Creating Career Instructors for Students Interested in Public Safety Telecommunications

The Career Instructor Program (CIP) is an APCO International initiative offered through the APCO Institute designed to address the nationwide staffing shortages facing emergency communication centers. CIP provides students and educators exposure to the public safety communications industry through APCO membership benefits and training opportunities.

A key element of CIP is the creation of a pathway for individuals who are state or locally-certified to teach secondary or post-secondary students the APCO Public Safety Telecommunicator 1, 7th Edition course.

The overarching goal of CIP is to provide prospective public safety telecommunicators with an industry-recognized credential to support their transition from the educational pipeline to the workforce.

 

 Qualifications

CIP allows instructors teaching for career and technical programs at secondary and post-secondary institutions to deliver the APCO Public Safety Telecommunicator 1 course to their students without course registration or certification fees*.

To qualify, applicants must:

  • Be a current APCO Educator Member.
  • Be certified/licensed by their local or state teacher certification body.
  • Be currently employed by a secondary or post-secondary school.
  • Not be a current employee of a public safety communications center.

* A fee of $99 per student instruction manual will apply for the course.

How to Become a Career Instructor

  1. Complete the online application.
  2. Upload CIP Letter of Verification completed by your institution.
  3. Once your application is approved, register for the online PST 7th Edition course, provided at no cost to you.
  4. Complete the CIP Orientation course within 30 days of completing the PST 7th Edition course.
  5. Check the CIP page periodically as it provides progress updates throughout the application process.

Please contact [email protected] with any questions.

Next Steps

You will be required to perform the following steps to teach at your school:

  • Purchase an APCO educator membership ($29 annually).   To purchase the educator membership, you must not hold a different membership through APCO.
  • Submit a completed CIP application and a CIP Letter of Verification.
  • Complete the PST 7th Edition student course at no charge to you.
    Note: Your course registration includes a downloadable course manual. A hardcover manual is available for $99 during the registration process.
  • Complete the CIP Orientation course. You have 30 days from the date you complete the PST 1, 7th Edition course to complete the CIP orientation. The average time for participants to complete the orientation course is up to three hours.

Once you have completed all required steps and are approved to teach at your educational institution, you can order PST 1, 7th Edition manuals for $99 each and submit courses through our online process. More information is available during the orientation course.

Apply for the CIP program

Moving Forward

  • Throughout your training, you will be provided with information regarding the process for submitting your completed courses and the issuance of your student’s certificates.
  • You must revalidate every two years to remain current as an APCO Career Instuctor.

Please email [email protected] with any questions about the program or application process.

 

About Student Certification

The student certificate is good for four years, during which time we hope they will search for employment at an agency. The student certificate is not revalidated and expires after four years.

Once the student gains employment, they will need to complete the PST Transition course and will require 24 CDE hours each year for a total of 48 hours for the two-year recertification period.

Additional Questions and Answers

I hold a Public Safety Telecommunicator (PST) 1, 7th Edition certification that I earned before the Career Instructor Program (CIP). Can I use this certification to apply to become a career instructor?

Yes, and you would skip directly to the required orientation course. In addition, your PST 1 certification must be current and issued through the APCO Institute. Once certified as a CIP, you are no longer required to earn CDEs and recertify your PST 1, 7th edition student certification. You will be required to revalidate your relationship as a career instructor with your school every two years.

Will CIP be expanded to offer additional certifications such as EMD, LEC or FSC? My students are interested in earning additional credentials.

No. CIP is limited to PST 1, 7th Edition certification. Students can earn additional APCO certifications through the APCO Institute’s traditional instructional channels and can register at APCOIntl.org/courses.

How can I teach at more than one institution?

After you have been appointed as a CIP instructor, you may submit another application to teach at another school. You will not be required to attend the PST 1, 7th Edition and orientation course again.

I am already a PST instructor at a school. Would it benefit me to go through CIP?

No, it would not be beneficial to transfer to the CIP. The certification is the same, although one requires recertification. However, depending on your membership, changing to an Educator Member may cause you to lose benefits. The program is intended for those not affiliated with an agency and individuals without the public safety credentials to allow them to offer this to their students.