Download - Royal Australian Navy

56 NAVY ENGINEERING BULLETIN SEPTEMBER 2003
introducing the new qualifications
throughout the FREMANTLE Class.
MT OCCUPATIONAL ANALYSIS
Another major issue on the
horizon for the category is the
conduct of a formal Occupational
Analysis (OA) of Marine
Technicians. The Directorate of
Strategic Personnel Policy and
Research (DSPPR) will undertake
this research on behalf of the MT
Category Sponsor during 2004. It
is expected to take the whole of
next year to complete.
What is the purpose of the
Occupational Analysis?
The purpose of an Occupational
Analysis is to identify current
tasks performed by all MT
personnel by rank, class of ship
and organisation. It is also used
to identify and evaluate the
current structure in terms of
career progression and overlap of
tasks performed between ranks.
The OA will provide additional
training emphasis and task
learning difficulty data to assist in
the validation of training and
competency logbooks, and
establish priorities for training
development.
The OA will also collect relevant
background information about
retention factors, morale status,
workload levels, remuneration
and career management.
What does an OA involve?
The occupational analysis for the
MT Category will involve gathering
Subject Matter Experts (SME)
from all major populations of
Marine Technicians; (i.e. Fleet
Base East and the Sydney area;
Fleet Base West; the Darwin and
Cairns areas and HMAS
CERBERUS) to form SME panels,
which will be interviewed in order
to develop a ‘Task Inventory’. The
task inventory will list all the work
tasks that could possibly be
carried out by a Marine
Technician. From this, a ‘Time
Spent’ questionnaire is compiled
aimed at quantifying just that: the
amount of time spent on each
task by individual marine
technicians. All marine
technicians will complete the
‘Time Spent’ questionnaire;
additionally ‘Training Emphasis’
and ‘Task Learning Difficulty’
questionnaires will be circulated
to selected experienced
personnel within the category.
Oh No! Not another survey!!!
Before you all groan too loudly
about having to fill out yet
another survey, I’d ask you to
consider a few pertinent points:
a. A formal Occupational
Analysis has not been
carried out on the Marine
Technical Category since it’s
inception - if you consider
that the current MT sailor
arose from the integration of
the old Sailstruc MTP, MTH
and ETP categories resulting
from the recommendations
of TTP 92.
b. In the case of the MT
Category, the OA is aimed at
defining areas of training
shortfall and areas of
training ‘overkill’ or wasted
training. It will also assist in
identifying ineffective jobs
and jobs that don’t provide
the opportunity to develop
core skills.
c. The Occupational Analysis
will comprise the foundation
for the impending Pay group
placement review of the MT
Category.
Furthermore OA’s are
extraordinarily expensive to
conduct in terms of time, money
and resources, – the MT survey
alone will require a full-time
commitment by two OA analysts
from DSPPR, (CPOCIS Ivan Oreb
and Ms Kirsty Yates) for over 12
months, combined with extensive
involvement from Category
Sponsor staff to co-ordinate the
SME panels and survey returns.
Add to this the commitment of
Subject Matter Experts in each
location for panels lasting up to
three days, and the costs
associated with producing,
distributing, completing,
collecting, and analysing the
survey forms, and it becomes
clear that this is not an
undertaking to be taken lightly. It
is also clear that any subsequent
OA will be a long time coming,
especially when you consider that
DSPPR are responsible for
occupational analysis of all
Defence trades, numbering over
300 individual categories in total.
( For example, DSPPR have
recently completed the OA of the
tri-service communications
categories, the results of which,
for Navy, will be used to formulate
policy on a wide range of issues
affecting the employment, training
and remuneration of our CIS
sailors). Once our turn is finished,
we will drop to the bottom of a
very long list.
Subject Matter Experts
A word about the Subject Matter
Experts. Commands will be
approached to supply highperforming
PO and CPO MT
sailors to form the SME panels in
each locality. We will be looking
for exemplary sailors who can be
considered role models for the
branch, and are able to provide
accurate information on tasks
performed by junior and senior
marine technicians. A panel will
comprise approximately 8 sailors
in each locality and will need to
reflect the wide diversity of Ship
classes and employment
environments encountered by
marine technicians. It is vital that
the personnel nominated for the
panels are spared for three full
working days to concentrate
solely on the compilation of the
Task Inventory; interruptions or
absences while the panels are
convened will significantly impair
the quality of the data collected.
What’s in it for me?
The Occupational Analysis
presents you, the individual
marine technician, with an
invaluable opportunity to
comment on your employment,
your training and to suggest ways
that things can be improved. We
will be actively pursuing the
optimum result of a 100% return
rate of survey forms; we will be
pestering you and your superiors
for your completed survey forms.
Remember as you fill them out
that the future of your category
will very much depend on the
results gained from the surveys
and the future policies they
generate.
SUMMARY
In light of what I’ve covered
above, it would be a huge
understatement to say there’s a
big year ahead for the Category.
The challenges presented by the
introduction of new operator
qualifications and watchkeeping
practices will test the category
and will require extensive resolve
and commitment on all our parts
if it is to be successful. Similarly,
total resolve and commitment to
the OA will be crucial in ensuring
the data it produces is accurate,
and leads to the development of
policy that will truly benefit the
Category and represents the
direction you want your branch to
follow.
We at DNPR(E&L) welcome
comment and feedback on the
above topics or on any other
issue you think is important to
the MT Category. Until next time,
keep progressing your operator
qualifications and stay safe.
Cheers Richo