Download - Royal Australian Navy

Technical Mentoring
in the RAN
In many instances, sailors have
been unable to have their
taskbooks signed until they
achieve mastery. Competency
Based Training principally targets
the training required to perform
to a standard in the workplace.
The role of mastery and informal /
accidental learning in the
workplace should not become a
casualty of innovation – this, to
some extent, is a flaw in CBT.
There will always be elements of
any job that require interpretation
and integration of knowledge and
skills. These are considered to be
‘intangible competencies’. The
current concept and operation of
minimum manned platforms,
together with the resultant change
in maintenance philosophies, has
resulted in maintainers lacking
mastery of intangible
competencies. It is considered
that the ability to integrate
competencies, tangible or
otherwise, requires mastery
through mentoring.
Added to the learning/
consolidation concerns
mentioned, community and
Defence concerns indicate that a
major contributor to de-skilling
and low morale within the
Defence workforce is the impact
of outsourcing support functions
for Defence. A predominantly
large amount of interesting and
demanding technical work is
contracted to industry, resulting in
a dissatisfied, involuntarily semiskilled
uniformed workforce.
Mentoring – The Concept
Mentoring is an initiative aimed
at providing practical and
meaningful work experience
ashore, using commercial
Defence contractors, whilst
developing Defence staff skills,
and consequently enhancing
Defence capability within the
NAVY ENGINEERING BULLETIN SEPTEMBER 2003
Situation
People are capability. In today’s Navy, job roles are changing at an everincreasing
rate. The Navy needs to have the right people with the right
training, skills and experience to operate and maintain the platforms to
undertake complex military operations using sophisticated equipment.
Traditionally, technical sailors undertook their trade training - apprentice
and phase training – at HMAS NIRIMBA, with practical experience gained
through time and on-the-job training. Formal training programs provided
the core methodology of preparing a person for the workplace. This is
consistent with today’s Navy training system, where learning and
subsequent assessment is required at the workplace. However,
significant differences exist between assessment of competency and
achievement of mastery, mastery being considered the highest level of
competence. Under the current training system, sailors are being
assessed competent and are unable to achieve mastery through
circumstances outside their control; circumstances driven by minimum
manned vessels, contractor support programs, multi-skilling still required
for submarine technical sailors, and maintenance philosophies that limit
crews to Organisational Level Maintenance (OLM) only.
accords of Government policy of
closer industry relationships to
develop shared career structures.
Mentoring allows formal and
spontaneous learning to occur in
a semi-controlled manner, by
skills transfer from trained
experienced personnel to less
experienced within a practical
working environment. It is
proposed that mentoring, by
outplacement of personnel within
a Defence related industry, will
increase an individual’s
development, enhance their
competency standards within
their chosen profession, increase
organisational capability, and
possibly increase retention
prospects for skilled personnel.
Gaps in formal training can be
overcome, where the learner has
the opportunity to ask questions,
receive advice, and work without
the constraints of a formal
training environment.
BY CMDR BRONKO OGRIZEK
FMEO
17