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Deputy Chief of Naval Personnel Visits CPPD to Discuss Navy Counselor Training
Story Number: NNS121108-04
11/8/2012

By Susan Henson, Center for Personal and Professional Development Public Affairs

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (NNS) -- The Deputy Chief of Naval Personnel (DCNP) visited the Center for Personal and Professional Development (CPPD) Nov. 6 to discuss the command's work regarding Navy Counselor (Career), or NC(C), and command career counselor (CCC) training.

Rear Adm. Cynthia Covell, who as DCNP is the NC(C) community advisor, met with CPPD Executive Director Doug Kibbey and members of the CPPD Training Directorate to talk about current rating training, CPPD responsibilities for that training, current and planned projects, and some of CPPD's successes to date to improve the training.

Covell's responsibilities as the NC(C) community advisor include providing advice and recommendations concerning the professional management of the community, as well as on training and career development of Sailors in the community.

"We are very happy for the opportunity to brief Rear Adm. Covell on CPPD's work to provide the best possible training to Sailors serving as Navy counselors," said Kibbey. "Things change rapidly regarding recruiting, training and retention programs, and we're committed to ensuring that Navy Counselors are ready to meet the challenge of providing the best possible guidance to their fellow Sailors."

Senior Chief Navy Counselor (SW/AW) Michael Sekeet, CPPD's command career counselor (CCC) Course manager, said during the brief to Covell that the CCC course is the Navy's course for NC(C)s and Sailors from other ratings who earn the 9588 Navy Enlisted Classification code to serve a tour as a career counselor. Of the Sailors graduating from the course, 15 to 20 percent are cross-rating to become NCs.

Regardless of whether graduates serve the rest of their career as an NC(C) or for a single tour, the job they do is vital to the fleet, which makes timely training equally vital, according to Covell,

"What CPPD does is critically important to the Sailors in the fleet in terms of getting the right gouge out to them so they can make well-informed decisions about their careers," she said.

The brief also reviewed the command's responsibilities as the CCC course Curriculum Control Authority to ensure the course is up-to-date and relevant to meet fleet needs.

Among the current projects discussed during the brief was the CCC course being under revision with a targeted release date of late in Fiscal Year 2013. Anticipated changes include the students getting more hands-on training on core software programs, more robust transition information, and an overall more interactive course experience.

Another project CPPD is working on to support the fleet is the First Term Success Workshop, which is mandated by Chief of Naval Operations Instruction (OPNAVINST) 1040.11 series. This four-hour command-delivered training for E-1 to E-4 Sailors provides them with basic career development information. It is currently under development specifically with first-term Sailors in mind and is scheduled for release in the Spring of 2013, said Sekeet.

The brief concluded with highlights of CPPD successes in support of NC training such as the Career Development Board (CDB) training video that was released in April of 2010. "This video is helpful in the fleet getting up-to-speed on the basics of conducting quality CDBs," Sekeet said.

At the end of the brief, Covell said CPPD has a good reputation for "all things people" and that NC training is a good fit at the learning center. "NCs will continue to be hugely critical as the economy and unemployment rates change," Covell said. "NCs have to be ready to help both ways in terms of the decisions Sailors make to stay Navy or choose a different route."

CPPD is the Navy's learning center of excellence that equips Sailors to think critically, act responsibly, and lead proactively through its training courses and the Navy's voluntary education program. In addition to Navy Counselor training, CPPD is responsible for providing a wide range of personal and professional development courses and materials, including General Military Training, Navy instructor training, alcohol and drug awareness program training, suicide prevention, Bearings classes, and Personal Responsibility and Values Education and Training (PREVENT) classes. CPPD's leadership training is delivered multiple times throughout a Sailor's career via command-delivered enlisted leadership training material and officer leadership courses in a schoolhouse setting.

For more information about the Center for Personal and Professional Development (CPPD), visit: https://www.netc.navy.mil/centers/cppd/.