Photo By Petty Officer 3rd Class Jong Park | 230214-N-CI515-0140 NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (Feb. 14, 2023) U.S. Navy Capt. Cassidy Norman,...... read more read more
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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Working in a shipyard environment is tough, especially for the U.S. Navy’s newest Sailors. Not only are new check-ins coming from boot camp trying to figure out their new rating and jobs, but the shipyard provides an even more complex and often difficult physical work environment.
Before arriving for a multi-year overhaul in 2021, the leadership team aboard USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) recognized these additional hardships.
“Typically, when new Sailors are assigned to an aircraft carrier, they can go straight to the ship, check in immediately, and start getting acclimated to their new command,” said Capt. Cassidy Norman, Stennis’ commanding officer. “We knew that would not be possible for our new Sailors arriving at a private shipyard.”
Stennis’ leaders took proactive steps to help new Sailors by creating Training University (Training U), a unique take on a robust command indoctrination program. Since Sailors have to wait weeks to receive their badge to enter the shipyard, the Stennis team utilizes that time to welcome and train new Sailors.
“Before E-6 and below Sailors ever come into the shipyard, they attend Training U for upwards of four weeks at Huntington Hall, one of Stennis’ off-site work locations,” said Lt. Cmdr. Charlotte Roche, Stennis’ Training Officer. “Our goal is to ensure new Sailors feel like they are a part of the team and are ready to work aboard the ship when they enter the shipyard. We enable them to start with their best foot forward.”
Roche manages a robust curriculum that new Sailors go through during Training U, including formal indoctrination called School of Ship, administrative check-in items, basic qualification completion including Damage Control and Maintenance & Material Management (3M), as well as facilitating the Navy’s newest medical training, Tactical Casualty Combat Care. They also receive training on several topics grouped into a class called True North, a collection of practical lessons of serving in the Navy gathered through feedback from new Sailors and experienced leaders. The specialized training includes the importance of mentorship, nutrition education, digital literacy, saving and investing, and mental and preventive health.
New Sailors also learn about the many quality-of-life programs, resources, and opportunities available to them during their tour in the shipyard. They learn about Team 74’s very active Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) program, command social outings, mental health resources, the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP), continual transportation to access a gym and Navy Exchange mini-mart, monthly visits from Mutts With A Mission, WiFi locations inside and outside the shipyard, and several educational programs including financial management and stress control.
“We want these Sailors to know they are a part of the Stennis team and that we genuinely care about them,” said Norman.
Sailors also meet with Stennis’ chaplains, once to learn about the many ways in which the chaplains are available to help them at any time with any issue, and a second time for SafeTALK training, one of the Navy’s Suicide prevention programs that teaches participants to recognize and engage persons who might be trending towards thoughts of suicide, and to connect them with community resources trained in suicide prevention.
“The team is much stronger when Sailors in the work centers and on the deckplates know how to look out for and help other Sailors,” Roche said.
“During Training U, we issue their command ball cap and shipyard safety gear, establish their computer access, measure them for shipboard coveralls, ensure they receive shipyard badges, and we qualify Sailors through 3M skillset building and general shipboard firefighting classes,” said Roche. “We check as many boxes as we can to ensure that when they walk into the shipyard and aboard the ship, they have a good baseline for where they are going and what they are doing. We want them to feel like they can succeed and contribute immediately as a welcomed part of the team!”
The overall Training U program is led by Stennis’ best and brightest.
“Each year, we send the Senior Sailor of the Year to lead the standard indoctrination portion of Training U called School of Ship” said Roche. “Again, we are taking as many proactive steps as possible to welcome new Sailors, and who better to welcome them than our recognized leaders aboard the ship?”
An aircraft carrier has a crew of approximately 2,650 Sailors during RCOH. This means upwards of 30-90 people attend each Training U iteration starting roughly every other week.
New check-ins also get to hear from the ship’s highest leaders during Training U.
Capt. Norman has traveled from the shipyard to Huntington Hall over 50 times and has personally engaged in individual conversations with 1,350 Sailors, over half of the entire ship’s crew. “I make a point to speak with every single Training U class in person,” said Norman. “While I speak to the group about how we operate as a team and how important our mission is to get our warship back in the fight, I also chat with each new Sailor at a personal level about where they are from, why they joined the Navy, and who inspires them. I want them to feel universally welcomed, and let them know directly from me as their commanding officer that they matter and are essential members of Team 74.”
“Training U was pretty helpful to start working on Stennis,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) (ABE) Airman Apprentice Jose Belizaire, from Attleboro, Massachusetts, having recently gone through Training U. “It was tough to envision what working in a shipyard would be like, plus I knew I had to get some initial qualifications and learn how to be an ABE. Training U definitely helped set a baseline, so I was ready to go by the time I came to the ship and shipyard.”
“School of Ship, and ultimately the whole Training U program is incredibly important,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 1st Class Sirita Weaver, Stennis’ current Senior Sailor of the Year and Training U leader. “Our new Sailors truly have no idea what to expect in the shipyard, and the feedback we receive is that all the courses and qualifications we put them through before sending them to the yard are extremely helpful for setting a baseline and ensuring they can start work right away.”
“We always have classes going on,” said Weaver. “And we do surveys at the end of each course to make sure they have good sponsors, good indoctrination, and to garner feedback from participants and see how we can further improve our program.”
At the end of the four-week Training U, Weaver and other members of the Training staff bring the new Sailors to the ship, where there is a short ceremony to welcome them aboard. The new Sailors are then able to start work in their parent department feeling like they are part of the team.
“I am very impressed with how the Training Department built an inclusive experience for our newest Team 74 members and genuinely make Sailors feel they are valued,” reflected Norman. “Working here isn’t easy, but we are taking every step possible to make our Sailors feel seen and heard, welcomed and prepared, as we work to get our floating city with an airport and air force back out to sea to protect our country again.”
| Date Taken: | 04.12.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 04.12.2023 09:14 |
| Story ID: | 442467 |
| Location: | NEWPORT NEWS, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 105 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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