Educating future economic development practitioners
Economic Development Australia | National Training Program Module Development and Facilitation | Australia | 2024 - ongoing
Development of four new national training modules
Course content created for visitor economy, events economy, night-time economy and partnerships
Detailed participant guides, resources and facilitator materials produced
Delivery of engaging, high-demand national training sessions
100% participant learning satisfaction
Highest attendance rates across EDA training modules
The Challenge
Economic Development Australia (EDA) sought to expand and modernise its Economic Development National Training and Education Program to better reflect the changing drivers of local and regional economies.
Sparrowly Group was engaged to design and develop four new elective course modules that addressed contemporary economic development priorities and strengthened the capability of practitioners across Australia.
Key challenges included
Developing nationally relevant content applicable across urban, regional and remote contexts
Translating complex economic development concepts into practical, applied learning
Integrating visitor economy, events and night-time economy into traditional economic development frameworks
Designing resources that could be delivered consistently by different facilitators
Ensuring materials are aligned with EDA’s broader professional development curriculum
Our Approach
Sparrowly Group applied a structured instructional design and co-design process to ensure the new modules were practical, engaging and aligned with industry needs.
Our methodology included
Review of existing EDA course materials and training frameworks
Stakeholder consultation to identify capability gaps and emerging priorities
Development of comprehensive course content and learning outcomes
Creation of participant guides, case studies and applied exercises
Design of presenter guides and materials for consistent national delivery
Direct facilitation of the modules to test and refine content in real time
Our deep subject matter expertise across visitor economy, events, advocacy and stakeholder engagement enabled us to design modules that reflected real-world practice and contemporary economic development challenges.
Outcomes and Impact
Key Outcomes
Four new elective modules successfully developed and launched
High-quality training resources embedded into the national EDA curriculum
Modules delivered to economic development professionals across Australia
Strong demand with sessions selling out quickly
Consistent, scalable materials now available for ongoing delivery
Economic and Social Impact
Strengthened skills and capability of economic development practitioners nationwide
Improved understanding of visitor economy, events and place-based development
Enhanced capacity of local governments and agencies to support economic growth
Greater professional confidence in partnership building and advocacy
Contribution to more effective, evidence-based economic development practice
Participant feedback demonstrated exceptional outcomes, with 100% learning satisfaction recorded across all sessions.
Services Delivered
“We’re incredibly fortunate to have Giovanna and the Sparrowly Group team as valued contributors to Economic Development Australia (EDA). Whether presenting at conferences or leading webinars, they always bring polish, clarity, and real-world relevance, sharing practical case studies that help translate economic development principles into action.”
