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Now you can keep your options open
By Annie Casey, Public Affairs Officer Navy Personnel and Training
Volume 50, No. 14, August 09, 2007 |
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| RISING FROM THE ASHES: Navy personnel assist in the clean up after the Victorian Bushfires as a Community service during the SEES scheme. Photo: SMNCSO Paul Vafiades |
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Navy Personnel and Training (NPT) has introduced a new Non Category Specific Entry (NCSE) scheme for sailors, allowing candidates to enlist into the Royal Australian Navy and have the flexibility to make the decision on their future employment category after enlistment.
This entry method means candidates will be assessed for General Enlistment into the Navy as a Recruit, but not for a specific job preference.
The NCSE Scheme offers an avenue of entry that is designed for those who are not ready to make a decision on their career role, other than the fact they want to join the Navy. Upon enlistment, a NCSE candidate may be asked to complete some additional testing during Recruit Training to be considered for a variety of job roles. The additional testing may involve clerical skills, electrical knowledge, maths and mechanical reasoning.
The scheme has been running for a few months and indications are promising. Since it began in February, about five recruits out of the average intake of 120 have entered under the NSCE scheme – allowing the Recruit School Commanding Officer, CMDR John Cowan, to evaluate the candidate and then make an employment category offer.
CMDR Cowan said: “The [internal] benefits are that the NCSE Recruit is able to make a more fully informed decision when listing their personal preferences in advance of being assigned a category.”
In the evaluation process that determines the category the NCSE Recruit will be offered, there are three sets of criteria that are taken into account: personal preferences; aptitude and education score and Navy’s critical shortage categories.
At day 64 of recruit training, a recruit can accept the offer or choose an optional discharge.
The advantages of the scheme are twofold:
- for those recruits who are undecided on a category but wish to join the Navy it allows them to “try before you buy”, allowing the recruit to make a more informed choice;
- Navy gains recruits who it might otherwise lose due to candidate uncertainty or a candidate who selects a category that they discover too late is not suited to their core interest in the Navy.
For those recruits who are waiting for more than two weeks to start their required Category Training course a transfer to Rogers Division at HMAS Cerberus and the Sailor Early Enlistment Scheme (SEES) is now an option.
Since late February personnel are able to participate in an additional motivational training package which covers a range of activities and programs such as: Life Skills; Team Sports; Expedition Training; Sailing; Tours to Sydney, Canberra and other Defence Establishments; Establishment Work Experience; and Life at Sea Experience on Major Fleet Units and Minor War Vessels.
The OIC of Rogers, LEUT David Barnes, said: “Although it’s early days, the SEES is keeping recruits motivated, stimulated and involved in a variety of naval, military and community service experiences.”
Not all candidates will complete the full range of these activities – the level of their participation depends upon the number of weeks elapsing between their completion of Recruit School and commencement of Category Training.
• See the next Sea Talk for a more detailed look at participants of the SEES scheme. |
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