Community
By Daryl Lee Spiewak, CEM, TEM, Lead Trainer for the CEM Commission
This article addresses why some courses are listed on the Global AEM/CEM Training Allocation Table and others are not, as well as how new courses get aded to the list.
The sample allocation table does not list every conceivable training course. It does not list every possible training provider either. What it does list is a sample of the training courses that AEM/CEM candidates and AEMs/CEMs applying for recertification most often submit for training credit.
Some courses are listed in the sample allocation table because the various Councils determined those were the most likely submissions for certification training credit by those in their Council. Still other courses are listed because an IAEM member, a certification candidate or a training provider asked the CEM Commission to evaluate a particular course. They asked the CEM Commission to make a determination regarding that course’s applicability to the certification training requirement, the number of acceptable contact hours the course may provide, and the proper allocation towards emergency management and/or general management training.
There are three major reasons why many courses are not listed in the Sample Global CEM®/AEMSM Training Course Allocation Table. First, there is a plethora of training courses available worldwide that meet the training requirements for initial and refresher certification. It is impossible to list them all. The table would end up being larger than the Encyclopedia Britannica and all its annual updates!
Second, a complete listing of all possible training courses would be too unwieldy. The table would no longer be a useful tool, and the CEM Commissioners would refuse to use it.
Finally, the sample training allocation table is maintained by the CEM Commission on a part-time, volunteer basis. Trying to produce and then update a complete listing annually would take many people all year, every year. The cost is simply too prohibitive for the limited benefits that a complete listing might provide to the certification program.
New courses are added to the table in a number of ways. The most common is when FEMA updates its training curriculum. The CEM Commission uses FEMA’s new training catalogs, published at the end of each calendar year, to update the USA section of the sample training allocation table.
During the three application reviews, the CEM Commissioners will note new training courses they are seeing. We know these courses are not in the sample training allocation table because of the attached course syllabus or curriculum in the application packet. Once deemed acceptable by the CEM Commissioners, these new courses are added.
As stated previously, new courses also are added when an IAEM member, a certification candidate or training provider asks the CEM Commission to evaluate a particular course for inclusion on the sample training allocation table for one of the Councils. To properly evaluate a course for inclusion in the table, as a minimum, the CEM Commission needs three documents: a copy of the course syllabus or course curriculum; a breakout of the hours devoted to the different sections; and a copy of the course objectives.
Any training course from any provider may be submitted and receive training credit as long as it meets the requirements defined in the certification application. Any applicable training course not listed in the sample training allocation table is still acceptable, with the proper documentation attached.
The real benefit to the candidate of completing and submitting a course for training credit listed in the sample training allocation table is the reduction in the required documentation. For a listed course, the candidate does not have to provide a course description (copy of syllabus or curriculum). The CEM Commissioners already have determined that course’s applicability, its contact hours, and its proper allocation.
Obtaining a copy of the course syllabus or curriculum has been an issue for some candidates. Many times the candidate did not receive a copy of the syllabus or curriculum or if they did, they may have misplaced it. Trying to obtain a syllabus or curriculum for a training course conducted up to 10 years ago also has proven difficult, if not impossible, for some candidates. For this reason alone, it is a benefit to take the training courses listed in the table.
IAEM Bulletin, September 2012
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