A diverse group of 22 international professionals, all developing and working in multi-stakeholder collaborative educational projects, attended an intensive training course in the management of partnerships in Malta earlier this month.

The course was organised by Microsoft and the Partnership Brokers Association. Microsoft’s senior director for strategic education partnerships Greg Butler, who is also the current chair of the PBA, led the training. Helga Van Kampen, who has long experience in cross sector collaboration, was the co-trainer.

Over four days, they mapped out the full partnering cycle and helped participants explore and reflect on issues that emerge when working in an environment of multiple personalities, cultures and interests.

Microsoft has been investing in developing this competence within the organisation for two years and has now extended the opportunity to its partners. Ros Tennyson, co-founder Partnership Brokers Association, explained that “successful cross-sector partnerships have the potential to make a serious difference to individuals, communities, societies, systems and, thereby, to the sustainability of our world”.

Collaborative endeavours are becoming standard arrangements for project delivery involving diverse stakeholders involved from inception to completion. Sadly, many valid partnerships do not make it through the first storm while others veer off course and limp forward in hope of deliver-ing the partnership’s intended objectives.

Partnership brokers have a significant role to play by providing leadership across organisations they work in uncharted territory.

PBA members have pooled in their expertise to provide approaches, frameworks, tools and prompts to give those leading partnerships the courage and confidence they need to keep such projects on course.

The first Level 1 training in Malta was sponsored by Microsoft; participants from the US, Central and Eastern Europe represented government, business, NGOs, intergovernmental and academic sectors. Locally, MITA and the Comnet Foundation for ICT Development participated.