Staff Training
Training is a way to share the “industry standards” and over 10 years of institutional knowledge about how to effectively manage a field project.
The Global Staff Training functions much like a job orientation, reviewing some of the basic knowledge and skills that project staff need to succeed in running RCTs, as well as orienting them to the procedures, tools, resources, and team members of the J-PAL/IPA network. Global Staff Training is required to give staff the skills and resources needed for producing high-quality IPA studies. Global Staff Training is required for all Project Management Staff unless they have already attended a training event or will leave IPA within six months.
J-PAL and IPA staff and affiliates will receive announcements when registration opens for upcoming trainings, about one to two months in advance of the training event.
Participation information: The Global Staff Training is mandatory for all IPA research staff, strongly encouraged for J-PAL research staff, and open to non-research staff outside of the network. This program is designed for staff who have been with IPA, J-PAL, and related organizations in the IPA/J-PAL network for three to six months; however, it is open to staff with tenure outside that range. We also welcome staff who work with J-PAL-affiliated projects and those from closely-related external research organizations. If we are oversubscribed, IPA and J-PAL participants may be prioritized. Participants are expected to fully participate in learning activities during the program week. They may not have the opportunity nor the strong internet connectivity to carry on their regular project workload.
Learning Gains: Participants of the Global Staff Training will become well-versed in the key conceptual underpinnings of and debates surrounding RCTs in the social sciences, including ethics and research transparency. It will build upon the knowledge gained in the RCT 101x course, which all participants are recommended to have completed in advance. (IPA staff can read the instructions for registering for RCT 101x here.) They will also learn key skills involved in managing a research project, including coding in Stata and ODK, designing and programming effective questionnaires, project management, protocols for data quality and security, field team management, and effective communication, among other topics.
A final agenda will be circulated closer to each training. For your reference, you can download the 2018 Kenya staff training agenda here. The 2019 agenda is unlikely to change significantly from 2018.
Fee: The registration fee for the 2018 Global Staff Training in Kenya was $2,000 for staff directly employed by an IPA, J-PAL or EPoD office. Other staff working directly for J-PAL affiliates (e.g. employed by an affiliate’s university or research center directly) were charged $2,500 (which adds back in overhead costs, already covered by IPA/J-PAL-implemented projects). All other participants were charged $3,000. This fee covers training materials, room-sharing accommodation and meals for five days, and round-trip transportation from the Nairobi airport to the training venue. The fee does NOT include travel to Kenya, software licenses, or expenses outside of the training location and dates such as extra accommodation in Nairobi. IPA employees will be billed internally. For participants not employed by IPA, they will be invoiced the training fee no later than two weeks after the registration deadline. Please also note that proof of J-PAL affiliate status must be submitted to IPA's Global Research & Data Support Team, and confirmation must be received by the registration deadline in to be eligible for the affiliate rate.
Training fees for the India and U.S. trainings in 2018 will be announced closer to their start dates, but should be similar to the Kenya training fees.
We look forward to having your new staff join us. If you have any questions or comments, please email IPA's Global Research & Data Support Team.
“The sessions on RCTS and generalizability have helped me think more critically of the projects I’m on and properly evaluating the theory of change.”
“I got mind-opening exposure to how to deal better with organization and quality assurance.”
“Wonderful collegiality! Really warm engagements, open and creative.”
“Really well organized & coordinated! Thank you!”
GLOBAL RESEARCH STAFF TRAINING
Upcoming training program dates:
J-PAL South Asia + IPA In-person training program (Goa, India) August 27 - September 1, 2023 Registration info coming soon! J-PAL North America + IPA Online training program (Zoom) October 16 - 26, 2023 Registration info coming soon! Previous training program agendas: J-PAL South Asia + IPA 2022 Agenda (in-person) - file attached to this email 2021 Agenda (online) J-PAL North America + IPA 2022 Agenda (online) - file attached to this email 2021 Agenda (online)
Upcoming training program dates:
J-PAL South Asia + IPA
In-person training program (Goa, India)
August 27 - September 1, 2023
Registration info coming soon!
J-PAL North America + IPA
Online training program (Zoom)
October 16 - 26, 2023
Registration info coming soon!
Previous training program agendas:
J-PAL South Asia + IPA
J-PAL North America + IPA
Questions or comments:
Contact IPA's Global Research & Data Support Team