MANUAL FOR TRAINERS
Training Program Flow
1. Course Outlines:
Prepare the Outline for the course, which we can use in the communication to learn the expression of interest. Please prepare it as soon as possible after you’ve been reached out to. Here is the Outlines template.
NOTE: Trainers are required to clearly define the target participants in the course outline to ensure that attendees have appropriate expectations and the training objectives are effectively met.
Ensure you include the following in your course outline:
Training Format: 5 workshops, each lasting 2 hours, delivered over 5 weeks. Each session should be conducted weekly, ideally on the same day of the week.
Tangible Takeaway: A ready-to-use communications strategy.
The course must provide a minimum of 10 hours of engagement with each trainer.
To ensure quality and sustain participant support, we also require approximately 30-minute follow-up sessions after course completion to catch up with participants who missed one or two sessions to address any questions. (Alternative options recommended by trainers are welcome)
2. Timing
Please decide on the dates of the course and let us know as soon as possible. We would like each trainer to hold one day and not overlap the courses with the other trainer, that is why we make sure you communicate the best suitable dates.
In 2026, we will run:
Spring Training Program from March - May
Autumn Training Program from Sept- Nov
3. Pre-course communication with the Trainer.
You will receive the welcome letter from the NPB Academy team to greet you, and with some useful information and learnings based on the completed courses.
4. Needs Assessment Questionnaire:
You will need to provide the academy team with 3-5 short, quick-answer questions to collect assessments from participants at the enrolment stage. These questions will help you define the requests of the participants more precisely and eventually shape/adjust/polish the training program. This will also be used to understand the baseline and desired outcome.
5. Attendance sheet
NPB Academy Team will prepare the and share it with you. This document is very important as we will track all the attendance there and confirm the payment at the end based on it.
Here is the template of the Attendance sheet.
6. Training Material:
NPB Academy Team will create a “Training Materials” Folder for each Trainer and will share the links with you. You should also share the list of participants who enrolled for your course with an update on the status of approval. The final list will be shared in the Attendance sheet once we receive all funder approvals. Please upload all the materials related to the course there. All the participants will have access to this folder so that be able any moment retrieve the materials and learn more.
7. Trainer Agreement:
The NPB team will prepare and share the trainer agreement with you approximately 2–3 weeks before the course start date, once full participant registration is confirmed.
8. Training Platform:
The Trainer decides which Platform to use to deliver the course. NPB could provide a dedicated Zoom account with unlimited seats and duration, available for all training sessions. Trainers are encouraged to use our platform to ensure a smooth and accessible experience for participants.
If you prefer to use your own Zoom account or an alternative platform, please share the meeting link with the NPB team in advance. We will take care of scheduling and sending out the calendar invitations accordingly. NPB Academy Team will moderate the sessions and track the attendance during the whole course and the sessions.
9. Communication with Participants
The NPB Academy Team is responsible for coordinating and communicating all technical details with the participant group, including scheduling events and sending reminders before the course commencement.
Trainers will be provided with the participant list and are welcome to communicate directly if they wish to share additional exercises, resources, or reminders beyond what the NPB team sends.
Note: Some trainers may be open to reviewing classwork submitted by participants. If this requires significant additional time and the trainer believes it should be treated as a private follow-up session, please consult with the NPB team before proceeding. This is important, as it may involve additional costs outside the original training budget, and we may need to seek approval from the funder.
10. Feedback:
NPB Academy Team prepares the intermediary feedback form, which will be shared at the end of the first session, and collective live feedback for the second session, for participants to understand how the learning goes and whether any adjustments are needed. The trainer has to create a trusted atmosphere in the group and encourage participants to share their ideas and thoughts throughout the process. We will also prepare the final feedback form and send it out to the participants of all courses to get an overall review of the training and ratings. We will collect feedback and share it with you within one month after the course is completed.
The template is here.
11. Trainer Report:
After the completion of the course, the Trainer prepares the report and shares it with the NPB Academy Team.
Trainer report example 1/ Trainer report example 2.
Questions to cover in the report:
Summary of, outcomes of the set objectives
Participation and level of engagement of grantees, peer exchange, level of preparedness and commitment from participants,
Key takeaways, eg practical implementation of the course skills and knowledge (even if only planned implementation)
Challenges faced and mitigation measures
Your overall impressions, observations and learnings
Recommendations (For you: What you would do differently should you be delivering this course again) For NPB and Grantees.
If you have any additional insights or materials that you believe would be valuable, please include them in the report.
12. Certificate:
The NPB Academy Team issues the Certificates of Attendance for the participants (those who attended four or more sessions), which allow them to share on social media.
13. Invoiceing:
Fees Structure (Further to the request from the funders)
No attendance: no charge
$ 150 if they take one session and drop out.
$ 600 for participation in more than one session
$700 if they complete 4 sessions and receive their certificate.
(Some exceptional fee structure might be negotiated on a case-by-case basis)
Duration of the session is 2 hours per session (5 sessions), and a few slots of 1:1 Individual Organisation can be offered to highly engaged or catch-up missing sessions to participants (flexible method), 10-12 hours in total. The Trainer may consider other durations of the session and the number of sessions, but overall, it should be at least 10 hours. If less, the price per participant/session will vary.
Trainers prepare the invoices based on the attendance sheets and submit them through this Request for Payment Form and inform the NPB Academy Team. We will have it reviewed and get back if need futher information.
Tips and Learnings from the previous courses
Ask Participants to rename themselves during the sessions to know who/which organisation is on the call and ensure the NPB team can properly mark their attendance.
Communicate about the connectivity issues, technology, and software needed to be able to work and encourage participants to keep the camera on during the session to ensure engagement, especially during group work. To consider the option of offline tools to use for those who might have the above-mentioned issues.
Participants who miss sessions, we can send them a recording if they request or give them a (paid) catch-up session
Some Participants expressed a wish for some materials, templates, and documents to be shared before the session starts. This relates to all the sessions of the course, not only the first one.
Most participants have communicated their needs and expectations, read them, and shown during the introduction session that you are already familiar with what they have said, so they feel cared for. Likewise, spend a few minutes on their website to learn more about them. Also, if you are introducing a template, you can already add their logos to show your involvement (a good practice from Tayeb Noorbhai). We keep course sizes small to allow for this personal attention.
Diversity of methods is best: trainers tend to over-rely on the one training method they prefer, whether break-out rooms, presentations, or facilitated discussions. All of these have their place, but it's important to offer variety; however, as adults learn differently, in this way, you will be able to cater to everybody, and your course will also be more fun and engaging than if it's dominated by one method.
Quick-paced: Not all participants are native speakers, so you can adjust the pace according to the group of participants based on their geography. We recommend preparing a session plan with all the activities, training goals of each activity, and timing. And maybe some backup activities in case you need to adapt on the go.
Discussions: facilitated discussions, where participants respond to a question you ask them, for example, can be very engaging. But keep them focused, and don't let them meander too long. Once the main points have been made, you can summarise and close. Also, please do not keep long introductions.
Breakout rooms allow the more shy participants to contribute in a more comfortable setting. But you need to check in and see what's going on; some participants may just sit there with their cameras and mics off, making it awkward for the others. Each breaking workgroup should be in a small group size (2-4 participants) and have a short duration (2-3 minutes/participant to speak)
Sharing more practical case studies and your own experiences would be highly impactful for participants. It would help maintain their engagement throughout the sessions and encourage more active interaction during the group activities.
"I learned nothing new" is a comment we sometimes get in the feedback. Avoid this by using the feedback form you send after each session, and your increasing understanding of the audience, to adapt the next workshop to the needs.