COURSE PROPOSAL: PROFESSIONAL ORIENTATION COURSE/DIRECTORATE OF ADMINISTRATION (POC/DA)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85B01152R001001300003-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 27, 2008
• Sequence Number: 3
• Content Type: REPORT

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COURSE PROPOSAL:
PROFESSIONAL ORIENTATION COURSE / DIRECTORATE OF ADMINISTRATION
(POC/DA)
A. HISTORY AND INTENT
In 1964, the need for specialized training for newly hired, junior Agency support
officers was recognized and addressed by the inception of an eight-week training
program designed specifically for junior support officers. This program was incorporated
as one section of the Junior Officer Trainee (JOT) program. In 1969, with a change in
policy reducing ' the number of Support Generalists, the JOT Support Officer Track was
eliminated and responsibili ty for the training of junior officers was transferred to the
individual support offices.
On 21 January 1983 the Deputy Director for Administration requested in a
memorandum that the DA/CMO consider as a long range planning item (among others)
the following:
ADD A SUPPORT TRAINING MODULE TO THE CAREER TRAINEE
COURSE: In conjunction with the Office of Training and Education
and the Office of Personnel, you should explore and report on the
need for and the feasibility of adding a segment to the Career
Trainee Program which would provide intensive support-related
training to those new employees who have a high potential, not only
for rapid career advancement, but also for overseas assignment.
This course would be to give a professional introduction and
familiarization with the full range of all DDA functions and
procedures to our new high-potential employees who will be entering
the Directorate through the Career Trainee Program."
The intent of this proposal is to describe, in general terms, one possible approach
by which the concerns above could be addressed. The proposal as presented below is
based on a series of premises which may need to be altered depending on the perceived
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needs of the Directorate and the resources available to be dedicated to the development
of this program. These basic premises are as follows:
1. Number of trainees: 30-40 per year.
2. POC/DA to be integrated into the current Career Trainee Program.
3. Having completed the Career Trainee Development Course, at least two
interim . assignments, some operations training and the POC/DA, any
further training of the DA CT will become the responsibility of the office
to which the CT is to be permanently assigned.
4. Length of POC/DA: Approximately 20 training days (four weeks).
B. COURSE OBJECTIVES - -
The student will- be able to demonstrate a thorough familiarity with the support
functions of each of the Directorate of Adm.inistation's (DA) nine offices as well
as the functions of the Office of the Deputy Director for Administration (DDA).
The student will be able to demonstrate a working knowledge of the DA's planning
activities; each student will prepare a presentation in support of a specific DA
activity- and justify the need to continue the program.
3. The student will be able to demonstrate a working knowledge of the Agency's
Budget and Finance functions, responsibilities and procedures.
4. The student will be able to demonstrate a functional knowledge of the Agency's
basic computer systems.
5. In connection with one or more "In-Basket" exercises, each student will have
prepared formal Staff Notes as produced in the DA.
6. The student will be able to demonstrate a basic understanding of the Agency's
personnel management system, and will be able to distinguish between personnel
requirements and personnel administration.
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C. PROGRAM AND COURSE STRUCTURES
1. The POC/DA would be incorporated into the CTP in such a way that having
completed some portion of the normal CTP, the DA participants would be
split off onto a separate track. Since a significant part of the work of DA
offices is support to DO overseas operations it would be appropriate, for DA
CT's to participate in the following course modules:
a. Career Trainee Development Course (10 weeks, unmodified)
b. Some amount of Field Operations Training (such as the-one and one-.
ha If week
c. 12 week DO Interim Assignment
d. Professional Orientation Course/Directorate of Administration (4
weeks)
12 week non-DO Interim Assignment
for subsequent
specialized training and one more Interim Assignment to be determined
by that DA office
-Assignment of the CT to his/her home DA office
2. The POC/DA itself should be developed in such a way as to maximize the
involvement of the students in the functions and operation of the various DA
offices. Thus, the course itself will probably be built around a number of
exercises and in-basket problems which will demand the greatest possible
student involvement and activity. As an initial cut at a course schedule, the
following blocking of times (totaling 20 training days) may be considered:
1 /2 day -Introductions and Overviews
1/2 day - Functions of the Office of the DDA
2 days - Office of Communications (includes visits to remote sites)
1 day - Office of Data Processing
3 days - Training on Agency Computer Systems (this is in addition to the
20 hours of instruction they have already had on Word-
Processing equipment during the CTDC)
3 days - Office of Finance
112 day - Office of Information Services
2 days - Office of Logistics
1 day - Office of Medical Services
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2 days - Office of Security .
1/2 day - Office of Training and Education
2 days - Office of Personnel
2 days - Final Exercise
D. ADMINISTRATIVE CONSIDERATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
1. It should be recognized at the outset that a program based on exercises and in-
basket problems as well as lectures, will take a considerable amount of time and
effort to develop.
Recommendation. if a program such as the one proposed above is to meet its
goals and objectives,, one: additional full-time professional plus a full-time clerical
employee- need to be-: allocated, to devote six months solely to organizing the
course and preparing the training materials needed..
Emphasis in the course is to be placed on providing intensive support-related
training to new high-potential employees who may possibly serve the Agency
overseas. Also, the course will emphasize the functional training of the students
and should not significantly overlap with specialized training the CT's will be
given by specific offices after the completion of their second Interim Assignment.
Recommendation- The course speakers will need to be briefed in-depth about the
goals and intents of the course, well in advance of their presentations. Also, there
will need to be considerable coordination efforts made between the POC/DA
course director(s) and the officers in the specific DA offices responsible for any
subsequent specialized training.
3. The optimum class size for a program such as the one described above would
probably be in the range of 20 - 25 students.
Recommendation: Depending on the numbers of CT's recruited to enter this
track, the course should run once to twice per year, following the students' first
Interim Assignments (with the experience gained from conducting other follow-on
training programs, i.e. the Operations Course for DO-bound CT's and the Analysis
Training Course for those going to the DI, it appears that the best learning takes
place after at least one interim assignment).
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