Publication:Sea Talk Summer 2008/Navy floats new approach to management training

By Annie Casey

Proficiency-based and assessable training for the vital functions of personnel management is being delivered for the first time for a wide range of key positions.

The aim is to professionalise performance in a critical area and to seek national accreditation for proficiencies gained. Flowing from this recognition, personnel management training should eventually be equally important as other major areas of Navy training.

A new format has been developed to achieve these needs. The significance of this is reflected in Army’s adoption of Navy’s method.

“This progressive and pioneering training module is long overdue,” said the Director of Navy Training, CAPT Steve Elms. “Many of us sensed a complex governance framework existed, yet it had never been fully explained.

“The information had not been gathered into a cohesive piece of work. Critical information had been scattered across hundreds of sources both internal and external to Navy and Defence.”

Knowledge needed by personnel managers now exists in publications and training packages for unit personnel management, career management and remuneration management. These publications will become the “bible” for further reference after someone completes the training.

It is important for all of us to recognise that under this governance framework, there is an unbroken chain of accountability extending from the Minister, to the Secretary and Chief of the Defence Force, to CN and to all decisionmakers and their advisers within Navy, to get things right in a balanced way.

While the publications referred to will be issued in hard copy to people undertaking training they also have access to soft copy publications at DGNPT’s website to allow for hyperlink access to key documents – legislation, regulations delegations, authorisations, directives etc.

Previously, it was taken for granted personnel had some of the knowledge needed and would learn the rest “on the job.”

Some of this learning was less than comprehensive and did not equip people to make sound decisions or offer faultless advice.

The Chief of Navy and Director-General Navy Personnel and Training recognised this situation could lead to poor personnel management.

The new training package and reference tools will equip people with the appropriate skills and foster their ability to apply knowledge from tailored training, to each key function.

The emphasis includes: knowledge of legal powers, rules of governance, standards of compliance and systems of accountability.

This desire meant that requisite knowledge had to be codified and cleared and training packages then had to be developed and delivered.

It was decided that the training would be proficiency-based and assessable in terms of PMKeyS training records, and be delivered via the CAMPUS facility.

The training is now linked to position pre-requisite proficiencies for 730 positions within Navy for mandatory training and is to be undertaken between notice of a posting to a specified position while in the old posting and completion of a handover in the new posting.

The aim is to ensure key personnel have enough knowledge before they start in the new posting where they will expected to deal immediately with personnel issues.

The focus of mandatory training is:

• Unit Personnel Management for certain command HQ and FEG staff; ship/establishment COs, XOs, heads of department/section, personnel officers and CO secretaries; and OICs of schools;
• Career Management for DNOP and DSCM staff; and,
• Remuneration Management for DNEC staff, some DNPISM staff, and certain positions within category/primary qualification sponsor organisations and within FEG HQs.

The training is also available to personnel on a voluntary basis, for self-development.

The CAMPUS courses are arranged so students can progress at their own pace in one or many sittings.

There should be little to no impact on current courses that touch on personnel issues, but the organisers intend to drill elements of the Unit Personnel Management course down to the classroom setting for some of the initial training in leadership and management (ITLM) entry and developmental courses.

Training coordination and the currency of the publications and CAMPUS courseware will be undertaken by the personnel management training coordination cell within TA ITLM. While the courses can be accessed via the Navy domain within CAMPUS anyone attempting one must be provided with relevant publication by the cell as training reference material.

The cell can be contacted via NPMTraining@drn.mil.au.