USA: New MA Apprenticeships on the Horizon

The Center for Security Forces (CENSECFOR) announced Aug. 17 that two new apprenticeship trade opportunities are in the works for Navy Security Force (NSF) personnel.

The apprenticeship will be open to all E-4 and above in select rates or those with select Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) codes.

It will also be open to U.S. Marine Corps Military Occupational Specialty (USMC MOS) personnel as well as U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) personnel.

“The Armory Technician Apprenticeship (ATA) will be the first to emerge in the near future once Department of Labor approval is received,” said Jose Bautista, CENSECFOR Master-At-Arms (MA) program manager.

The ATA will focus on personnel who are responsible for assigned arms, ammunition and explosives. This includes the skill areas of maintenance, inventory, safety, security, issuing and receiving of these items.

The Criminal Investigator Apprenticeship (CIA) is CENSECFOR’s newest project with the United Services Military Apprenticeship Program (USMAP).

“This is a coordinated effort by CENSECFOR with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS); the MA/NSF Community Sponsor; Type Commanders; and fleet subject matter experts,” said Bautista.

The apprenticeship is designed for MA personnel having the military police investigator NEC 2002, as well as appropriate personnel in the USMC and USCG.

“We are in the process of soliciting industry sponsors, which could take between 4-6 months,” said Bautista. “That means we are looking at the CIA becoming available sometime in 2013.”

The forerunners to these two new apprenticeships have been highly successful since their debut. For example, the Security Specialist and the Police Officer I (Government Service) apprenticeships have some 1600 active enrollments each to date.

“Sailors who earn these nationally recognized certifications will have had the opportunity to perform duties and gain experiences they may not otherwise have had,” said Bautista.

The USMAP works closely with the DOL to provide nationally recognized apprenticeship programs that result in journeyman-level certificates of completion for members of the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.

The Center for Security Forces provides specialized training to more than 22,000 students each year and has 14 training locations throughout the U.S. and around the world.

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Naval Today Staff, August 20, 2012; Image: US Navy