Navy Personnel Command is coming to San Diego Sept. 20 and 21 to teach sailors about career management.
The symposium, as it’s being called, will be held at the Anchors Conference Center, located near the “dry-side” of Naval Base San Diego, and is open to all sailors in the San Diego area.
It’s the second fleet concentration symposium thrown by the Millington, Tennessee-based command. Last year, NPC hosted a similar one-day affair in Norfolk, Virginia, that drew nearly 700 attendees.
“Career Development Symposium 2017 aims to empower sailors with the knowledge and tools they need to successfully manage their career,” said Navy Personnel Command’s Force Master Chief, Tuck Williams. “It is a great opportunity for sailors to engage directly with detailers and get answers to their career questions.”
A number of Navy detailers and community managers from NPC will be available at the event to talk to sailors.
“It may not be your specific detailer for your rating or community,” said Cmdr. Karin Burzynski, spokeswoman for NPC. “However, all those present at the conference will have the ability to help sailors regardless of their rating.”
Appropriately called “Take Charge of Your Career,” the two-day symposium — hosted by Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. Robert Burke — will focus on career management for the Navy’s most junior sailor’s and petty officers, but will also include sessions intended for command leaders, Burzynski said.
The two-day affair begins Wednesday with an all-day session targeted at supervisors and leaders. A keynote address will be given by Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Bill Moran.
Thursday will feature a morning session geared toward first-term sailors which will discuss the Navy’s advancement system, civilian credentialing, voluntary off-duty education opportunities and the new blended retirement system.
In the afternoon, an E-4 and E-5 petty officer session will discuss leadership techniques, changes to enlisted career management and the ongoing rating modernization.
Both Thursday sessions will feature keynote addresses by Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (SG/IW) Steven Giordano.
Navy officials say the symposium is intended for sailors in and around the San Diego area, and as a result, commands elsewhere in the Navy are not authorized to use official travel funds to attend.
No advanced registration for the event is required and it is free to all sailors wanting to attend.
Additional career development events will be held in other fleet locations.
Presentation materials and other information from the symposium will be posted as they are made available.
Mark D. Faram is a former reporter for Navy Times. He was a senior writer covering personnel, cultural and historical issues. A nine-year active duty Navy veteran, Faram served from 1978 to 1987 as a Navy Diver and photographer.
