MARINE CORPS AIR STATION BEAUFORT, S.C. -- Civilian Marines attended the Career Development Information Forum at the Lasseter Theater aboard Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, March 6. The MCAS Beaufort employees attended the forum to learn about programs and resources they have at their disposal to develop their skills and expand their careers.
“As I stand here in front of you to-
day I can say we don’t invest in you as
much as we should,” said Jeff Bearon,
the assistant deputy commandant of
Manpower and Reserve Affairs. “We
are going to invest more and train
more to ensure you are successful as a
civilian Marine.”
The forum began with a speech from
Col. Peter Buck, the commanding officer of MCAS Beaufort. Buck then
introduced Bearon who went over the
current work environment and how his
department is working to ensure Civilian Marines receive the training and
support they need despite budget cuts.
“It’s something you hear a lot, but it’s
very true,” said Bearon. “We are being
asked to do more with less; and that’s
exactly what we are doing. We have
been using the resources we have to
make sure you have resources to expand your job skills and training. Just
like the Marines have non-commissioned officer schools, we are making
sure you have schools and classes to
train you as well.”
The rest of the forum walked the
Civilian Marines through how to use
a program to track their training, how
to use their free online classes and utilize their Community of Interest Program. The COI program breaks down
their jobs into 19 groups with a senior
executive in charge of each group.
The Civilian Marines can use their
communities to find mentors and learn
about their job path.
“Team Beaufort is facing the complex challenges of today,” said Buck.
“In order for us to continue to lead and
be prepared to face those challenges
we need to invest in our most valuable
resource, our people. Today I want you
to ask questions, engage with mentors,
get outside of your comfort zone and
participate in the complex mission we
have ahead of us.”
For the last part of the forum the Civilian Marines went to a booth for their
COI, engaged with one another and
signed up to be in contact with their
manager. The managers are in charge
of making sure each community has
the proper training and resources to en-
sure they can accomplish their mission,
continue to train and get better.