Spring 2016 MCAS Cherry Point’s Personal & Professional Development Program
“Spring Forward” At this time of year where the clock is moved forward we lose an hour of sleep. We start to work on our yards, sign our children up for camps and plan spring break vacations. Many of you may be receiving orders to another duty station or preparing to enter the civilian workforce. Spring time seems to be a particularly busy time of year for the Career Resource Center (CRC). It may be due to increased movements such as leaving the military or changing duty stations. The Career Resource Center is here to assist military Service members and their families going through the stressful process of EAS’ing or PCS’ing. Whether you need assistance with planning your move, creating a budget, or a workable resume to name a few, we are here to help you succeed.
Fred Mossop Career And Resource Services Manager
In This Issue Info & Referral
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Education Office
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Station Library
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Financial Mgmt.
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Employment Asst. P.7 Transition Asst.
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Retired Services
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P&PD Advisors
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P&PDP Highlight
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Spring Calendar
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Final thoughts
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Information, Resource and Relocation Program Spring Into Fun! As the weather begins to warm up, our minds begin to turn to warm weather fun. Contrary to what you may hear, the Cherry Point/Havelock area has a lot to offer. If you are looking to hunt, fish, camp or golf, activities where you can enjoy the outdoors can be found right here, aboard MCAS Cherry Point. If you are looking to go outside the gates, there are many local sites between the City of New Bern and Morehead City areas. Whether you’re look to camp, garden or kayak, the MCCS Outdoor Connection has outdoor equipment to enhance your Springtime fun. Don’t forget to ask Outdoor Connection about the outdoor theater system! For those of us that rather take a more laid back approach, don’t forget the local downtown walking tours, Tryon Palace, NC lighthouses, and the wild horses out in Beaufort NC.
Parents and Guardians! Now is the time to start thinking about summer camp. Summer Camps provide kids an opportunity to expand their friendship circles, learn new skills and try new things. There are a variety of Summer Camp opportunities available. From day camps to specialty camps– there is something available for all types of kids.
Cherry Treehouse Summer Camp (466-3861) Military Teen Adventure Camps Easter Seals UCP Summer Adventure Camp New Bern Civic Theater Youth Summer Works shop Camp Corral Eastern NC Elementary School Engineering
Available slots typically fill up quickly, so you don’t want to wait until the end of the school year to start your search.
Camp NC State Engineering Camp
For more information on programs, services and resources, please contact Johneiquel D. Smith-Griffin, Information & Referral Specialist (252) 466-6759
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Education Office College Credit for Military Training Did you know your military experience might be worth college credit? Colleges and universities are frequently becoming more and more military friendly. This means the addition of campus veteran centers, school military liaisons, and more transferring of military training into college credits. How do you get these credits? The American Council on Education (ACE) is the nation’s leading higher education association and their mission is to promote, protect, and advocate for students, faculty, and administrator in higher education. ACE provides recommended credits for formal courses and occupations offered by all branches of the military. All recommendations are based on reviews conducted by college and university faculty members who are actively teaching in the areas they review (http://www.acenet.edu). Once a Service member decides on a school, they send an official copy of their Joint Services Transcripts (JST) to the appropriate school personnel to have an evaluation conducted. This person is usually the academic advisor. The registrar’s office then decides which courses will count as transfer credit into their program. It is the sole discretion of each educational institution to determine if they will accept these credits, however, many of them will transfer at least a few credit hours. ACE has even gone as far as to create an ACE CREDIT College and University Network, which is a group of more than 2,000 institutions of higher learning that considers ACE credit. This list can be viewed at http:// www2.acenet.edu/CREDITCollegeNetwork/. Both active-duty and veterans can access their JST by visiting https://jst.doded.mil/, and creating an account which allows them to electronically send an official copy to their school. The Marine Corps Voluntary Education Offices also have the capability to send official transcripts and submit any needed corrections to the document. Not all schools accept these credits, but it is worth the minimal time it takes to submit a copy to the college or university and see what credits await you .
Education Office T&E Bldg. (4335), Room 109 Ph. 252.466.3500 http://mccscherrypoint.com/programs/personal-professional-development/education-programs/
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Library Services
SUMMER READING STARTS IN JUNE!!!!!!!!! The 2016 Summer Reading Program “Read for the Win!” begins on Monday June 13th. Children, teens, and adults are invited to participate for the opportunity to earn weekly reading incentives throughout the summer. The library will also host special events every Friday throughout the reading program, culminating in a Summer Reading Open House on Friday July 22nd!
