PANAMA CITY, Fla. –
20 journey-level career personnel from Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD) recently completed the command’s inaugural leadership training cohort to sharpen their leadership skills to be the future leaders of tomorrow.
Al Albright, NSWC PCD leadership training manager, said the training cohort, titled “Leadership Level Three Training,” was created by NSWC PCD’s Workforce Development based upon the leadership competencies necessary to develop current leaders and future supervisors.
“The goal is to educate employees in leadership competencies, and in doing so enables employees to use the knowledge they receive by putting it into practice,” said Albright. “As employees practice those skills in the workforce they will grow as leaders and also have an opportunity to share what they’ve learned with coworkers.”
Albright added both actions will create a better workforce and help prepare the attendees to take on greater responsibilities within their branches and within the command.
The leadership cohort is comprised of 10 vendor taught leadership courses occurring once or twice per month over the course of three quarters. The courses began in February 2021 and continued through August 2021.
Erica Ifode, NSWC PCD systems engineer, said she applied for the program to gain additional knowledge and skills to enhance her professional development.
“The cohort program was a progressive learning opportunity to help me stay engaged within my current role and maintain focus for future roles,” said Ifode. “I am appreciative NSWC PCD established this program as I enjoyed the assessments and breakout sessions.”
Vatana An, NSWC PCD research engineer, said he enjoyed the program and looks forward to putting the skills he learned to use in his career.
“I am very grateful to receive the fantastic opportunity to take part in the cohort,” said An. “The program systematically trains future leaders who can help to achieve NSWC PCD’s mission. NSWC PCD is my employer of choice because of the command’s commitment to equipping our workforce with the tools needed to deliver products and services the Navy needs.”
Albright added all employees are leaders.
“Some leaders also supervise, but you don’t need to be a supervisor to be an effective leader. Since all employees are leaders, this is an opportunity to attend leadership classes that will help prepare them for greater responsibility,” said Albright. “By investing in leadership training now, we are equipping employees to lead not only now, but in the future.”
Additional opportunities will be available to attend a future Leadership Level Three or Four cohort for eligible employees based on position. This program is supported and funded through Workforce Development’s investment in the NSWC PCD team through tools to foster professional success.
For more information regarding future leadership cohorts, please contact Al Albright in Workforce Development.
Congratulations to the following graduates: Vatana An, Justin Grimes, Robert Hay, Erica Davis, Andrew Schicho, Donald Wittkopf, Katherine Arnall, Benjamin Mitchell, Jeremiah Mandello, Christopher Canavan, Corey Fife, Emily Little, Erica Ifode, John Brady, Carey Martin, Samantha Snellen, Brandi Chestang, John Robideau, Donald Lovejoy, Sean Macri