For the past six months 12 people from the north-west region have been completing face-to-face Certificate IV Project Management training delivered by the University of Tasmania.

Funded by the Tasmanian Community Fund (TCF), the training is designed to build capacity in regional and rural Tasmania for those who work or volunteer in the community sector.

TCF Chair Sally Darke said it was important that local communities had the capacity to deliver on their own ideas and solutions to complex local issues.

“Having people in local communities with project management skills will mean that ideas can be implemented locally with people who already have networks in those communities,” she said.

“A lot of project management training is focused on infrastructure projects, whereas this particular course is really targeted at program delivery – working with people to change behaviours, cultures to really deliver on key community initiatives.”

Circular Head residents Amber Power and Kori Keny are excited to have the training running in Smithton next month.

“I had been in my role at the Circular Head Council for five years but I had never found any formal training options that suited my lifestyle,” Amber said.

“Working full time and raising three children made traditional forms of education unachievable, so when I heard about the structure of the Project Management training I put my name into the draw straight away.”

For a seven-month period the participants spend two days a month in different north-west towns completing course content alongside peers and mentors.

Designed for community focused leaders, the course empowers participants to develop and deliver place-based solutions to complex issues.

“The north-west is isolated geographically and we find that people who come just for jobs and not for the lifestyle often do not stay,” Amber said.

“We have some really insightful and passionate people in our community and if they can have more access to education opportunities like this the whole community will benefit.”

Circular Head Aboriginal Corporation Community Projects Co-ordinator Kori Keny wants to bring her learnings from the program to better support her community’s progress and resilience.

“Upskilling the people who live in our area not only benefits the individual but the whole community,” she said.

“Local people understand the direct challenges and needs of the community and often know what the solutions are, but do not have the necessary skills and qualifications to address them.

“It has been a great opportunity to network with other professionals from various sectors, to collaborate and to share knowledge. The skills gained will help me to leverage existing assets and emerging opportunities to deliver successful projects in Circular Head.”

The second last block of the pilot program will take place in Smithton on the 15 – 16 March. Participants will be focusing on putting theory into practise – planning and delivering a project. The Graduation Ceremony will be held on 31 May, location to be confirmed.