Bringing Them in the Right Way

Photo By Anthony Mayne | Members from the JED team attended the quarterly newcomer’s orientation. Team members visit a local project site to become more familiar with the District mission.  

CAMP ZAMA, KANAGAWA, JAPAN

11.15.2018

Story by Anthony Mayne 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Japan District

The workforce is the lifeblood of an organization. Commanders come and go, but the employees are the foundation and nowhere is this clearer than in U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s Japan District. Japan District is a unique organization that manages the largest military construction program in the world and has a robust Host Nation construction program with their Japanese Alliance partners.

“JED is a diverse organization spread throughout Japan from Misawa in the north to Okinawa in the south,” said Japan District Commander Thomas J. Verell, Jr. “If we compared Japan’s size to the states, it would span from Maine to the southern tip of Texas, all under one District.“

It is vitally important to find the right employee when there is a vacancy on the team and more importantly bringing them in the right way.

Japan conducts a two-day Newcomers Orientation once each quarter for two days. The most recent session held on November 14 and 15 was unique because it was held at JED’s Okinawa Area Office.

Each orientation is hosted and facilitated by JED Training and Organizational Development Specialist Earnest L. Patterson.

“It is important to have these orientations to give our new personnel an overview of how our organization works,” said Patterson. “This is especially important for those employees that are new to USACE.”

Over the last year, each of the prior sessions were conducted at JED’s headquarters at Camp Zama. For employees at other locations, they use video teleconferencing for the duration of the training.

“The major purpose of having the training in Okinawa is to give our new personnel the opportunity to receive it from face to face presenters,” said Patterson.

The training covers many topics that include SHARP, Suicide Prevention, USACE 101 and presentations from all of the major divisions and support offices. The capstone of the training is a visit to a local site to see one of the projects managed by members of the JED team.

Col. Verell after his initial 90 days, decided to rotate the event between Zama and Okinawa.

“We are one team,” said Verell. “Having the Newcomers Orientation at other locations brings the District closer together.”

Japan Engineer District is one of four Engineer Districts in Pacific Ocean Division, which focuses on the design, management and construction of various host nation and military construction projects. JED delivers high quality, sustainable, comprehensive engineering and construction services in Japan in support of peacetime and contingency operations throughout the region. It successfully executes the full spectrum of required missions as the United States Forces Japan Construction Agent. To find out more information about JED please visit http://www.poj.usace.army.mil/ and https://www.facebook.com/JapanEngineerDistrict/.

• Date Taken: 11.15.2018
• Date Posted: 11.30.2018 02:48
• Story ID: 301750
• Location: CAMP ZAMA, KANAGAWA, JP