Evaluating training cascade: A methodology and case study

Training has increasingly turned into an important NGO tool for rural development in Asia and Africa. Such a use has made it essential to assess the impact of these training sessions. Again a good portion of these sessions are offered through cascades. There has been skepticism on the effectiveness of this mechanism. In response to the above need and skepticism, the paper assessed the effectiveness of training and the cascade under the Human rights and legal education (HRLE) program of Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee. A theoretical framework was developed and used for the assessment. The findings in a nutshell indicate that the training sessions considerably added not only to the knowledge of the trainees but also to their skill in conducting training. The knowledge and skill were successfully transferred from one level to the next training within the cascade. Above all, trainees develop an attitude to implement the knowledge and did that in the opportunities they received. For example 75 legal education training graduates implemented their training in 59 instances within a 12month period. The study concluded that the HRLE training was effective in producing desired changes and the cascade was an effective training tool.