Winning Mind Training

  • Home
  • About
    • About Winning Mind
    • Testimonials
  • Store
  • Blog
  • Courses Listing / Calendar
    • Training Schedule
    • Course Descriptions
      • Dare to Be Great: Strategies for Creating a Culture of Leading
      • The Heroes Path to Excellence in Law Enforcement
      • Excellence In Training
      • Performance Enhancement Imagery
      • The Pursuit of Personal Excellence
      • Lessons From Life’s Most Powerful Question
      • Ground Fighting and A.C.E. Edged Weapons Defense Instructor Course
      • PPCT Defensive Tactics / HFRG Use of Force Instructor Course
  • Resources
  • Contact Us

November 17, 2020 By Brian Willis

Education – We need ongoing, not just front loaded.

The debate continues to rage on about whether law enforcement agencies should require a 3 or 4 year degree as a prerequisite to get hired. I am opposed to this and have voiced this concern in presentations and blog posts, the most recent being Some Thoughts on The Calls For Better Educated Cops back on July 27, 2020. I am an advocate for education, but opposed to having a degree being a requirement to get hired, or get promoted.

One of the issues I see is that we focus on front loading education instead of focusing on career long learning for law enforcement professionals. What do I mean by front-loading education? It is the requirement to have a 3 or 4 year degree to get hired. This is followed by a 16 to 26 week pre-service academy, which is critically important to provide the foundation providing it is done properly. After that the majority of the mandated training for officers is annual or bi-annual qualification or certification in areas like firearms, first aide, defensive tactics and a few other topics mandated by the governing bodies or politicians. Throw in some “tick the box” training to address the current hot topic like de-escalation, implicit bias and procedural justice and most of the mandatory training requirements are met. 

If people have a degree before joining the profession, great, I am not against that (but it should not be required). The pre-service academy should taught in a manner that is evidence informed and focused on learning, retention and the ability to recall and apply what was taught in the field. The academy should teach critical thinking and decision-making in a learning environment that has eliminated the traditional teach silos. 

The academy should lay the foundation for, and inspire a career of learning for officers. This however, requires that agencies create a culture of learning. A Culture of Learning is one where learning is continually delivered throughout the year and throughout people’s careers. This continuous learning culture builds competence, confidence and curiosity in the areas of critical thinking, decision-making, leadership, wellness, communication, emotional intelligence and ethics, all of which are founded on the Core Values of the agency. This ongoing training integrates legal updates, skills and tactics training. It is in this culture that topics like implicit bias can be woven in as a continual touch point. 

In order to continually advance the profession we need to embrace the Infinite Game mindset and create cultures of learning and leading. This means putting the focus on continuous professional development training, not simply frontload education and training at the start of a career. 

Take care.

Brian Willis

Winning Mind Training –  Dedicated to the heroic men and women of law enforcement.  

Dare to Be Great Leadership – Committed to helping you on your leadership journey. Use the code EITBlog to get 10% off the online workshop.

The Excellence in Training Academy – Where trainers come to grow. Join the Community of trainers committed to the pursuit of excellence in and through training. Use the code eitblog to get the first month’s membership (individual or training unit) free. 

EXCELLENCE in Training Academy Black

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit

Related

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Subscribe To Our Blog

Sign up to the Winning Mind Training blog to receive new articles, tips and posts directly to your email inbox.

Excellence In Training Blog

  • Expert or Resource? February 23, 2021
  • Are there credentials that help get speaking engagements? February 16, 2021
  • When it comes to Training and Education, think long game. February 9, 2021
  • An unspoken idea……. February 2, 2021
  • What is the most important trait for a trainer? January 26, 2021

Contact Winning Mind Training

Address:
246 Stewart Green S.W., Suite #2486
Calgary AB. Canada. T3H 3C8

Phone: 403-279-5954

Email: winningmind@mac.com

Connect With Us

  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Winning Mind Training is a proud member of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. To get more information and to find out how you can become a member of the Chamber of Commerce go to www.calgarychamber.com

Events

  • PPCT Threat Pattern Recognition Use of Force Instructor Recertification Course
    • Wednesday, Apr 07, 2021 - Friday, Apr 09, 2021
  • Leadership Lessons from Life's Most Powerful Question - 26th Annual FCJEIA Graduates Training Session
    • Tuesday, Apr 27, 2021 - Wednesday, Apr 28, 2021
  • Excellence in Training Course - Denton, Texas
    • Monday, May 03, 2021 - Friday, May 07, 2021
    • Denton

Copyright © 2021 · Winning Mind Training