assistance and training to financial co-ops.

The organisations involved came together in Turin, Italy on 12-13 April to set out the draft curriculum design of MyFinancial.Coop. The workshop features 18 participants from 12 organisations involved in the development of the training programme. At the meeting they reviewed the curriculum design outline, presented by the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU).

The proposed curriculum includes three modules: Co-operative Apex Organisations; Apex support for Sustainability and Development of Personnel of Financial Co-operatives; and Policy Processes.

Participants have also set up a core team to continue leading the work around the development of the training course, consisting of the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and ILO’s International Training Centre (ITCILO). Pilot schemes are expected to be underway in countries including Zambia and Kenya.

Other organisations involved in the project include ILCU, the Asian Confederation of Credit Unions (ACCU), the National Cooperative Agriculture and Rural Development Banks’ Federation Ltd. (NAFCARD, India), the Credit Union Foundation of Australia (CUFA), the Teachers Savings and Loan Society Ltd of Papua New Guinea (GIZ), Cassa Padana of Italy, Federcasse of Italy and KUSCCO of Kenya.

  • Co-ops and apex organisations interested in getting involved and supporting the design of the My.Financial.Coop training programme can contact [email protected] for details.
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