CRA TRAINING OVERVIEW

CRA delivers customized courses to meet the specific needs of the requesting agency or company. Our highly qualified, experienced staff ensures expert and consistent course delivery with appropriate documentation.

In December 2006, CRA, Inc. was awarded a contract with Amtrak to train their 14,000 employees nationwide in security awareness. CRA developed this training to meet the specific needs of the Amtrak employees and delivered to 823 classes across the nation.

CRA introduced Amtrak's front line defenders to the most common pre-incident indicators of terrorism activity over an 18-month period. The Employee Security Awareness program increases awareness, helps identify terrorist behavior and activity,  and informs employees how to respond effectively and appropriately. In addition, this multistage course exposed Amtrak's employees to the most commonly-used terrorist weapons. Using multimedia as well as instructor-led classes, the attendees were immersed in terrorist M.O. by world class experts.

...reachable, cooperative, and responsive to our needs... Outstanding work... - Inspector, Amtrak Police, 2007

Mr. Felix Perez, Inspector, Amtrak Police wrote in April 2007 "...that the scope of the work given the times, locations, and nationwide parameters would seem at times to be impossible. However your group has prevailed and over 7,000 employees have been trained to date. I would like in particular to point out the outstanding work being done by Rick Opett. Rick has been my main contact and has been on top of everything from the beginning by anticipating needs and changes in an extremely professional and skillful manner. His positive attitude and steadfast focus has surely made this project easier to handle and for that I am grateful. Thank you and please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions."

Additional examples of our customization for clients include our highly successful course development and training for the United States Marine Corps and our customized training regimen for Puerto Rico's police department that incorporated Anti-Terrorism Awareness Training, HAZMAT with OSHA certification and a hands-on workshop in analysis and investigation. 

In providing individual courses, CRA customizes the training to provide a more effective learning experience. Our real-time, participatory course in National Incident Management System (NIMS) as well as our Hazmat with OSHA certification are examples of taking the student beyond theory to actual hands-on practice. All courses taught by CRA can be customized to include training in several areas.

CRA is highly regarded for its expertise in Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). We have trained more than 90,000 first responders nationwide. Our training in WMD and Hazmat with OSHA certification is comprehensive and effective. We have expanded the WMD and Hazmat areas to include training in Chemical Protective Clothing which is now available to all first responders. Our instructors are active in the industry and provide up-to-date information on program issues and methods of incident response involving WMDs and HazMat.

CRA's Terrorism Awareness Course provides essential information for anyone in the frontlines against terrorists. As of January 2007, over 16,000 law enforcement personnel, security personnel and other first responders have taken the course.  The SHOEBOX (TM) Workshop for Analysts and Investigators provides need-to-know information for both the novice and the more seasoned analyst and investigator.  The Workshop facilitates the novice fusion center analyst to 'hit the ground running', wasting little time in becoming functional.

CRA develops and delivers training consistent with DHS's Office of Grants and Training (G&T) guidelines. CRA’s highly experienced course developers ensure that a consistently high caliber of content is maintained. CRA’s staff and contract subject matter experts (SME) developed the majority of the G&T courses have gained unique experience in developing WMD/hazardous materials courses that can more effectively meet the needs and requirements of local WMD/ HazMat programs throughout the nation.

CRA's training meets the complex needs of its first responder audiences. It reaches multiple disciplines, through training at the awareness, performance and planning/management levels, and employing the most appropriate mediums and vehicles for the particular audience:

To ensure the courses developed for training programs meet and exceed recognized instructional systems design model, CRA utilizes a five step process for all course development:

Step	Action
1	Analyze Conduct training needs assessment or use course goals Develop Program of Instruction (POI)/syllabus
2	Design Develop the learning objectives for each task, to include both terminal and enabling objectives.
3	Develop Develop training course including all support material Technical review by client and selected subject matter experts (SMEs) Conduct course pilot Post Pilot modifications
4	Implement Create a management plan for conducting the training Deliver a two-step Pilot/Train the Trainer courses Conduct the training
5	Evaluate Review and evaluate each phase to ensure it is meeting objectives. Revise course on an as needed basis to keep current.

QUALITY INSTRUCTORS

CRA's instructor management program ensures that only the best instructors are employed. Coordination and delivery of training requires a team comprised of several levels of expertise. This includes professional trainers, developers, and coordinators on staff with CRA. Our trainers are employed by experience levels based on their credentials in their areas of expertise. CRA’s trainers have a minimum of five years experience as trainers in their specific areas of expertise as well as experience with adult learning theory.

Trainers are selected and retained as consultants for CRA based on demonstrated excellence as an instructor with specific competencies in their specific area of expertise. For example, our hazardous materials (HazMat) trainers must be certified to teach in the field of hazardous materials response by a nationally recognized authority.

EQUIPMENT

CRA’s past experience with equipment procurement and management offers its clients a wide array of technical expertise in this arena. CRA, in conjunction with the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), researched, managed and procured three million dollars worth of equipment that was packaged for response and delivered to the former Soviet Union states. CRA assisted the FBI in determining the states' needs by conducting a needs assessment and researched products that best met their needs. Once these products were identified, CRA procured the equipment with best value in mind and stayed within the required budget.

CRA assists clients in equipment initiatives by offering expertise from subject matter experts (SME’s) who utilize specific field equipment and research the equipment’s capabilities and past performance. CRA also assists by researching equipment grants and managing the administrative process.

Click here or call Paula Seidman at (703)535-5205 to discuss how CRA can provide solutions to your training needs.