Public Participation in Local Government Processes Training

Learning Outcomes

• Apply the legislative and policy framework governing public participation in local government.
• Analyze community needs and dynamics to design inclusive participation processes.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of participation mechanisms and recommend improvements.
• Implement communication strategies that foster transparent and constructive dialogue.
• Demonstrate facilitation skills to manage diverse stakeholder interactions and resolve conflicts.
• Develop a public participation plan aligned with integrated development planning (IDP) cycles.

Target Audience

This course is designed for municipal officials, community development workers, ward committee members, and anyone involved in public engagement or citizen liaison within local government structures.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment

Course Outline

Practicals

Overview

Practical sessions allow learners to apply theoretical knowledge in simulated local government scenarios. Through role-plays, planning exercises, and feedback analysis, learners develop skills in facilitating participation, managing diverse stakeholders, and integrating public input into decision-making.

Practical Activities

• Mock Ward Committee Meeting — Learners role-play as ward committee members, officials, and community representatives to discuss a local issue and practice facilitation, conflict resolution, and minute-taking. (4h)
• Public Participation Plan Development — In groups, learners design a public participation plan for a hypothetical municipal project, including stakeholder mapping, communication strategies, and feedback mechanisms. (4h)
• Public Input Analysis and Reporting — Learners analyze sample public input data from a simulated consultation, synthesize findings, and prepare a report with recommendations for council decision-making. (4h)

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course via daily exercises, scored practical assignments, and a final summative test at the end.

Practical Assignments — 30%

Practical assignments are observed and scored against a rubric during the practical sessions. Each delegate's practical mark is averaged into a single 100% score and contributes 30% to the final total.

Daily Exercises — 20%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 20% to the final total.

Final Test — 50%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 50% to the overall mark.

Final Total

Component	Out of	Weight
Practical Assignments (rubric-scored)	100%	30%
Daily Average (multiple choice)	100%	20%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice)	100%	50%
Final Total	—	100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

How it works

• Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
• Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
• You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
• If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.

Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates	Discount
5	3% off
10	6% off
15	9% off
20	12% off
25	15% off
30	18% off
50	30% off
75	35% off
100	40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.