Strategy #5:
Train a Disruption-ready workforce

Leveraging creative workforce & venues as resilience hubs

Resources and actionable ideas to design a training program that readies existing workforces for disruption. 

  1. Improve disaster readiness and resilience capacity both during blue-sky days and during times of emergency
  2. Mitigate future disaster-related unemployment

High-Impact Practices

Whether integrating with an existing program or developing new workforce certifications, these practices can dramatically increase participation, effectiveness, and long-term value:

Paid to Train – Compensate participants for their time in training to ensure equity, reduce barriers, and increase follow-through.

Create and fund a Reservist System – Create long-term continuity by establishing a pool of trained professionals who can be activated and compensated in times of crisis.

Stack Credentials – Integrate certifications (e.g. CERT, ESAT, crowd management) into career pathways, making training more attractive and valuable for creative professionals, and providing multiple off-ramps for alternative employment.

Co-Train with Emergency Personnel – Build relationships and mutual understanding between creative workers and emergency responders through joint simulations or workshops.

Scenario-Based Learning– Use existing venues and mass gatherings to keep skills fresh and practice adaptive decision-making in context.

Disaster Response Training Programs

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Mass Gatherings Resilience Specialist – Add description

State/Local Activation Teams (SLAT) – Add description

Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) – Add description

Crisis Analysis and Mitigation Coaches (CAM) – Add description

Listos – Add description

Free training resources

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