Online learning can meet many of the demands of the human brain to engage with the material, retain information and ultimately perform better in the real world. 

Virtual Academy Advanced Training Solutions has announced the promotion of Chris Carden to National Director.

COVID-19 has stressed our local public safety departments’ budgets and people. Public Safety staff are essential and that means they are showing up whenever they are called, no matter what’s going on in our world.

Well guess what, that is stressful… see, all our public safety partners must do their daily jobs with ZERO margin for error. That is on a normal day, and now, dealing with COVID-19 and Civil Unrest, not only are they expected to walk the line day in and day out, but now they’re doing with a heavier weight on their shoulders.

So how do we take care of our employees and keep professionalism and excellence intact while still mitigating the risk of the job?

COVID-19 has made most agencies pivot to online to finish out 2020 and look ahead to 2021. While most everyone is using Zoom, Webex or GoToMeeting as a quick fix to their in-service, it’s not a complete solution to manage all your training & data. Here are five things to keep in mind when bringing your agency online.

As leaders in Public Safety, we are constantly defining scopes and goals for our organizations and mission. New information, additional intelligence, changing political landscapes, and increasing public expectations requires adjustment to our vision and focus almost overnight.  For public safety in America, this year has transitioned from dynamic to volcanic, and has added deep complexity to our mission and goals.  In such an environment, SMART goals seem a novel idea that might work “next year”.

But what about SMART Training?  During this season of grief and unrest, can we deliver training to our team that is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relatable, and Timely?