CSM, AVIAN Create Training Agreement
College of Southern Maryland and AVIAN LLC held a ceremonial signing to mark a new partnership. In the front from left are CSM’s Director of Strategic Partnerships Barbara Ives, AVIAN LLC President Kevin G. Switick, CSM President Dr. Brad Gottfried; and CSM Vice President/Dean of Leonardtown Campus Dr. Tracy Harris. In the back row are AVIAN Director of Communications Tara Strickland, left, CSM Community Relations Coordinator Larisa Pfeiffer, CSM Vice President of Continuing Education and Workforce Development Dr. Dan Mosser, CSM Vice President of Advancement Michelle Goodwin, CSM Workforce Development Programs Director Kelly Winters, and CSM Business and Information Technology Course Coordinator Paula Coluzzi.
College of Southern Maryland and AVIAN LLC have created a new collaborative training agreement, in which CSM will offer three new workforce development and training courses at its Leonardtown Campus, starting in fall 2017. The new partnership was marked with a ceremonial signing May 22.
“At AVIAN, we believe that knowledge is power and that knowledge can be achieved with targeted, meaningful training,” said AVIAN LLC President Kevin G. Switick. “It’s really exciting when we have opportunities like this to share that power with more people.”
CSM President Dr. Brad Gottfried said the college is looking forward to working with AVIAN to provide valuable training to employees. “CSM’s Corporate Center is known for being the provider of choice for professional career training and workforce development in Southern Maryland, and this partnership is a win-win training opportunity for everyone. These three courses expand the offerings of CSM’s Corporate Center, which has been a training provider for NAVAIR for many years, while also expanding AVIAN’s reach into the community beyond the gates of NAVAIR.”
Courses in the program will bring immediate value to Southern Maryland, corporate peers, and service members in the fleet. The three offerings include “NAVAIR, Simplified” and “Cyber Awakening and Flight Test: The Discipline.” The courses provide the “so-what” and “why” of naval aviation acquisition, a look at the realities of the modern cybercriminal and the basic tenets of flight test.
Course developers and instructors in the program are retired US Navy test pilots, flight-test engineers, contracting officers, and NAVAIR program managers and team leads.
Since 2009, AVIAN has offered Workforce Development and Training services to the Department of Defense and commercial clients. Since that time, AVIAN has created more than 60 customer unique training courses and instructed more than 200 classes to more than 10,000 students at 16 client sites throughout the US.
“Whether our clients are looking for a catalog of training classes, or a focused, one-time training event, we’ve got a team of experts who know how to build information into a useful teaching tool,” Mr. Switick said. “We offer a proven and unique training approach that students embrace and like truly enjoy.”
AVIAN LLC is a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business. Founded by US Navy test pilots in 2005, the company has strong roots in test and evaluation. AVIAN provides a broad range of niche expertise to more than 20 NAVAIR program offices and a total of 10 prime contracts with NAVAIR, Naval Sea Systems Command, and the Office of Naval Research.
The company’s headquarters are in Lexington Park, with more than 190 employees across the country.
For more about the College of Southern Maryland, visit its Leader member page.
