Curriculum

CDI Core Curriculum

The complete program consists of three, one-week training sessions. In addition to learning from successful practitioners, CDI also offers valuable networking and peer-to-peer learning opportunities. Each CDI site offers the core curriculum courses listed below in addition to other course offerings based on site needs and demographics.

Year 1

Focus is on the foundations of community development and includes group simulations providing participants with a better understanding of the challenges and benefits of a community development approach.

• Community Asset Mapping and Assessments
  This session emphasizes the importance of undertaking a community assessment early in the development process, that is, prior to strategic planning. Participants learn the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) approach and how to gather both qualitative and quantitative information about their community. The session explains the need to conduct assessments, how they fit into the overall development process, and best practices in assessing communities. Examples of community assessments and their use. Participants will also learn the difference between an asset-based and need-based approach to development. A perspective that emphasizes assets, rather than deficiencies, creates more momentum for positive change. Participants become familiar with the different types of assets utilized in communities and learn techniques to identify assets in their own communities.
• Community and Economic Development Practice
  

  In this session, community development is defined as both a process and an outcome and the relationship between economic development and community development is explained. The role of the community developer is discussed, especially as it affirms the core values of the discipline. Finally, participants examine a case study in which they must consider which process is preferable for effective community development.

• Community Strategic Visioning and Planning
  

  This session describes a powerful approach to harnessing change in a community; strategic visioning and planning. First, the difference between visioning and planning is defined and participants learn the steps to implementing a strategic visioning and planning process. Next, the role of the facilitator in the process is outlined. Examples of community visions, goals, and objectives are provided. Finally, participants learn of ways to move into implementation to ensure that the process leads to measurable outcomes.

• Community Visioning and Strategic Planning
  

  This session describes a powerful approach to harnessing change in a community; strategic visioning and planning. First, the difference between visioning and planning is defined and participants learn the steps to implementing a strategic visioning and planning process. Next, the role of the facilitator in the process is outlined. Examples of community visions, goals, and objectives are provided. Finally, participants learn of ways to move into implementation to ensure that the process leads to measurable outcomes.

• Identifying and Developing Stakeholders and Volunteers
  

  This session focuses on processes and strategies used to identify and develop stakeholders, and volunteers. Strategically utilizing and aligning these three groups to achieve community goals is important to the success of our communities. Each group brings something unique to the table.

• Understanding Community Economies
  

  Understanding how local economies function and grow is an important subject for everyone involved in community and economic development to understand. Knowledge of this topic makes for more informed decisions regarding improving the standard of living and quality of life for all citizens. Key concepts include job creation, the circular flow of income, employment multipliers and other important topics.

Year 2

Emphasis is placed on the “nuts and bolts” of implementing economic development strategies, including business attraction, expansion and retention, and entrepreneurship. Overview of commercial and industrial development projects and group simulations are learning tools for this course.

• Building Entrepreneurial Communities
  

  Entrepreneurship is strongly associated with economic growth. Discover what entrepreneurship is, what challenges startups face and how to attract and keep these innovators. This session includes an analysis of what characteristics exist in an entrepreneurial community. Participants will rate their own community’s level of entrepreneurship by assessing these same characteristics. The course will also provide tools communities can use to build extra capacity and to continue to build on that capacity.

• Business Attraction and Site Selection
  Location factors are essential to attracting, retaining, and expanding businesses, but what do companies look for in the site selection process? Learn about the top site selection factors and discover the opportunities to enhance or build on these factors for your community.
• Business Retention and Expansion
  This course covers the basic components of a successful business retention and expansion (BRE) program and why nurturing and supporting existing businesses is so critical to a community’s economic health. Participants will also learn how to increase the competitiveness of local businesses, job creation strategies and cost-effective approaches to economic development, including the role individual community members can play in supporting a BRE Program.
• Community and Economic Development Finance
  Creating a remarkable community with sustainable infrastructure and the ability to influence its growth takes fiscal management and insightful risk assessment strategies. Learn to maintain full cost funding and budgeting for long-term success.
• Quality of Place
  Quality of place is defined as the physical characteristics of a community that affect the quality of life of people living and working in it and those visiting it. This chapter will provide participants with an understanding of the role of the arts and culture in community and economic development. By understanding this relationship—and ways to promote engagement at various levels within a community—community developers may achieve outcomes that support quality of place. In addition, strategies in the development of a creative economy as well as potential outputs will be discussed.

Year 3

Focus is on implementing the knowledge gained in previous years plus acquiring skills in leadership, marketing and organizing the community development effort.

• Community Leadership Development
  

  This session will explore how through self-reflection, community leaders can be more self-aware and hence clearer about how they orient towards leadership. Leader orientation is informed by social convention, context, and private aspirations. Conventional approaches to leadership often enable the status quo. In today’s context, however, our communities face volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA), a new norm. Private aspirations about how to lead in such a context must confront conventional approaches and sense how to adapt leadership approaches. Dialogic, agile, and inclusive leadership sustain resilient communities in the VUCA context.

• Marketing Your Community
  Community marketing is essential to successful economic development. Learn economic development marketing principles and how to recruit new firms to your community. Become familiar with the elements of a marketing plan including goals, objectives and strategic action steps, budget and resource requirements and the roles and responsibilities of participating organizations and stakeholders.
• Measuring Community Progress
  Measuring progress in community and economic development shows local citizens how their efforts in moving the community forward are paying off. Demonstrating progress and celebrating good news encourages individuals and organizations in the community to work harder and plan more effectively. Learn about different categories of community indicators—social, political, economic—and various measures within each specific group. Learn also how to set up and monitor these community indicators and other best practices and benchmarking to aid measuring progress.
• Workforce Planning and Development
  A community’s human capital is one of its most valuable assets. Communities and states must focus on raising the skill levels of their resident workers or risk becoming non-competitive in the global economy or losing jobs to other states. This program addresses one of the most significant challenges facing state and local government across America–workforce planning, development and management during an era of reduced budgets, growing expectations and escalating demand. The program provides a comprehensive view of the workforce development pipeline, resources, potential partners, and provides participants with strategies to engage local partners to ensure a pipeline of talent exists in the local community.

CDI Advanced

The Advanced Year focuses on the application of community and economic development principles in a real-world setting. This multiple-day training is designed for individuals who have completed all three years of CDI, however, some institutes do allow attendance by non-CDI alumni working in the field who want to stay current with trends and best practices. Completion of Advanced CDI is recognized by the CDC for education requirements, training, work experience and eligibility criteria for re-certification.