TALENT MANAGEMENT IN LEAN TIMES


TRAIN FOR THE FUTURE LL_642: The execution of an internal program to train and develop interns will significantly enhance the overall effec- tiveness of the command, as well as build future workforce expertise.


Background For five years starting in 2008, the Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI) oper- ated the Acquisition Academy to grow its own talent as a solution to the paucity of available contracting personnel. Te 11-week, multidisciplinary, immersive program developed interns’ knowl- edge and skills in preparation to join the workforce with a better understanding of the Army, the PEO’s mission and what the sys- tems it produces mean to the Soldier. Te academy, supported in part by the Defense Acquisition Workforce Development Fund (Section 852), was the first stage of each intern’s two- or three- year development program.


A single academy class was conducted each year from 2008 through 2013, with two sessions offered in 2009. An average


SHARING SKILLS FOR SUCCESS


Soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division use the WIN-T JNN, left, and Satellite Transportable Terminal, right, during an expeditionary network demonstration in March 2016 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The rapid acquisition of JNN-N, which developed into WIN-T Increment 1, is an example of how a thinly staffed initiative leveraged staff and expertise from other organizations to get a needed capability to the warfighter in less than a year. (U.S. Army photo by Amy Walker, PEO for Command, Control and Communications – Tactical (C3T) Public Affairs)


of 17 interns were enrolled per class over the years, with the ini- tial session in 2008 having the highest attendance at 21 interns. With more than 100 graduates, the academy enjoyed a reten- tion rate of 93 percent, providing the PEO with newly hired journeyman employees. Te academy was popular with partici- pants, and that reputation ultimately led to academy graduates representing 14 percent of the PEO’s workforce following their transition as journeyman employees.


Te first academy class consisted solely of contract specialists, with a curriculum focused heavily on those skills. Subsequent classes had a broader focus, mirroring the workings of an inte- grated product team (IPT), which allowed the interns to work together in their functional training and gain insight into all acquisition disciplines. Tus they could appreciate the complex- ity of each discipline and become critical thinkers and effective communicators and problem-solvers in an IPT.


Te benefits of such a program are not just the intensive intern training. Te PEO’s senior engineers, contracting officers, proj- ect directors, financial analysts and logisticians delivered much


32


Army AL&T Magazine


July-September 2017


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162