Gunter Rochow: CE Success Story

Who is the Credentialed Evaluator (CE)?

Gunter Rochow is the founder of Capra International Inc., a company based in Ontario that offers international consulting in policy and program development, as well as evaluation, monitoring and assessment, using an international network of consultants. The company has a consulting reach of 194 countries and have over 60 associated evaluators/contractors around the world that provide project expertise.

He is a member of the CES National Capital Chapter, the International Development Evaluation Association (IDEAS), and the African Evaluation Association (AFrEA). He mainly manages evaluations but participates in some data collection and has over 23 years of international evaluation experience. Gunter has a M.A. (humanities) and obtained his Credentialed Evaluator (CE) designation in 2012 through the fast-track process.

What was the initial situation?

The practice of credentialing and competencies has been part of Gunter’s work throughout his career. He first worked in the area of occupational analysis whereby occupations are described by competencies. One of his first experiences with competencies was the development of skill competencies for about 300 of 500 occupational families in Brazil’s new Classification and Dictionary of Occupations (beginning in 1998). 

In the early years of the company’s operation, program evaluation was not the main focus of work, but today, it is almost 100% of their work.

Why did the CE want the credential?

Gunter was familiar with the advantages of a competency-based credentialing through occupational analysis and development. He co-developed a presentation for the CES 2003 conference in Vancouver where the competency approach to evaluation was first discussed. He was one of the support voices for the credential. He recently authored a presentation at the 2016 European Evaluation Society conference entitled, Modular Evaluator Competency Standards as a Framework for Global Education, Training and Practice. This will be available in the conference proceedings.

What was/is the relationship of the credential to the CE’s work?

Gunter realizes the value of the CE personally. He has encouraged his associates to pursue the CE and one is nearing the completion of the process. 

He is aware of some Requests for Proposals that made reference to the CE. He believes that trend will grow. He is not sure how the commissioners of evaluations in Canada feel about the credential, yet he would encourage them to learn about the credential and encourage evaluators to obtain it.

What happened?

Gunter completed the fast-track process to obtain his CE. He found the process stimulating and reflective. He viewed the tool and process as a self assessment which was a value in itself. It also meant that once the documentation was completed and the credential awarded, it could be used as a signal to prospective clients of his level of competence to complete various tasks.

He feels that the maintenance requirement of the CE is an encouraging aspect of the credential. It means that no one can be stationary and that participation and contribution is necessary. The maintenance process of 40 hours over a three year period is not an onerous one.

Results.

Gunter cannot prove the causality between the credential and his team’s success. However, indicating that the project manager has the credential may be a key selection criterion for competitive bids. More and more countries are recognizing the value of the CE. The firm’s work has grown substantially, and they have completed 15 evaluations since 2012. The most recent evaluation reaches 194 countries.

Gunter encourages others to purse the CE. He believes that this is a model that CES should encourage on a global scale.