What's the difference between education and training? A lot of us tend to flounder a bit on this one. Someone once facetiously suggested to me that you can understand the difference if you ask the question, "Do I want my daughter to have sex training or sex education?"
Joking aside, we generally see training as teaching individuals to perform specific tasks. It focuses on the "how".The tasks may be simple or complex, but ultimately they are performed by people at the technician level. Education, on the other hand, stresses critical thinking. It teaches the "why" and encourages students to develop creative problem solving skills. These are the skills we require of our leaders and managers.
Emergency management is evolving as a profession. In my opinion, we are rapidly moving away from the days when being a solid technician was sufficient to do the job. The emergency manager of the future will need a solid theoretical base and the ability to function as a high-level manager and trusted adviser.
Given this need, I was apalled to find out this morning that FEMA has cancelled this year's Higher Education Symposium at the Emergency Management Institute in favor of a "virtual symposium" to save money. Started some years ago by my colleague Wayne Blanchard, the symposium provides an opportunity for academics, researchers and practitioners to come together in a collegial atmosphere to discuss our ideas for higher education curricula for future emergency managers. This goes a long way to bringing some cohesiveness to our various courses, showcases successful programs, and suggests research gaps that need to be filled. The attendance has grown each year, as has the conference in importance.
The cost to the government to support this symposium is minuscule. Attendees pay their own way and pay for their meals and housing on campus. Staff support is provided by volunteers working with the two-person higher education office at EMI.
I firmly believe that emergency managers of the future will need to be educated as leaders and managers and not just trained in the various tasks performed by emergency management organizations. The development of future leaders is, I also believe, a core mission of the Emergency Management Institute. To cancel the only effective way FEMA has to influence the direction of emergency management education in this country is both short-sighted and incomprehensible. It sends the message that higher education is not a priority for FEMA. If FEMA abrogates its responsibility in this area, who can fill the vacuum?
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