Training and Development

IDA Tuition Reimbursement

IDA provides eligible employees the opportunity to obtain, maintain, or improve job-related or career-related capabilities through participation in full-length college courses taken for credit at accredited U.S. colleges and universities.

IDA Scholar Award

The IDA Scholar Award program is designed to cover the full tuition costs for a select number of employees enrolled in strong academic programs at approved U.S. colleges and universities. This program is competitive and based upon an application process. Applications are reviewed annually and awarded by the IDA Scholar Award Committee. Employees must have been employed by IDA for at least two years prior to application for a Scholar Award and be in a regular, benefits eligible position throughout the program.

IDA Training Memberships

American Management Association (AMA) – AMA offers its members a wide range of training programs, live and web-based seminars, conferences, studies, and publications, that cover topics such as management, communication, finance and accounting, human resources management, leadership, etc.

Institute for Management Studies (IMS) – One day workshops relevant to best practices in management learning and skill development are presented by speakers with extensive expertise in their field. This one day format provides maximum impact with minimal time investment and provides participants the opportunity to interact with and learn from many of the world’s leading management thinkers on an ongoing basis.

TTI/Vanguard- Since 2006 IDA has been a member of TTI/Vanguard, a technology conference series where corporate and government leaders, entrepreneurs, researchers, and academics explore emerging and breakthrough technologies and their potential impact on organizations, policy and society.

Toastmasters International- Since 2013, IDA has been an active member of the District 27 Toastmasters. Members of this group work to improve their speaking and leadership skills by attending bi-weekly meetings held here at IDA. Additional information on this program can be found at toastmasters.org.

Presentation and Writing Skills

IDA employee presenting at conference

Presentation Skills and Writing Skills training is offered on a quarterly basis. The Presentation Skills workshop focuses on the development and delivery of effective presentations. The Writing Skills workshop is geared toward our IDA research staff. In this training, participants are better prepared to write clear, concise, organized and logical documents.

MicroInequities: The Power of Small™

MicroInequities: The Power of SmallTM is an interactive program is delivered by Stephen Young of Insight Education Systems and gets to the DNA of culture change and has quickly become the new model for leadership, diversity and inclusion.

Project Leader Course

task leader training participants

task leader training participants

The IDA Project Leader Course defines and conveys the importance of the Project Leader in IDA’s overall success. These courses are held throughout the year and address topics such as project management, leadership, and legal responsibility as well as specific topics on writing task orders, product editing, and IT resources. This course also provides an opportunity to learn from senior project leaders who understand and have demonstrated successful IDA project development.

 

IT Training Series

IDA’s IT training provides custom-tailored skills training, seminars/lectures, IT education, and related media services. These courses are offered via lunch and learn sessions, scheduled IT courses, IT training guides and on-line training.

National Security Series

Research staff new to IDA will get the chance to attend a series of lectures on national security, with a focus on Department of Defense organizations and processes the lecture topics include the Army, the intelligence community (IC), science and technology (S&T), personnel and readiness (P&R), programming and budgeting, and acquisition and requirements. These lectures are given by Division Directors who spent much of their careers before joining IDA working within the IC and S&T establishments in the Department of Defense. The remaining lectures are given by senior IDA researchers who have been immersed—while at IDA and in prior positions in and out of Government – in the complexities of DoD P&R issues, programming and budgeting, and the “Big A” acquisition process (including front-end requirements setting).

Colloquia, Seminars and Brown Bags

IDA’s on-site speaker program seeks to expand and strengthen our own research capabilities. The President’s Colloquia Series features distinguished military and civilian leaders who talk on a range of technical and policy issues related to national security. IDA also holds a number of seminars and Brown Bags. Each of these sessions focus in on specialized topics relevant to IDA’s research programs.

DATAWorks

DATAWorks is a workshop designed to strengthen the community leveraging rigorous statistical approaches to test design and analysis of data in defense and aerospace.  The workshop contains a mix of applied problems, unique methodological approaches, and tutorials from leading academics. DATAWorks is the result of a multi-organization collaboration with the Director of Operational Test & Evaluation within the Office of the Secretary of Defense, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), IDA and the Section on Statistics in Defense and National Security (SDNS) of the American Statistical Association.

Other Developmental Opportunities

IDA encourages and assists its staff members in career development endeavors that will enhance the value of each individual’s contribution to IDA’s work. The type and amount of assistance available varies and may include support for professionally related activities, attendance at technical seminars, and college courses. Educational assistance such as tuition may be reportable income subject to tax withholdings, as required by law. IDA is also an active member of The National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science (The National GEM Consortium), which is a network of leading organizations that sponsors qualified students from underrepresented communities to pursue graduate education in applied science and engineering. Additional information on this program can be found at gemfellowship.org.