In 2012 CCCRN became the only PEPFAR implementing partner to secure a 5 year CDC funded in-service training award Called Partnership for Medical Education and Training.

The Nigerian health workforce falls critically below the World Health Organization (WHO) threshold of 2.5 health care providers per 1,000 people required for effective service provision. Recognizing this deficiency and its implications on access to HIV service, CCCRN implement the 2 awards for pre service and in service trainings.

From 2012 till date, CCCRN supported training regulatory bodies (Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Community Health Practice Registration Board of Nigeria, West African Postgraduate Medical College) and 13 pre service training institutions to review and adapt new curricula for medical training. In addition, trainings for master tutors and infrastructural and tool upgrades were provided for these institutions to improve quality of training for students.

Since inception of the project, more than 400 health care workers (including 28 post graduate physicians) graduated with an enhanced capacity for managing HIV care centers.

Through the PMET 2 award, CCCRN is institutionalizing training structures in a sustainable manner that will enable increased government investment in capacity building. CCCRN has developed ten training centers in Federal capital territory, Gombe, Nassarawa, Benue, Ekiti, Lagos Enugu, Imo, Ebonyi, Kaduna, in tertiary health facilities in collaboration with hospital management and the Government of Nigeria. This strategy of domiciling trainings within government structures serves the purpose of integrating HIV trainings within existing service delivery structures, minimizing costs of space or facilitators, while strengthening human capacity and infrastructure at these institutions. Engagement of trainers within these institutions enables trainings to be conducted by a stable work force of experience hands that derive their remuneration from the Government. To date, through this grant, over 4500 numbers of health care workers have received in-service trainings according to National guidelines in Adult ART, Paediatric ART, PMTCT, HCT and TB/HIV, and over 130 national trainers have been certified by the Federal ministry of health to provide training for health care workers across different program areas for HIV. A segment of these trainees are followed up longitudinally under a Training Impact Evaluation process using a set of field tested tools and check list to access the level of knowledge and skills retained from trainings received and its direct and indirect impact of work outcome.

To ensure sustainability CCCRN is currently engaging facility management on the establishment of a training unit under the hospital management (a department or an institute) as well as expanding the training menu to include other non HIV related training programs for other health care workers and interests. CCCRN is supporting the faculties to register with corporate affairs commission of Nigeria as an independent business entity capable of meeting human resource for health development needs in the catchment areas they operate. The scope of training interest is been expanded beyond the HIV curriculum and in partnership with the Kaduna business school, business development plans are been developed for the training faculty.

This award mechanism also provides support and close collaboration with the FMOH in the review and revision of National HIV curriculum into an Integrated Curriculum based on new national guidelines.

This award has also established a web based virtual learning platform to enhance capacity building for health care work force .This is an online training platform managed by CCCRN with accreditation by relevant health regulatory bodies to provide CME points on completion of stipulated modules. And it provides additional learning resource other than those covered in the didactic sessions. These modules will extend beyond the National curriculum to include more detailed learning topics on HIV management, co-morbidities and clinical case managements. Upon completion of a module, users are scored and certificates generated automatically for successful participants. CME points are awarded based on guidance from MDCN on the weighted assessment of time required to complete the module. In other to keep track of trainings, the award established Train-Smart, a data based software customized to serve as the monitoring and reporting tool as well as data base for all in-service trainings supported by CCCRN. The database captures the training date, training venue, health workers names, facility, pre & post test results and facilitator information. Access to this database is provided for health administrators at the state government level for the purpose of staff deployment and redeployment