Enabling officials to manage covert informants to regional and international standards.

The EU Informant Handling Course also known as the EU Agent Handling Course (EUAHC) combines counter-surveillance, foundation and advanced informant handling courses as prescribed by international and regional curriculum. Participants will learn how to identify, develop, recruit, train and re/de-activate covert informants. Students will also learn how to meet informants safely, secure communications, task and debrief, among many other tradecraft skills. The course draws particular focus to regional and international law, ethical standards, health, safety and security.

Introducing students to informant management, the course takes students with an existing knowledge of intelligence to the position of recognised human intelligence collectors.

Target Audience

The course is oriented towards trained and experienced intelligence professionals. Therefore, in addition to the usual minimum requirements for all Institute training, applicants should also posses regional training in intelligence on the operations, analysis or command track, equivalent to the EUIOC, EUIAC, EUIMC or similar.

Entrants onto the course are typically from pre-requisite courses at the Intelligence Academy or existing covert operations personnel working in related fields with equivalent training.

Learning Objectives

ECIM Concepts: Understand the European Criminal Intelligence Model (ECIM), sources of information and the finishing of intelligence. Apply human intelligence theory as prescribed by EU policies and practice. Conduct efficient and effective cross-border operations in accordance with EU policies and practices.

Intelligence Law: Understand the civil liberties, human rights, legal and ethical connotations of handling informants. Including authorisation and accountability requirements.

Agent Psychology: Apply psychological and methodological processes to the systematic identification, recruitment and handling of agents. Apply debriefing, elicitation, conflict resolution, deception and deception detection techniques.

Agent Operations: Use informants in controlled delivery, test purchases, undercover operations, technical operations and other functions. Understand how to use cover, covert infrastructure, operational security and tradecraft. Understand the capabilities of physical and technical surveillance, conducting countermeasures as necessary. Undertake risk assessments and apply techniques to operate safely and confidentially in hostile environments. Protect the identity of informants and develop compromise protocols.

Information Handling: Evaluate the credibility of informants and their information according to EU standards. Document informants and their activity while recording, sanitising and exploiting the intelligence they provide.

Case Study: Understand the professional standards of informant handling and historical case studies of human intelligence failure.

Course Format

The EU Informant/Agent Handling Course is designed to develop regional skills and knowledge as a handler or co-handler throughout cooperating European states. To develop these skills a variety of formats and delivery methods have been used including:

  • Flexible Delivery: Workshops and exercises as well as traditional lectures.
  • Coaching & Mentoring: Career advice in the security sector from recognised experts, assistance and support with course content and sustained aftercare.
  • Blended Learning: The latest iteration of the course combines preparatory training via our e-learning platform with consolidated learning in an intensive attendance programme.

Part I

e-Learning

Prior to attendance each candidate must pass a preparatory e-learning programme delivered over no less than three months. Candidates are free to sign up and begin study at any time and on their own schedule.

Block 1
Intelligence & Security
Block 2
Combined Operations
Block 3
Ethics & Law
Block 4
Cultivation & Recruitment
Block 5
Profiling & Documentation
Block 6
Contact & Reporting
Block 7
Covert Operations & Risk

Part II

Hybrid School

Between April and July the following webinars and other online events will be scheduled for delivery via a secure platform. These sessions on the more sensitive information and practical training needed to provide covert networks throughout Europe. Each session is approximately 90mins in duration and most often scheduled during Central European Time (CET) evenings and weekends to fit in with candidate’s professional commitments.

  • Induction, Cover & Legend
  • Covert Infrastructure
  • Compromise Protocols
  • Exfiltration Planning
  • Approach & Recruitment
  • Informant Psychology
  • Informant Evaluation
  • Source Protection
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Permissive Environment Tradecraft
  • Non-permissive Environment Tradecraft
  • Hostile Environment Tradecraft
  • Foot Surveillance
  • Mobile & Progressive Surveillance
  • Technical Surveillance & TSCM
  • Agent Tradecraft Training
  • Social Engineering (OTA)1

This culminates in an intensive hybrid residential school consolidating learning over five to twelve consecutive days depending upon the options chosen. This final full-time phase begins with specialised instructor-led training and ends in a live training exercise. Throughout Ex. SOLO candidates apply the skills they have leearned in the role of of informant handlers as a capability assessment unfolds in real-time. Candidates can choose to attend the 5 day version of the exercise by video conferencing online, or opt for attendance on-site. The on-site exercise can be extended from five to twelve days to incorporate deployment overseas.

Dates & Times

Candidates are free to sign up and begin studying the e-learning component at any time and on their own schedule. The residential school and its online alternative run once a year, beginning on the fifth Monday in July or the first Monday of August and running for five to twelve consecutive days depending upon the options chosen. Candidates may not be admitted to the hybrid residential school without having achieved a passing grade on the e-learning element. Therefore, candidates should ensure they are enrolled by no later than the first week in April to provide sufficient time to complete distance-learning and access to all available scheduled events. Applications take approximately 4 weeks to process but security vetting may take up to 6 months to complete for applicants who lack a current security clearance.

Assessment

Assessment may be by any valid and accredited competency assessment meeting course requirements. However, competency is most commonly evidenced through the following combination of assessment methods:

  • A pre-selection dossier including validated: security vetting, professional/academic reference checks, higher education certification (degree-level or equivalent), fitness/medical checks and evidence of a relevant career history and assessed knowledge in European security.
  • A score of greater than 49% on the intelligence operations section of the MCPE or an equivalently balanced examination of similar content.
  • Submission of a portfolio of work satisfying the criteria for at least a pass according to the candidate handbook.
  • An approved assessor’s independent testimony of observed competency across the informant handling domain of the Integrated Competency Framework (ICF) for Operations throughout at least 10 hours of supervised professional practice.

Standards

Credentials are fully accredited for compliance with international standards. For further details on Institute requirements, international standards and accreditation, view the Accreditation page.

Certification

The EQF Level 3 Certificate in EU Informant Management accompanying this credential is earned after accruing 15 credits at approximately 150 guided learning hours.

Fees & Discounts

Please contact the Intelligence Academy for a quote and to discuss delivery options. This programme is offered exclusively to persons booking on behalf of a group, such as corporate or government teams. A minimum class size of 4 must be met, although economies of scale yield greater benefits with classes of 8-12. Payment is accepted by bank transfer, credit cards and other popular forms of electronic payment.

Idividuals looking for entry onto this course are advised to pursue the EU Covert Operations Professionalisation Programme (EUCOPP) or contact the Intelligence Academy for advice on waitlisting, joint programmes and guest access.

Downloads

 IEIS Candidate Handbook (PDF, 352KB)

 EUAHC Syllabus & Curriculum (PDF, 191KB)

Location

TBE, at client request.

  1. Specialised optional training is offered with each of the Institute’s courses. Although this extended training does not form part of the curriculum it is assessed and can offer candidates the opportunity to gain a more practical insight into a specific area of their training. These Optional Training Assessments (OTAs) are discretionary and may be offered at any point throughout the study cycle. ↩︎