Professional Development and Leadership in the Training Function
Domain focus
Professional development and leadership tests the Instructor III as a developer of people and the training function. Items cover mentoring, succession planning, continuing education, credentialing, ethics, change management, communication, and modeling the safety culture.
Core rules
- Build a development pathway from Instructor I through III with documented experience, education, teaching hours, and evaluated competencies.
- Use individual development plans and mentoring, not just course attendance.
- Plan succession for lead instructors and program managers; cross-train and document readiness.
- Model ethical conduct, safety, and respect; address bias and misuse of authority promptly.
- Communicate with data and listen to stakeholders; manage change through early involvement and clear rationale.
Worked example
A division has one live-fire lead instructor nearing retirement. The Instructor III identifies two backups, compares their portfolios against the JPRs, assigns mentoring and co-teaching, and schedules a credential review. One backup needs more scenario evaluation practice; the plan adds supervised evaluations and a feedback loop. Reasoning: succession is a competence plan with evidence, not a name on an org chart.
Traps
Equating a certificate with competence; neglecting soft skills and adult-learning practice; delaying succession until a vacancy; tolerating unsafe or unethical instructor behavior; and making change announcements without training or support. Also avoid developing only the strongest performers and ignoring the bench.