The Library offers a Computer Lab, Study and Gaming Rooms, Café, Teen & Young Adult Area, Children’s Area, Free Wi-Fi, Free Fax & Printing, E-Reader Checkout, Latest Best Sellers, 3D printing, GoPro cameras for checkout, sewing machines for checkout, specialty baking pans for checkout, Children, Youth, & Teen classes in robotics/basic programming , quarterly adult oil painting events, as well as DVD & Game Rentals. Story hour is offered weekly on Wednesdays. Please visit our website for the dates and times http://mccscherrypoint.com/programs/personal-professional-development/library/
The Station Library is located in Bldg. 298 E Street, between IPAC and DEERS/RAPIDS. Our hours of operation are: Mon-Sat 1000-1900 Sun 1300-1900.
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Personal Financial Management Program BLENDED RETIREMENT SYSTEM – How will the new system affect you?
Technology Solutions for Non-Profits
The U.S. is debating the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which would authorize the U.S. military's blended retirement system (BRS). BRS is set to take effect January 2018. BRS is the result of an over 18 month study by the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Committee (MCRMC). During the 18 month period, MCRMC received feedback from over 100,000 Service members, veterans and families. They also heard testimonies from veterans and family related military organizations. There was widespread publicity due to Congressional hearings and anticipation of the changes to the current military retirement options. The current High Three pension system was passed in the 1980s with the hope of encouraging Service members to remain on active duty longer than 20 years. Service members (and those who join before 2018) are grandfathered in under the current retirement system. Service members who joined after 1 January 2006 (and before 2018) will have the option to convert to BRS or remain in the current retirement system. Service members joining after 1 January 2018 will be automatically enrolled in BRS.
Currently, only 11%* of Service members stay on active duty or in the Reserve to earn a pension. The information gathered by the MCRMC hearings revealed that Service members desire a more portable pension system with more money under their control. Instead of the cliff vesting at 20 years, they want military benefits to resemble the civilian 401(k) and that of the federal civil-service retirement systems. Service members want to leave active duty with a little more in their retirement accounts. Instead of a defined benefits pension, people favor a defined contribution plan. Under BRS, this means that 85%* of veterans leaving active duty will have retirement benefits! For more information please contact the Personal Finance Management program to speak with a finance advisor, at (252) 466-4201 or stop by the Career Resource Center in building 4335 room 217.
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Personal Financial Management Program Cont’d BLENDED RETIREMENT SYSTEM – How will the new system affect you?
Technology Solutions for Non-Profits It is anticipate that DoD will ask Congress to change certain features of the BRS before it goes into effect. At this time, it is important to remember that financial education is key to making informed decisions concerning BRS. The Department of Defense (DoD) is developing three on-line courses to train the force. The first course will be a leadership overview of the new BRS system. This training will be available to Marine Corps Recruiters and Career Planners. The second course will be for Service members eligible to opt-into BRS. The third course will be for Service members who enter the military 1 January 2018 or after. In addition, on-line calculators are being developed that will give eligible Service members the opportunity to compare the potential payouts of the current retirement system with that of BRS. The following is a one-page summary of the blended retirement system: http://themilitary-guide.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Blended-military-retirement-graphiccolor.pdf Remember we are here with resources and workshops to support your financial readiness! The Personal Financial Management Program is located in the Training and Education Building, Room 217 or call 252-466-5837/4201. Click here to obtain additional information on the program!
*Blended Retirement System: Hargis, Alan; Manpower & Reserve Affairs MP Division; brief dtd 18 February 2016
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Family Member Employment Assistance Time to Spring Forward: Are You Ready? Preparing children for the future is vital to their success. With arrival of Spring, the Family Member Employment Assistant Program (FMEAP) recognizes the need to provide teens with resources to assist future decisions. FMEAP is springing forth a new Teen Work seminar to empower teens with career resources and help expand their knowledge of volunteer and employment opportunities. Teens will discover how volunteering will help them build a career portfolio that can be used when applying for jobs or college. This workshop explores the power of networking and the awareness associated with using social media. During the Teen Work seminar, teens discover how thinking outside the box can lead to great opportunities. This 1 ½ hour seminar explores the application process, volunteer opportunities and other valuable information which could lead to volunteering or employment opportunities. This event is open to teens aged 14-18.
Employment Assistance Services •Interviewing skills
•Career counseling/assessments
•Resume adaptations based on job
•Filling unemployment gaps
•Wage negotiation techniques
•Monthly Career Fairs
•Job search strategies
•Employment Lab
•Assessing the current labor market
For more information contact: Pat Bryant, Family Member Employment Specialist at 252 466-4201.
