Anne Arundel Community College Pilot Program Will Expand
Nationwide
Sixteen TSA employees won accolades from the agency and Anne
Arundel Community College (AACC) leaders at a ceremony Thursday
saluting the workers' unique professional development achievement
and an outstanding educational partnership.
TSA AACC Class Of 2010
The TSA Transportation Security Officers and employees, who are
based at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall
Airport, are among the first TSA workers in the country to complete
all three courses in a pilot homeland security education program
with AACC. The courses are part of AACC's Homeland Security
Management associate degree program.
The 16 students were among 56 TSA employees at BWI who enrolled
in one, two or all three of the classes in the pilot program since
it began last year. They received Certificates of Achievement from
TSA at the Associates Program Inaugural Achievement Ceremony July 7
at BWI, where TSA officials thanked AACC for its role and announced
plans for a nationwide homeland security education program
rollout.
"I'm happy to see this day arrive," said TSA Assistant
Administrator for Human Capital Richard A. Whitford. "You know how
crucial this initiative is to our entire community."
The instruction better equips TSOs and TSA employees to meet
their homeland security mission and provides a career-enhancing
incentive, Whitford said. The courses introduce concepts such as
homeland security, intelligence analytics and security
management.
AACC, which enrolled nearly 55,000 students in credit and
noncredit courses in fiscal year 2009, had both the background and
connection to a global training delivery system to make the TSA
initiative a success. The college's award-winning Center for
Workforce Solutions (CWS) provides customized, contract training to
business, industry, government agencies and nonprofit organizations
in the region. Its School of Business, Computing and Technical
Studies is home to one of the first homeland security management
associate degree programs in the country.
TSA contracted with AACC to deliver the courses as a pilot at
BWI. For the pilot program, training was delivered by AACC at 11
airports in nine states. AACC also shared curriculum with other
pilot program colleges.
As a result of the successful pilot, TSA decided to roll out the
training nationwide. AACC and Global Corporate College are working
with TSA in this first phase of the national rollout. This fall,
the program will expand to 23 airports and in spring 2011 to more
than 50 airports in 35 states. By fall 2012, the program will be in
place at all 121 airport hubs in 50 states.