NTRAIN 2008 – Training Sessions

Article and photos by Mel Borofsky, Editor SITREP

Training sessions

St. Louis, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The heart and soul of NTrain is the training sessions that commence on Friday evening and run through to Sunday morning. The curricula is planned and presented by each of the Department Chiefs and their staffs. The attendees to these workshops and classrooms are the District Staff Officers (DSO) from each of the Auxiliary Districts, Florida to Alaska, and Maine to Hawaii.

It is the responsibility of the DSOs to take the messages and information back to their Districts and pass the instruction to their division and flotilla staffs.

Following is a thumbnail sketch of the Department presentations. It is not possible to present the full content of each workshop; that is task to which the DSOs are charged.

Marine Safety (M Department)

The session opened on Friday evening with a roundtable discussion of the expectations of the course. Best practices were discussed followed by a Q and A session. The topics covered through Saturday and Sunday included vessel activities involving marine safety awareness and a thorough presentation about Aids to Navigation, including private aides and other navigation topics.

"Prevention outreach" and port and facility activities rounded out Saturday. Prior to departure on Sunday, "Communications and Education" was the roundtable discussion topic.

Personnel Services (P Department)

"Recruiting and Retention" are the main topics of conversation. The attendees were challenged to "think outside of the box" when it comes to recruiting. Highly stressed was the topic of educating the Personnel Officers at the Division and Flotilla levels. The methods and techniques were presented and discussed for spotting, selecting and educating the "most likely to succeed" as a recruiter trainer.

Education (E Department)

Friday night opened with a discussion about the weekend’s expectations. The structure of the E Department was presented and the use of the Public Education (PE) Hotline was encouraged. An open forum discussion revolved around specific problems befalling PE officers.

Saturday focused in on communications between the different levels of the Auxiliary, district, division and flotilla. Ideas for improving the communication chain were discussed. Topics including "workshop presentations," "report writing," "article writing" and the "E-Library" were the topics discussed the balance of the morning.

Following lunch the value of partnerships were discussed, To name a few, these partnerships could include the Boy Scouts, Skiers and various magazines, including "Soundings." A seminar on PowerPoint construction closed the day. The workshop closed on Sunday with an open forum on PE issues and the future directions of the E Department.

Public Affairs (A Department)

The Friday evening session opened with a roundtable discussion about "Who we are, where are we going in the A Department." Methods for filling open PA slots and recruiting of staff was a hot topic of discussion. Planning, training and leadership skills rounded out the evening.

The "Power of Video" and "Exercising Judgment" were the specific topics of Saturday morning, while web resources for Public Affairs officers opened the afternoon session. Topics about "Growth" in the Auxiliary, including topics of concern, such as the "Aging of the Auxiliary" were discussed. A special presentation about event marketing rounded out the afternoon.

Prior to departing on Sunday, each DSO-PA was given an opportunity to present and discuss what went well for them in 2007 and how they expect to improve in 2008.

Auxiliary Sector Coordinators (ASC)

This newest group of tasked Auxiliarists met in closed session this weekend. Some of the items on their agenda included plans for the "Road Ahead" and building strong relationships. Five USCG Sector Commanders joined the Saturday workshops and topics such as "Contingency Planning" and "Readiness Management" were the main topics of conversation.

Membership Training (T Department)

DSOs-MT lead a program of continuing improvement and modification. The DSOs realize that a major reason for enrolling in the Auxiliary is the thirst for additional boating techniques and safety education. Ideas for new programs were discussed and methods of presenting those materials were discussed.

Problem solving and the sharing of ideas was a constant undertone to all of the classes’ discussions. The correct use of PowerPoint was demonstrated. Resource libraries were also discussed.

Vice Commodores’ Academy

This Senior Leadership Instruction Course was presented by the Leadership Institute. The District Vice Commodores were tasked with preparatory work for the class. The established curriculum was followed throughout.