Frontex plays a crucial
role in proper training and enforcing high common standards that are the
foundation European Integrated Border Management (IBM). This role of the Agency
has become even more crucial as it trains the first members of the European
Border and Coast Guard Standing Corps, Europe’s first uniformed law enforcement
service. Frontex’s new and essential role is to ensure that Standing Corps officers are properly trained and have the technical and operational readiness to
be deployed and operate in a unitary manner in any operational area generating
added value.
At the same time, Frontex
continues to support border and coast guards in their preparation for
operational deployment at the EU external borders with cost-effective training
solutions, a hybrid model of training and learning services offering delivery
of training on a large scale as well as tailored to the specific operational
and individual needs of border and coast guards before and during deployment.
Frontex provides members of the Standing Corps category 1
(Frontex statutory staff) with the necessary training in border control or
returns, including in fundamental rights, through the Operational Training
Programme so that they are able to promptly respond to any current and emerging
challenges in a professional and interoperable manner.
It also equips all the Standing Corps categories with
specialised training tailored to the operational profiles to be deployed and
relevant to the tasks and powers in the field. The specialised training is
designed to ensure technical and operational readiness of the Standing Corps.
This is implemented through a consistent set of courses
aligned with basic and mid-level Common Core Curriculum (CCC) comprising the
Operational Training Programme for the European Border and Coast Guard Standing
Corps category 1 and specialised courses for all the categories of the European
Border and Coast Guard Standing Corps that address the competences required for
a job in the profiles that Standing Corps are deployed to.
These courses give officers the skills and competences
necessary to work as one in any operational area, bringing in the European
dimension while fully respecting fundamental rights and diversity in all their
actions.
Different practical exercises included in the training
contribute to creating a common European Border and Coast Guard professional
culture among the participants. This, in turn, translates into the ability to
overcome cultural challenges, to understand and manage conflicts, and to follow
the stages of team development.
Specific
training courses tailored to provide officers from Member States/ Schengen
Associated Countries/Third Countries with the required knowledge and skills, at
different levels (from beginners to specialist) and for various areas, considerably
increase EBCG capacities on EU external borders. The courses are as varied as
the needs of EBCG, starting from the cross-sectional one, English for Border
and Coast Guarding, through the ones related to European Integrated Border
Management, Schengen evaluations, systems implemented on EU external borders
(EES, ETIAS, ABC), ending with specialised issues (cross-border crime,
terrorism threats, risk analysis, return operations, falsified documents) and
different types of cooperation, with emphasis on fully respecting fundamental
rights at all times.
This standard is met through courses designed to ensure
operational relevance, standards, and quality of training programmes and
courses related to the border and coast guard area. The aim is to set Frontex
on the path to expertise in designing high quality, effective and practical
training. The courses may also be offered to MS/SAC/TCs experts who contribute
to designing border and coast guard courses for both nationwide and internal
use.
This is also an opportunity to provide training,
certification and continuing professional development to trainers and to help
subject matter/operational experts delivering Frontex courses uphold training
quality standards in line with Frontex requirements, European policies and good
practices in education and training applicable nationally across the EU.
