1. Who should I talk to if our agency wants to host a Ron Smith and Associates class at our agency?
Contact our Training Coordinator John Black at either 601-604-6766 or by email at
johnb@ronsmithandassociates.com and he can work with you to bring the training to your agency.
2. What does it take for an agency to host an RS&A class?
To host a class several things need to happen, first the obvious – your agency must provide a classroom with a PowerPoint projector with a screen and either a white erase board or flip chart. Several classes require laboratory space or computers but most classes simply need the projector and somewhere to write examples that everyone in the class can see. Second the prospective host agency needs to contact other agencies in their area to gauge the overall interest in the class from their area. Last, would be to help us locate a hotel near your classroom that is clean, safe and offers a government rate.
3. Does the host agency have to be involved in getting people registered or collecting tuition fees and are there any other costs associated with hosting an RS&A class that we should be aware of?
Your agency will not be involved in registering anyone for the class, or collecting any tuition from those who attend – RS&A handles all of these responsibilities. You would have to get your own staff registered for the class but you are not responsible for anyone else. The host agency is not responsible for any other costs associated with putting on the training like the instructors travel, the course handouts or other supplies that are required to put on a class - the tuition covers all of those costs. Helping the instructor by accepting their shipments of handouts, equipment and supplies before the first day of class is appreciated.
4. Does the host agency have to supply snacks, coffee, water or soda for the students who attend the class that they are hosting?
Offering snacks or coffee, etc. is totally optional for the host agency – it is not expected. Funding training has become a difficult thing for many agencies and we are not looking to add any additional costs to the process.
5. Does the host agency receive any free seats for offering to host an RS&A class and providing the classroom?
Generally speaking, RS&A will provide one (1) free seat for the host agency with 15-25 paid registrations, depending on the class. A second seat may be provided with 30-35 paid registrations. Historically, we provided one free seat as a courtesy for the host agency. Unfortunately, some agencies simply wanted to host because they had an employee who needed a particular class, while not making any significant effort to promote the class among their contacts. Our current model encourages the host agency to do their part to attract potential students, thus making it more likely that the host would receive one or two free seats
6. If I attend and successfully complete a Ron Smith and Associates class, can I submit my certificate to an IAI Certification Board to count toward the specialized training required to qualify to apply for their certification?
Absolutely, all of the courses listed on the RS&A Training page have been submitted for approval to the various IAI Certification Boards overseeing the certifications that you are considering. Each Board decides which classes they will accept, so check our website under the class detail PDF to see which certifications Boards have chosen to accept that class for their certification’s required hours of training.
7. Which Ron Smith and Associates class should I take if I am a new examiner or if I am a more experienced examiner and I need to improve my skills or prepare for court or an IAI Certification test?
Whether you are brand new, a student or an experienced examiner it will be easy for you to see our curriculum for each discipline on the RS&A website. First find the different forensic disciplines that are supported by Ron Smith and Associates and then under each discipline you will find the sequence of courses listed there, in the order that we would recommend that you consider taking them. Everyone’s background and experience is different so each course has a link built into the curriculum page (which can be found by simply clicking on this link
http://www.ronsmithandassociates.com/training/curriculum.php ) that highlights what the course covers, who should attend, the number of hours of training and the tuition cost, a daily schedule so you can see what you will learn and the CV and other information about each instructor. If you still have questions about any of the courses, which many people do, contact John Black, RS&A Training Coordinator directly at 601-604-6766 or by email at
johnb@ronsmithandassociates.com.
8. I have noticed that you seem to add new classes around the country on a regular basis, is there a simpler way to find out when a new class is offered?
Absolutely there is a better way, it’s easy to do and will only take you a minute or two to get it done. Simply click on this link:
http://www.ronsmithandassociates.com/email.html and sign up to be added to our email notification list. Each time we add a new class somewhere around the country you will be sent an email with all of class information. You can customize and set your announcements to only what information you want to receive in the future from RS&A. To get the training class announcements you must click on “Training Class Notification Emails”.
9. How do I register for a class – how do I pay for a class?
Simply click on the “View Upcoming Classes & Register Online” button under the Training Home Page on the website:
http://www.ronsmithandassociates.com/training/schedule.php and find the class that you wish to register for, then click on the “Register and Pay Tuition” button next to the class that you have decided to attend. You can register for any of the classes listed on the upcoming class schedule in a matter of a few minutes and hold a seat in the class before it is full. If you like the idea of talking to one of the sweetest people you will ever meet simply call Melanie Hogan at 1-866-832-6772 toll free and she will be happy to take your registration or payment for a class. There are a number of ways to pay for a class but the easiest is to use a personal or agency credit card by clicking on the link mentioned previously.
10. Do I have to be working for a law enforcement or government agency before I am allowed to take a Ron Smith and Associates class?
When Ron first started his company one of the first decisions that he made about how he was going to offer training to the forensic community was to make a commitment that anyone could attend any of our classes. You could be a student looking for your first job and looking to add specialized training to your resume, you could already be a forensic scientist and want to check out if you would be interested in another discipline. The doors to RS&A training are opened wide.
