Young Talent 'Critically Important' To Future Civilian Ranks

By Ms. Kari Hawkins (AMCOM)April 8, 2016

READY FOR COUNSELORS
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Academia Day 2016 organizer Alysia Greer, at left, goes over some last minute instructions with employees of the Civilian Personnel Advisory Center at Redstone, including, from right, Melissa Lambert, Kim Decourley, Sandra Drinkard, Floyd Lockhart an... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
WORKING INTERNS
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
CONNECTING WITH COUNSELORS
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Lt. Gen. Larry Wyche, senior commander at Redstone Arsenal and deputy commander at the Army Materiel Command, shares a few stories from his military career with high school and college career counselors who attended the Academia Day 2016 hosted by th... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Talent management was the message of the day for about 120 high school and college career counselors who attended Academia Day April 7 at Redstone Arsenal, Ala.

"The future is bright" for those interested in federal employment, said Brig. Gen. Doug Gabram, commander of the Aviation and Missile Command, as he welcomed the counselors. "We need some young talent filling in and taking the mantle … It's so critically important because of our future needs. It's about talent management. Who's going to replace our aging workforce?"

Academia Day, hosted by the Aviation and Missile Command in support of the Army Materiel Command's Intern 1,000 Initiative to hire 1,000 interns a year during a five-year period that started in 2015, brought students advisors, career counselors and veteran's service staff from Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Mississippi and local high schools to learn what the Army Materiel Command and its major subordinate commands have to offer in terms of future careers paths for college graduates, and to learn how to better assist students with finding and applying for Federal Civilian service jobs.

While the counselors spent the day learning about the opportunities and benefits of a Federal Civilian career with AMCOM and AMC, Gabram told them that working for the Department of the Army offers something beyond the financial benefits they can gain in their career either with the government or in private industry. That "something" was the opportunity to be committed to working for the nation's best interests, represented on Gabram's presentation slide by a U.S. flag and the words "Freedom is not free."

"The payoff is felt here," he said, covering his heart with his hand. "It's about heart. It's about the purpose of the job."

Gabram was joined in his message to the counselors by Lt. Gen. Larry Wyche, senior commander of Redstone Arsenal and AMC deputy commander, who was the keynote speaker at Academia Day.

Speaking to the career counselors on the anniversary of the day he enlisted as an Army private in 1975, Wyche said he looks back on his career and realizes there is a "short distance" between being a young person with aspirations and becoming a leader in a chosen career field. That short distance is filled with the steps of accomplishments that lead to a successful career.

"We are now building the next generation that is going to lead your organizations, our organizations and our country," Wyche said, adding that there are now four AMCOM leaders -- G-3 Operations director Brian Wood, G-6 Information Management director Shirley Perkey, AMCOM Logistics Center deputy director Bill Andrews and AMCOM General Staff secretary Steve Fisher who started their careers as Department of the Army interns.

The three-star general told the counselors that many young men and women sometimes don't "know their own potential and that's where your mentoring comes in."

Even those further in their career don't always know the next opportunity they will step into, he said, recalling a time when Army leadership tapped him to take command of the Joint Munitions Command. At the time, Wyche wasn't even considering that assignment, but it became one of the best jobs he ever had. His mentors, he said, "knew what was best for me when I didn't know it."

Wyche said it is important for college and high school career counselors to understand what AMCOM, AMC and the Department of the Army has to offer in civilian career opportunities.

"We want you to understand the business of the Army … so that you can go back and share with the young, energetic people" graduating from their institutions, he told the counselors.

The AMC mission involves 64,000 employees, more than 30 career programs and an annual budget of $58 billion. The large, diverse organization offers "an opportunity for future generations to serve in federal service," Wyche said.

AMC makes up 25 percent of the Army's civilian workforce, and includes scientists, engineers, contracting officers, program managers, logisticians and the staff needed to support the Army's materiel enterprise.

Academia Day is "all about investing in the future … We want to team up to build the future bench. Your contributions, your personal engagement in the development of future leaders is going to make a difference," Wyche said.

During the day, the counselors learned about the Pathways program for interns, how to navigate USA Jobs and the specific career programs available at AMCOM. They were given opportunities to network with human resources personnel from organizations at Redstone Arsenal and to talk with college students currently participating in the Army's intern programs.

"I want to help you sell our programs to your students," said AMCOM deputy commander Bill Marriott, who is the most senior civilian at AMCOM.

In recent years, hiring freezes, personnel cuts, veteran preferences in hiring and negative news about the actions of a few federal employees has made it difficult to recruit young professionals out of college, he said.

"It's extremely difficult to get to your students. That's why we have the intern program," he said. "We have one intern with us now who started six years ago as a freshmen. We were finally able to pick the intern up for permanent employment. It took awhile, but we did it. And, if we hadn't been able to do it, they would have their intern experience to put on their resume."

Marriott encouraged the counselors to have their students take advantage of the Pathways intern program, and emphasized that today there are several AMCOM employees who have come to the organization as an intern and are now in leadership positions with the Army's 31 career programs.

He also touched on the purpose of working as a federal civilian for the Army.

"The Army exists for one reason -- to fight and win our land battles," Marriott said. "Soldiers can't do that alone. There are 300,000 civilians and contractors who support our Soldiers at the tip of the spear … Hopefully, you will be to light a spark for federal service whether at AMCOM or somewhere else."

Between presentations, the counselors mingled with human resources specialists who manned exhibits from various Redstone Arsenal tenant organizations.

"Academia Day has been a great resource for us," said Melinda Inglis, career coach at Drake State Community and Technical College. "It has been encouraging to learn from the presenters here today, and to get connected with the resources available to us to help our students with federal employment opportunities."

Lee Burge, assistant provost at Alabama State University, said it is crucial for college career counselors to find those graduates whom the federal government would want to hire and then assist them through the hiring process.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for administrators and counselors to gain information they can take back to their students," Burge, a retired Air Force colonel, said about Academia Day. "I think the Army should continue to do this kind of thing because of the awareness it develops and the knowledge it provides in how to make the transition from college to federal service."