Personalized instruction matches sailors with jobs.

• Author: Peck, Michael

A new Navy system that relies on individualized training instead of rigid classroom instruction will produce better-qualified sailors more quickly, according to the admiral in charge of the program.

The revolution in training (RIT) replaces traditional rote classroom with the tailored training they need for their tasks-and then ensures that they are assigned to those positions for which they are best qualified.

"We are marching toward a solution that allows you to tailor a course depending on where that sailor is going in the Navy," said Rear Adm. Kevin Moran, head of Naval Personnel Development Command. The training anticipates "what platform they're going to serve on, and what they need to know to serve in that exact position."

A Navy fact sheet notes "historically, there has been no direct link between mission requirements of fleet units and the training sailors received." RIT addresses this problem by using human resources practices in the corporate sector.

The program relies on a computer model--essentially an online resume--that rates a sailor's career and qualifications as he advances through the recruit, apprentice, journeyman and master phases. It displays where a sailor stands in terms of professional development, personal development, professional military education and leadership, certifications and qualifications and performance. The model maps their career progress, and enables sailors to see how their qualifications stand in relation to promotion. Also shown on the graphic are the skills they need for various positions.

In turn, the model rests on a thorough mapping of all the ratings in the Navy. All enlisted ratings have been mapped except those in nuclear engineering and the health professions, which will soon be completed, said Moran. This allows sailors to see how their qualifications stand versus their colleagues in a particular rating.

To ensure that sailors are assigned to the positions they're best qualified for, the Navy is mapping every job in the fleet. The level of mapping is so fine that the system distinguishes between similar jobs on different ships. "It gets even more complicated because the equipment is different between ships," Moran noted. "A second-class electrician on DDG-51 is not the same as a second-class electrician on DDG-56. You need to understand the positions down to that level of granularity."

Training in common specialties is being consolidated. For example, instead of eight separate...