Train-the-Trainer (TTT) Program: Train together for a safer tomorrow

We’re excited to announce that the Office of Training, Education, and Development (OTED) has successfully launched our Train-the-Trainer Program (TTT) program to support an Integrated Food Safety System (IFSS)!

Thank you to the OTED staff who accomplished this inaugural effort and to our valued state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) regulatory partners.

Through OTED’s TTT program, instructor candidates (specifically, FDA, state, local, tribal, territorial (SLTT), and association regulatory officials) go through a process to become Qualified Instructors (QIs). QIs may serve as instructors in OTED-approved Independent Course Delivery (ICD) courses delivered by our SLTT partners, or they may serve as instructors in courses delivered by FDA or OTED’s grantees.

The purpose of the TTT program is to increase the pool of QIs that can teach certain OTED courses. By working together, FDA and our SLTT partners can ensure our integrated workforce has access to the necessary OTED courses to meet their training and development needs!

Learn more about the TTT program in the TTT fact sheet.

Our newest TTT candidates come from the following agencies and associations:

Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO)

Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

California Department of Public Health (CDPH)

New York State of Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYSDAM)

Association of Food and Drug
Officials (AFDO)

Florida Department of Agriculture and
Consumer Services

California Department of Public Health

Connecticut Department of Agriculture

Virginia Department of Agriculture and
Consumer Services

Ohio Department of Agriculture

Alaska Department of Environmental
Conservation

What is the TTT Program?

Need to Learn More About the TTT Program?

What is an instructor candidate?

An instructor candidate is an individual who is not yet qualified by OTED to teach a specific OTED course but is seeking QI status to obtain that qualification.

Who can be an instructor candidate?

An instructor candidate can be any current or retired federal or SLTT regulatory or public health official who has met the TTT course prerequisites and has management approval to serve as a QI.

What are the pre-requisites for Instructor Candidates to attend TTT courses?

Prior to attending a TTT course, instructor candidates must complete:

CC102 Instructor Skills Training For Independent Course Delivery (Please note: OTED will alternatively accept successful completion of a non-OTED instructor skills training course if the course is taken prior to submission of the ICD application).
OTED’s base course (e.g., the base course for FD249T Conducting Seafood HACCP Inspections TTT course is FD249 Conducting Seafood HACCP Inspections), along with the base course’s prerequisites.
A career biography or curriculum vitae (CV) showing how their education and/or experience support the terminal learning objectives of the course.

Check OTED’s Learning Management System (LMS) for more information on the IST, base, and TTT course offerings and learning objectives.

What TTT courses are available?

Course announcements will be distributed by OTED as dates for TTT courses are finalized. Also check OTED’s Learning Management System (LMS) for more information.

Course Name
FD190T - Food Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Application, and Evidence Development Train the Trainer
FD202T - Conducting Acidified Food Inspections Train the Trainer
FD219T - Conducting Juice HACCP Inspections Train the Trainer
FD249T - Conducting Seafood Inspections Train the Trainer
CC104 - Instructor Skills Training For Independent Course Delivery

*Course Dates - Dates may change please always consult LMS for latest course dates

What is the process of becoming a QI?

An instructor candidate can become a Qualified Instructor by completing the following steps:

Successfully complete the CC104 - Instructor Skills Training Course for Independent Course Delivery (or other Instructor Skills Training course) Complete the OTED TTT course, and Following completion of the TTT course, serve as an instructor during the associated OTED course (could be an SLTT-delivered ICD or course delivered by FDA employees or OTED’s grantees).

How do I apply?

There are two options for applying to the TTT program:

Option 1 is for the instructor candidate to be included in an SLTT’s ICD application. In this case, the instructor candidate must complete the TTT course prerequisites.
Option 2 is for the instructor candidate to respond directly to an OTED course announcement. In this case, the instructor candidate must complete the TTT course prerequisites. It is the instructor candidate’s responsibility to coordinate with an SLTT to serve as instructor in an upcoming ICD course offering (or coordinate with FDA and/or one of OTED’s grantees to serve as an instructor in an upcoming course).