Impact of LEAP Programme

Background and Purpose

The MSF LEAP (Leadership Education Academic Partnership) programme is a fully funded, flexible, post-graduate programme for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) staff. The long-term aim of the programme is to enable MSF to have better prepared, more diverse and more capable leaders; thereby improving the effectiveness and efficiency of MSF’s humanitarian missions worldwide. The programme offers a pathway for 
students to grow their understanding of humanitarian management and leadership, and to develop the skills and knowledge they need to progress their careers within MSF. 

LEAP has been running since January 2019 and is delivered by two partner universities in the UK: the University of Manchester (UoM) and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM). Participants have access to a combination of core and optional modules which are delivered via blended learning and which they can study whilst continuing their MSF work. Core modules focus on areas relevant to MSF’s work such as management and leadership in humanitarian organisations, the history of humanitarian aid and research methods, while optional modules allow participants to tailor their learning to specific interests or career goals. Students can complete one of the four possible study pathways: stand-alone modules (for staff seeking to acquire particular skills needed for their specific MSF roles); postgraduate certificate (PG Cert); postgraduate diploma (PG Dip); and/or Master of Sciences (MSc). Standalone modules can also serve as an access pathway to the longer PGDip/Cert or MSc programme. 

One of the founding principles of LEAP is its intention to strengthen Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) within the workforce, by empowering a diversity of staff to assume leadership roles within MSF – particularly categories of staff who have historically been under-represented in MSF leadership positions: locally recruited staff (LRS) for programmes; female staff; and staff from low income to upper-middle income ountries.

The objectives of this evaluation are twofold: 

• To determine the impact of LEAP on the professional development and career trajectories of graduates.
• To assess the impact of LEAP for MSF in relation to the demographic composition and capabilities of its 
  leadership.

The intention is to use this evaluation to inform potential changes in the LEAP programme strategy and design. The evaluation findings will also be used to inform the strategic planning for the next LEAP programme contracting phase, which is due to start in January 2026.