So you have recognised that there is a need for HUMINT training within your agency but your not sure where to go to get the right training and if truth were told you are not even sure what the right training would look like if you saw it described.
When it comes to HUMINT training there are a lot of different products on offer from a lot of different providers and it can be difficult to chose which provider to go with. Herer are a few things you might want to consider before you sign contracts.
How much money have you to spend? You need to know your budget and that is more than jsut what you will pay to the training provider. You need to consider what premises you will use and any associated cost and you need to consider the amount each officer costs per hour they spend in training. While you may not have to pay that it is a cost to the agency so you want to make the most of that investment.. When it comes to training providers. do a bit of research about market rates. If you are paying cheap you are probably getting cheap.
How many people will you train? A reasonable class size is between 12 and 20 students. Anymore than that and all they are getting is words thrown at them. There will be no personal tuition. The presenter will stay on the stage and talk. And while they may be interesting and informative if you are wanting long term behaviour change you wont get it with a class of 40.
What does your agency need? Working in HUMINT varies greatly according to the function of the agency. It is not one size fits all. If you are not sure the training provider should be guiding you. They should be able to establish what will be most beneficial for your agency. They should have trained similar agencies previously Training should be designed bespoke to your agency. It is not about “here is a one size fits all HUMINT course i delivered in my old agency” . In addition, the trainer should be able to adapt the course once they have met with the students on the first day and identified their level of understanding.
Pick the right provider. Look for depth and breadth of knowledge. Have they only trained in one subject? In one area? There are likely to be a lot of different questions raised by students, will the provider have the experience to answer them taking into consideration all relevant aspects, such as the psychology involved, the legalities, the operation security aspects, etc. HUMINT does not stand alone. It is part of a complex picture and you want to get it all. Make sure you see a CV before you hire and do some due diligence.
Make sure the provider owns the material. Surprising as it may be a lot of providers take material form their old agency and use it regardless if they permission or not. Worse, some take form other providers and then try and deliver that material regardless of their knowledge of it.
How much time have you? If you wan to learn about HUMINT the first thing to learn is that it is a huge topic and it is unlikely that you can cover everything in one course. You certainly wont cover much if you are only willing to invest a few hours. If a trainer is suggesting that its about them, its not about teaching your staff properly. As a starter, allow for one full week. That’s for the basics.
Look for the add ons. If you are just getting a few days training and that’s all you are missing out. If you are paying for an expert int he room you should be making use of that expert and they should be happy to help answer questions about your structures etc. In addition, what is the training provider leaving for your students? Just a copy of the slides? Look for more than that.
Pick your students. not everyone can manage human sources. There are some out there who talk a lot about HUMINT but when it comes down to it they do not have the aptitude for the role or they think they know everything. These people can be very disruptive in the classroom and make it difficult for others to learn.
Managers need to learn too.
HUMINT is not easy. Regardless of where your agency is operating or the tasks they are undertaking managing a human source carries huge risk to the agency, the officers, the public and the source. You ned to get your staff the best training you can.
I hope this helps. If you need more drop an email info@hsmtraining.com
We are here to help you,