BICTON OVERSEAS AGRICULTURAL TRUST (BOAT) was founded in 1991 and is a UK – registered Charitable Trust based in Devon, Southwest England. BOAT’s mission is to enhance the personal effectiveness and the management, planning, training and business skills of those key, senior personnel responsible for running agricultural and rural development organisations, development programmes and natural resources training institutes in our target region – East and Central Africa. More than 140 alumni have benefitted from BOAT training over the years.
In 2024, BOAT entered a new phase of delivery by moving online, delivering an ILM (Institute of Leadership Management) course through provider Skern Training and Skills. The topics were selected to mirror similarities of the original course and following a fact-finding visit to Kulika, Uganda by trustees Viv Horton and Peter Reed, the ILM units were selected. A breakdown of the four units is below:
Managing Projects in the Organisation: “The purpose of this unit is to develop understanding and ability to be able to manage projects as required by a practising or potential middle manager.”
Understanding Organisational Culture and Ethics: “The purpose of this unit is to develop understanding of organisational ethics and culture and their influence upon leadership style and organisation structure, as required by a practising or potential middle manager.”
Managing Marketing Activities “The purpose of this unit is to develop understanding of marketing management as required by a practising or potential middle manager.”
Developing a culture to support innovation and improvement: “The purpose of this unit is to develop knowledge and understanding of the culture required to support innovation and improvement within the context of your own workplace. You are expected to review your own, or an organisation with which you are familiar (this could include experience working in a voluntary capacity) in respect of innovation and improvement.”
The programme is typically 9-10 months in duration and delivered through a mixture of online ‘face to face’ delivery and self-study by the candidates. Each unit has an assignment and supported by a tutor/mentor from the training provider.