LEXINGTON PARK, Md. – For over ten years, students taking classes through NAVAIR University (NAVAIRU) have experienced first-hand an AVIAN-built or instructed course with 104 courses developed and delivered to more than 1216 classes to over 26,800 students across NAVAIR to date.
This time, AVIAN supports a new command and its mission to train its workforce.
Earlier this year, AVIAN completed its most extensive course development in company history and delivered the Operational Test Director (OTD) Basic Course for the Operational Test and Evaluation Force (OPTEVFOR) in Norfolk, Virginia.
The OTD Basic Course spans 3.5 weeks and is a practical, hands-on, multimedia experience that equips new OTDs with critical knowledge of OPTEVFORs fundamental and core processes and the OTDs responsibilities when directing a test program.
“The OPTEVFOR Basic Course provides the opportunity for new OTDs, working in teams, to design, plan, execute and report out on an operational test in a classroom setting,” said Jeff Bobrow, AVIAN test & evaluation courseware developer and instructor of the OTD course. “The classroom environment allows for learning through experience where testers can practice using their newly acquired skills in a safe environment. This builds their confidence to make decisions for when they execute OT on a pitching deck 500 miles off the coast with very little reach back.”
The design and development of the course spanned 17 months and combined three of AVIAN's core markets: Test & Evaluation, Training, and Multimedia.
"It is incredible to see our AVIAN subject matter experts cross paths on such an important training course," said Beth Ward, Vice President of Test & Evaluation | Flight Support and Training, Multimedia and Consulting at AVIAN. "It was a true team effort with over 13 AVIAN and subcontractor team members coming together to build the course modules. I am proud our team was able to answer the call and support the OPTEVFOR mission."
Delivered to OPTEVFOR in early summer, the course saw its first students by late August.
Immediate student feedback focuses on bridging classroom education with real-life experiences, the course modules and multimedia flow keep students highly engaged, and the course allows for excellent group exercises to test their knowledge in real time.
Two additional OTD courses will be offered during the remainder of 2022, and at least five are planned to follow in 2023.
With more than two dozen Test Pilot School graduates in its workforce and many others with extensive operational test backgrounds, team AVIAN supports numerous T&E activities for the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD), Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) and Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA).
Although this is the first training deliverable to OPTEVFOR, AVIAN is no stranger to instructing and developing courseware for test professionals. In 2021, AVIAN was awarded an $11.6M contract to continue its support to NAVAIRU, College of Test and Evaluation (CT&E), which it has done since 2009.
CT&E served as the launchpad for developing other NAVAIRU courses and paved the way for course development synchronicity with other systems commands, such as the Naval Sea Systems Command and Marine Corps Systems Command, where AVIAN provides essential training services today.
"This delivery marks a major milestone in AVIAN's goal to expand training across additional systems commands and into new markets," Ward said. "The completion and summer 2022 rollout of this training for the workforce was a key initiative for OPTEVFOR leadership, and we are proud to have supported their mission."
About OPTEVFOR
OPTEVFOR has been headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, since its inception in 1945. The Navy's Operational Test and Evaluation Force provide an independent and objective evaluation of the operational effectiveness and suitability of naval aviation, surface, subsurface, expeditionary, C4I, cryptologic, and space systems in support of Department of Defense and Navy acquisition and fleet introduction decisions.
About AVIAN, LLC
AVIAN (*ae-v-yin*) is an employee-owned government services small business headquartered in Lexington Park, Maryland, with annual revenues exceeding $73 million.
We are resourceful, responsive, and reachable for our clients in program, financial, and logistics management; engineering and systems engineering; test and evaluation of manned and unmanned aerial, surface, and sub-surface systems; workforce development and training; and communication strategy and graphic design.
Our philosophy is simple. We care for our employees. Our employees care for our customers. Our customers care to return. Simply put, we take care of each other.
AVIAN's Training, Multimedia, and Consulting (TMC) sector encompasses a highly talented cadre of visual, written, and oratory storytellers and sought-after subject matter experts assigned to special projects.
TMC provides curriculum design, courseware development, instruction, eLearning, video and multimedia production, strategic communication support, and more.
For more information, visit www.avian.com