Training Development Officer

As a member of the military, Training Development Officers provide guidance and advice on the systematic approach to training and education and the Canadian Forces Individual Training and Education System.As experts in military training, education, and professional development programs, Training Development Officers are responsible for ensuring quality and quantity control of training, which includes guiding the development, management, and provision of training solutions as well as teaching in a variety of school settings, and managing learning resources.
They also conduct human performance research and development, including analyzing operational job performance requirements, identifying organizational needs and suggesting and facilitating solutions to performance problems.Work environmentTraining Development Officers generally work in an office setting at a Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) school, unit, base, command, or at National Defence Headquarters.
They may also be employed in a deployed environment in support of military operations or missions.CAPTAIN MEG KILBRIDE:
I'm Captain Meg Kilbride from Halifax, Nova Scotia, a Training Development Officer posted to the Canadian Special Operations Training Centre at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, Ontario.The Canadian Armed Forces is recognized worldwide for its first-class training system and at its heart are Training Development Officers, or TDOs, who strive to make Canada's forces some of the best-trained military personnel anywhere.CAPTAIN MEG KILBRIDE:
Behind every successful operation is successful training and Training Development Officers are at the forefront of that.
We often lead subject matter experts and instructors in developing their training from the ground up - everything from the classroom to the simulator right through to field exercises.TDOs play a critical role in the training of all military members by ensuring that training is as effective and efficient as possible.CAPTAIN MEG KILBRIDE:
TDOs often spearhead changes in instructional methodology and instructional techniques.
We're often the first ones to bring forth that first idea, to encourage instructors to try a new method.Training development officers are also advisors to senior leadership.
They offer insights and analysis on how to best train the military to meet the needs of Canada's missions, both at home and abroad.
They're engaged at all levels of military training - from the procurement of fighter aircraft or naval warships, to working directly with instructors at diverse training schools across the country.CAPTAIN MEG KILBRIDE:
A Training Development Officer will actually visualize the training right as it is happening.
One day I may be in a classroom teaching instructors, while the next I may be out with the students in a helicopter.
The possibilities are endless.TDOs live by their motto 'Always seeking a better way' to devise and refine training programs for Canadian Armed Forces personnel.
They work in headquarters and schools across Canada and around the world in deployed operations.
This can range from working on high-level strategic plans in one job, to working with instructors in a high-end tactical simulator in another role.CAPTAIN MEG KILBRIDE:
One of the unique opportunities that a Training Development Officer can have in their career is working with the Special Forces, which is where I work.
Within CANSOFCOM, we aim to train as we fight.
And as you can imagine, missions within the Special Forces are very high-risk, thus making our training very high-risk.After completing occupational training, TDOs are typically employed at a military training establishment or school across Canada.CAPTAIN MEG KILBRIDE:
A training establishment within the Canadian Armed Forces is the frontline of where Training Development Officers lead the institution with training and education.
Or you can go to a Headquarters where you're advising on training doctrine and policy.The essential roles for a TDO include front-end analysis to define training requirements as well as the design, development, and evaluation of training plans and instructional lessons.
They also conduct staff professional development and help to integrate instructional technology into the classroom setting.CAPTAIN MEG KILBRIDE:
There are innovations and new ideas that come up in the training realm all the time - for instance, simulation is a cornerstone of many of the things we do, both in the Air Force, the Navy, and within CANSOFCOM.
So we do advise on new ways to teach things, to just make things more effective and more transferable to the job.CAPTAIN MEG KILBRIDE:
It's my passion for training and education that got me to being a Training Development Officer.
I don't just teach students, but I teach the instructors how to teach their students.
And it is absolutely amazing and very rewarding to take an instructor and really instill in them the vivaciousness of a Training Development Officer.
Seeing them be interactive with their students and really engaging is the highlight of my career.
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