Improving Instructor Hiring and Development at the Emergency Management Institute

Abstract

The Emergency Management Institute (EMI) is undertaking a strategic initiative to expand its reach and elevate its programming (Stern, 2021). One part of the initiative involves improving its instructor hiring and development processes in order to better meet the needs of its students. EMI asked the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center (HSOAC) to evaluate gaps in EMI instructor consistency, quality, depth, and currency as identified through information from managers and instructors. HSOAC was also asked to identify ways to address gaps, such as through new recruiting or hiring approaches, and to make recommendations for better hiring and developing instructors.Although this report is directly applicable to EMI, it might be of interest to other parts of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, other U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) components, and other education and training providers in the federal government and to state, local, tribal, and territorial entities. Other education and training providers might be interested in how to better hire and develop their instructors. This report could be of wide interest because the literature on this subject is sparse. Emergency managers and people in adjacent fields might be interested in how to better prepare to become instructors. Emergency managers might read the report with an eye to how EMI will expand and improve its courses through changes to its instructor hiring and development processes.