Long-Term Impact of RNTC Training

With over 50 years of experience, RNTC Media Training Centre, the internationally renowned training centre of RNW Media, provides training and coaching in media for social change. RNTC goes beyond traditional media and campaigning, combining research and powerful theory, professional practice and creative innovation. We recently conducted research into the long-term impact of RNTC trainings on participants media careers. A survey was shared among participants focusing on trainings held between 2000 and 2015 to explore the long-term impacts of these trainings on participants careers by 2020.

Survey Respondents: RNTC Trainees 2000-2015
Between 2000 and 2015, RNTC provided trainings for 1,687 trainees who were based in 111 countries. By 9 February 2021, RNTC received a total of 187 responses, representing approximately 12% of RNTC’s total alumni. There was a good gender balance in those that responded to the survey (53% female vs. 47% male). Most of the alumni fell between the ages of 25-34 (45%), 35-44 (36%) or 45-54 (15%) when they received trainings,with alumni being based in 44 countries across 6 continents. On the individual level, half of the alumni (50%) were working or living in Africa at the time they received the training, and most of the other participants (43%) were based in Asia.

Positive Impact on Career Development
All alumni agreed that their career development had been impacted by their trainings in a positive way. In fact, a predominant portion of the responses showed that alumni benefited from the trainings to a great extent- slightly more than half (51%) of the alumni indicated that the positive impact on their career had been significant and 43% reported considerable impact.

Contact maintenance is also an interesting perspective to assess training impact. Participation in RNTC trainings proved to be beneficial to alumni’s network development. 76% of alumni remain in close contact and 33% sporadically. Specifically, 50% of alumni grew their professional network as a result of their RNTC training attendance.

54% of the alumni would happily participate in a training again if they see an opportunity. 47% of alumni have endeavoured to return to RNTC, either applying for a new training opportunity (albeit not receiving a scholarship) or attending another training.

Alumni were asked to rate their attended trainings again looking back at the experience today. By their ratings on a 10-point scale (1 being the lowest score and 10 the highest): 37% of them gave the full rating of 10, 33% gave a 9 and 21% an 8. Almost half (49%) of the alumni applied the learnings to a significant extent; with 43% of the alumni applying them considerably.

You can read the full summary of the RNTC Long-Term Impact Study here.