IJet Intelligent Risk Systems this week announced the availability of a travel security and risk management educational program for corporate employees and operational staff, including travel, security and human resource managers.
IJet University now is ready for students for its onsite or online classes that cover travel, crisis and event risk management. In the coming weeks, it also will publish a schedule of seminars available to the public. The Center for Personal Protection and Safety and other educational firms provide instructors and educational content, including online video courses on violence in the workplace, international travel security and hostage survival.
IJet, seeing clients putting more emphasis on business resiliency and training for their travelers, has been developing the curriculum and course catalogue for about a year, according to IJet president Bruce McIndoe. He will serve as one of about 20 university instructors. Other instructors include former U.S. Department of Defense and Federal Bureau of Investigation officials and CEO of Crisis Management International Bruce Blythe.
"We are training the travelers, but just as important are the people who are supposed to support the travelers," said McIndoe. "We're training people so they know what to do if somebody is in a car accident or kidnapped."
Advito vice president of innovation and intelligence Torsten Kriedt said other providers of travel and risk management services offer training, but IJet's partnership with a group like The Center for Personal Protection and Safety is a first.
This year, the industry has seen travel and risk management providers broaden their portfolio of services through acquisitions, alliance agreements or new offerings
(BTNonline, March 17), but "there is still no provider that truly has an overall offering that provides integrated travel risk management that also looks at the organization's processes includes the education perspective and the includes the on-the-ground assistance service," Kriedt said.
Increased offerings from travel security firms come as buyers increase their responsibility in this area. According to BCD Travel's 2008 Travel Program Survey, 69 percent of 333 travel buyer respondents now have some influence in corporate traveler safety and security programs.