WHERE: Canada and Ghana   

WHEN: September 2013 - December  2013     

APPLICATION PROCESS:  Please send a letter of interest and resume to sarah.feldberg@coopscanada.coop by July 21, 2013

The Canadian Co-operative Association will cover costs directly related to the position, including a monthly stipend, medical insurance, visa expenses and return airfare to Ghana.  Only suitable candidates will be contacted for an interview.

This is a full time, 4 month assignment, with three consecutive months spent overseas. The intern will work closely with CCA's Financial Sector Specialist to create a series of detailed case studies on financial co-operatives in Ghana. These case studies will use financial data, staff and board profiles, member testimonials, market assessments and still/video footage to provide the reader with an as-close-to-real experience of visiting the co-operative in person. These case studies will be used for recruitment, training and orientation and communication purposes. The ideal candidate will have a combination of business and writing expertise.

BACKGROUND

Last year, 138 co-operative volunteers and interns lent their knowledge and skills to CCA's international programs. For many, this was their first time working internationally and while there are many similarities between Canadian co-operatives and co-ops in countries such as Ghana, Malawi and the Philippines, there are also differences that aren't always apparent at first glance. CCA has a successful recruitment and orientation strategy that prepares volunteers for their assignments and the country context. Through the introduction of case studies, volunteers will get to go inside a co-operative, visit the community, and hear from the members, without leaving Canada. They will analyse the situation and come up with recommendations on how to strengthen the financial and operational aspects of the co-op, while learning about contextual issues and regulatory restrictions that may stymie those recommendations. In short, volunteers will be better prepared to go overseas or host international colleagues in Canada, after having tested their knowledge and assumptions against realistic international co-op examples.  

Apart from training and orientation, case study materials will also be used in recruitment (candidates can be asked to react to a scenario) and communications (text, photography or video can be incorporated into presentations, installations and volunteer generated content, or used to flesh out CCA print and web communications).

RESPONSIBILITIES

The intern would work closely with the CCA Financial Sector Specialist and local partner organizations to develop a series of detailed case studies on financial co-operatives. This would include:

• Research and understand the use of case studies in an adult education/training context
• Develop a case study framework, data collection plan, and templates/forms for inputting and organizing information
• Review financial statements and collect, organize and analyse financial data
• Interview staff, board and members of financial co-operatives
• Review and summarize financial co-op regulation and internal policy/procedures
• Describe the financial co-op and its immediate and broader surroundings through text, photographs and video
• Prepare briefs on competitors and major market segments co-ops service area
• Write up case study drafts and organize information in a logical way with consideration given to how the case studies will be used in an orientation/training context
• Coordinate with local partner organization and field staff
• Organize transport and accommodation logistics

Deliverables

• 5 detailed case studies
• Interview and data collection templates
• A framework for the case studies and data collection strategy that can be used as a pattern for future case development
• An intern report detailing accomplishments, challenges and recommendations

Qualifications:

• Education in a relevant field; commerce, business, communications, education
• Coursework and/or practical experience with bookkeeping or accounting
• Experience with designing and conducting interviews
• Demonstrated ability to plan and implement a project with minimal supervision and assistance
• Previous international experience, as a volunteer or intern, is an asset
• Basic knowledge of camera techniques and composition
• Excellent communication skills and a demonstrated ability to write technical information clearly and plainly

Canadian Co-operative Association

The Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) is a national association for co-operatives in Canada, representing more than nine million co-operative and credit union members from over 2,000 organizations.  Individual co-op members are represented by CCA either directly through their co-operative, through their provincial co-op associations or credit union central, or through sectoral organizations. CCA provides leadership to promote, develop, and unite co-operatives and credit unions for the benefit of people in Canada and around the world.