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Transition Assistance DEVELOPING AN ENTREPRENURIAL STATE OF MIND The 2-Day Entrepreneurship Track is an educational and training program offered and facilitated by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Personal and Professional Development staff at the Career Resource Center in the Training and Education Building. The curriculum provides valuable assistance to transitioning Service members exploring business ownership or other self-employment opportunities by leading them through the key steps for evaluating business concepts and providing the foundational knowledge necessary to develop a business plan. Additionally, participants are introduced to SBA resources to help access start-up capital and additional technical assistance. After completing the 2-Day Entrepreneurship Track, transitioning Service members and their spouses can further their education through an instructor guided high-tech eight-week online course taught by professors from a consortium of accredited universities led by the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University. With as few as 10 hours a week, participants, through connected and independent study, can work through the fundamentals of developing an actionable business plan and once completed, participants will have the tools and knowledge they need to identify a business opportunity, draft a business plan, and launch their enterprise. According to the National Women’s Business Council, there are 97,114 veteran women-owned businesses in the United States. Veteran women -owned firms across the country have total receipts of $15.8 billion. Just 1.2% of all women-owned firms across the country are owned by veteran women. The South has the highest representation (1.6%) followed by the West (1.2%), the Midwest (1.1%) and the Northeast (0.7%). The states with the largest number of veteran women-owned businesses are: California (9,780), Texas (8,604), and Florida (8,274).
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” -Steve Jobs-
For more information on services provided by the Transition Readiness Program, please call 252.466.4201 or check out our webpage at click here.
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RETIRED SERVICES OFFICE
Please stop by the Retired Services office located in the Training and Education Building, Room 213, or call (252) 466-4201 for more information.
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P&PD Advisors LET THE HARRISON ASSESSMENT PLANT THE SEED TO A NEW CAREER PATH
Research consistently demonstrates that individuals who enjoy over 75% of their work are more likely to succeed and advance in their career. Career Assessments can help YOU uncover your personality, as well as, your passions. The Personal and Professional Development Program proudly offers a new type of career assessment; The Harrison Assessment. This assessment identifies and measures the strength of your behavioral tendencies (i.e. your preferences, interests, and tendencies for specific behaviors). Understanding the strength of specific traits can help you understand your successes and challenges, develop an improvement plan and identify careers that fit YOUR STRENGTHS. Call 252-466-4201 for a link-invitation to take the Harrison Assessment and then visit your PPDP Advisors to review your career results and develop a plan to grow a new, fulfilling career path.
**The Harrison Assessments, developed by Dr. Dan Harrison, is a state-of-the-art assessment tool that enables employers to predict the job success of candidates with 80% to 90% accuracy, compared to most personality tests that only produce about 55% accuracy. The Harrison Assessments integrates six key behavioral assessments into one comprehensive assessment. Thus, it achieves a much greater ability to accurately predict behavior and job success. The Harrison Assessments includes each of the following:
Values Inventory
Personal Honesty Assessment
Interest Inventory
Work Environment Preferences
Task Preferences Inventory
Personality/Motivation Assessment
The P&PD Advisors are located in room 213 of the Training and Education Building and can be contacted by phone by calling 466-4201.
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P&PDP HIGHLIGHT MCAS Cherry Point P&PDP Provides New Opportunities for Professional Development MCAS Cherry Point’s Personal & Professional Development Program (PPDP) graduated its first class of Career Development Facilitators. Graduates included a variety of military and civilian professionals– including Career Planners, College Advisors, PPDP staff and HR staff, all of whom assist individuals with their career development . As certified Career Development Facilitators the participants are better equipped to assist Service members, their families and our entire military community with the tools needed to advance both personally and professionally thus boosting the career development standards here at MCAS Cherry Point, and the surrounding community. After three months of both classroom and online training, participants are now eligible for the Global Career Development Facilitator credential; an important credential in the career development field.
Back Row (left to right): Instructor: Alicia Durham, Johneiquel Smith-Griffin, Kirkland Levarity, Vickie Hemenway, Daryl Patrick, Desiree Ruby, Peter Harris, Veronica Abreu, Instructors Teresa Allen and Ranza Thurman Front Row (left to right): Antoinette Reyna, Craig Harriman, and Hank Hingley Not pictured: Mark Best, Tom Donaldson, Fred Mossop, and Instructor John McGovern
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Final Thoughts From the desk of our Branch Head
SPRING SEASON/NEW BEGINNINGS Springtime relates to rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal, resurrection and regrowth. Consider your future when using these words. Can you picture starting school or narrowing down your search on which career to pursue. Either choice may require a rebirth of who you want to be or a renewal of commitments to pursue higher learning. As spring starts, the hemisphere begins to warm significantly causing new plant growth to "spring forth" giving the season its name, just like your motivation when you head back to school to get that college degree you have often dreamed of. Many flowering plants bloom this time of year. Spring is seen as a time of growth, renewal, and of new life (both plant and animal) being born. Resurrect your career this time of year with the professionals in Personal and Professional Development.
Ranza Thurman (MSgt RET) P&PD Branch Head
“The beautiful spring came; and when Nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also.” -Harriet Ann Jacobs ~ “When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be .” - Lao Tzu