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NEWS | Jan. 21, 2025

Empowering Growth: How TRFB’s Training Initiatives Foster Development

By MC1 Adora Okafor TRFB

At Trident Refit Facility, Bangor (TRFB), professional development isn’t just a check in the box, it’s a comprehensive strategy to empower employees, strengthen leadership, and drive command excellence. TRFB requires a skilled, knowledgeable, competent workforce with employees who are adaptive, flexible, and focused on the future. While the responsibility of a successful training program lies with each department, the Command Training Division was established to assist departments in meeting their training needs. Training Analyst Nicole Whitener, a member of the training division, is a passionate advocate for growth and development within the organization.

Whitener’s role as a training analyst is multi-faceted.

“I vet vendors and see who is best suited to deliver the training for our command,” she explains.

Her responsibilities don’t stop there. Whitener also tracks spending, supports the development of key leadership programs, and co-teaches a class titled “Four Lenses “with her colleague Jennifer Bailey. Four Lenses is a temperament-based communication style training that helps participants understand how people process information and communicate.

“Four Lenses is about seeing things from different perspectives, whether it’s your personal life or at work,” said Whitener. “This training not only helps you to understand your communication style, but also helps you understand others and how they process information. Ultimately, this course teaches necessary skills that will help people communicate more efficiently with others, and understand their various perspectives based on how they process information through communication.

For Whitener, the purpose of training is simple, we train for growth.

“The purpose of training is to develop yourself,” she stated. “It’s extremely important that we keep growing, because we simply don’t know what we don’t know.”

Whitener believes that training and development doesn’t just create better employees, it creates more fulfilled people. This approach fosters well-rounded individuals who thrive in both their personal and professional lives.

“It is a full-circle process that we believe in here,” said Whitener. “If you have the right, high-efficient training that provides the tools that you need to develop yourself in your career, then you're a better employee and a happier person. It hits all aspects of your life. So, a ‘full-circle employee’ can use the trainings we provide to develop themselves both personally and professionally.”

TRFB’s commitment to training is evident in their financial investment. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, the command allocated over $276,000 to departmental training, which assisted in certifying 220 employees and ensuring team members have the necessary skills to operate safely and efficiently in their respective workspaces. An estimated $197,316 was allocated to command training, which tends to focus on self-development initiatives. In FY24, 440 TRFB employees utilized the courses offered to all employees. Additionally, $28,582 was invested in the development of 65 TRFB supervisors in FY24. In total, that’s slightly over half a million invested in the development of TRFB employees.

Although exact data on training’s impact on retention is difficult to quantify, Whitener sees a clear connection. However, one of the biggest challenges at TRFB is ensuring that all employees are aware of the ongoing training opportunities. While many receive the notifications about training through e-mails, the Delta Dispatch, and Waypoints, some shop workers face barriers to access.

“Sometimes they don’t hear about training until it’s already passed,” says Whitener. “We’re working on solutions, such as encouraging supervisors to communicate opportunities during musters and team meetings.”

As TRFB looks to the future, the training team aims to introduce more flexible training options that work with the diverse schedules of TRFB’s workforce. This enforces the command’s commitment to investing in the development of their employees. Through creating accessible opportunities for learning and leadership development, TRFB strengthens its workforce and builds a culture where everyone, from new hires to seasoned leaders, can thrive.