Indian Head, Md. –
Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division’s Workforce Development (WFD) team was recognized with an Excellence in Human Resources Award during the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Excellence Awards ceremony, July 20. The WFD team was acknowledged for its diligence and perseverance in increasing training opportunities and addressing developmental needs across the command. The team was selected from among 256 highly competitive nominations received by NAVSEA headquarters.
The team — including Christine Rose, Angie Amen and Dori Hopkins — manages 10 different programs within the office, including Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act; academic tuition assistance program (ATAP); science and engineering (S&E) rotation program; mentoring; individual development plans; mandatory training; leadership development; supervisory development; group training; and individual training requests. As a result of high turnover and disconnect with transitional program knowledge, the team needed to prioritize documentation of the programs and ensure that the most efficient process was in place to provide timely and accurate support.
In less than a year, the team automated six of their processes: S&E rotation program, ATAP, the Training Logistic Tool, College of Southern Maryland reservation tracker, needs assessment, and internal and external training requests. This automation allowed the WFD team to better serve the needs of the command through more efficient processes and automatic notifications or updates provided to the workforce. With process improvement and automation, the team’s results improved across five areas, including an increase in ATAP program participation by 60%; an uptick in mandatory training completion, increasing from 83% the previous year to 97%; and offering more than 20 group trainings in FY20, which was a significant improvement over the handful of group trainings offered during the previous fiscal year. With the added benefit of the automated needs assessment tool, the FY21 and five-year training plans were developed and approved. The team also created the supervisory evolution and elements of development and succession program for new supervisors.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the team was able to increase access to virtual trainings seamlessly noting a significant uptick in participation throughout the command. The team also began a newsletter “The Lens” to provide training reminders, upcoming opportunities and new information.
“I’m so proud of the team’s accomplishments,” WFD Branch Manager Michelle Hinkle said. “They continue to work hard to improve the command’s WFD programs, ensuring we meet the needs of our workforce and providing outstanding customer service. I commend them for the significant improvements made within our office, especially adjusting to the COVID-19 environment.”
The NAVSEA Excellence Awards Program recognizes NAVSEA’s top-performing employees and teams for their outstanding contributions across a variety of disciplines and specialties.
NSWC IHD — a field activity of the Naval Sea Systems Command and part of the Navy’s Science and Engineering Establishment — is the leader in ordnance, energetics, and EOD solutions. The Division focuses on energetics research, development, testing, evaluation, in-service support, manufacturing and disposal; and provides warfighters solutions to detect, locate, access, identify, render safe, recover, exploit and dispose of explosive ordnance threats.
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