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Career Development at Space Systems Command to be Focus During ‘Learning Week’

  • Published
  • By Brad Smith, SSC Public Affairs
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. --  Space Systems Command (SSC) will sponsor a week-long series of education and training opportunities for the command’s workforce this month as part of ongoing career development and readiness improvement initiatives designed for personnel. 

“In order to be more prepared for great power competition, our workforce desires and deserves education and training to increase proficiency in their current jobs while also preparing them for the opportunities they would like to pursue in the future,” said Chad Millete, chief learning officer at SSC. “The command’s leadership recognizes that it can be a struggle to find time in the day-to-day mission execution to get this education and training, so to get at this challenge, we are dedicating a week to providing awareness of education providers, inside and outside the command, and offering specific sessions that personnel have requested.”

During the event, from Monday, May 20, to Thursday, May 23, SSC’s Education and Training team will offer programs to increase awareness of the many learning opportunities and opportunity providers – both internal and external, including in-person and virtual courses, training events, and some that mirror the well-known “TED Talk” (meaning Technology, Entertainment, Design) format.

“We’re also having what we’re calling IGNITE Talks,” Millette said. “These talks are TED-like in that they will be brief, on topics of great interest to SSC’s military and civilian workforce, and will be provided by excellent speakers.”

Space Systems Command is headquartered on Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo, Calif., but includes organizations and personnel operating from facilities across the United States and around the world. The command manages a $15.6 billion space acquisition budget for the Department of Defense and works to develop, acquire, equip, and sustain resilient space capabilities to support U.S. and Allied forces.

Led by U.S. Space Force Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, SSC has a command-wide focus on training and education for the workforce, both military and reserve, as well as government civilians; Garrant recently spoke to the issue at a “All Call” event April 18, 2024, at LAAFB.

“We need to continue refining what a field command for an acquisition organization looks like, get after developing our workforce, and focus on delivering capabilities,” said Garrant, who took command in February and has made workforce development one of his priorities for the organization.

As stated in Space Force Handbook 1-1 Guardian Spirit, a key element of leadership in the Force is recognizing opportunities for “personal and professional development” for their teams.

Organizers said this month’s effort is part of that commitment, and the upcoming learning week is designed to bring opportunities to the SSC team - and go beyond standard mandatory training.

“We've been really good at having a training culture where we know what's mandatory; we'll sign up for it because that's what we do … but learning is different,” said Randy Flores, a program manager in the acquisition development office and one of the organizers of the event. “We want to highlight that there are plenty of learning opportunities for people to develop themselves, both personally and professionally.”

The week-long in-person and virtual program, which is open to all SSC personnel, in any functional career field, will follow two lines of effort, Flores said:
1.  Awareness – what learning opportunities (internal and external) are available and which organization provides them, and
2.  Learning Opportunities – in-person and interactive virtual courses/events taking place throughout the week; see the list below for more information.

Flores said the education and training team believes this will be the first of several related programs. The education and training team is part of SSC’s Atlas, the organization responsible for integrating enterprise-wide tools & processes, delivering talent-seeking and career development services, and encouraging innovation by fostering a culture of smart risk-taking.

“We're going to spotlight courses that people may not be aware of, and a lot of these courses are going to focus on soft skills development, specifically critical thinking and communication,” he said. “We believe that'll get people excited for future opportunities.”

Space Systems Command’s Learning Week events and courses are available at no cost to SSC’s military and civilian personnel. A Common Access Card (CAC) is required for registration, currently open at Learning Week 20-23 May (dps.mil). Event and course details include:

May 20-23 - Space Systems Command Learning Week
The Education and Training team has planned a week-long opportunity for SSC staff to up their game, including program management case study workshops, ‘human/soft skills’ workshops, and sessions to on the breadth of available acquisition learning and development resources, as well as IGNITE Talks, with excellent speakers providing information on topics of interest – and no longer than 20 minutes. The program is open to all SSC personnel, in any functional career field. For the schedule and registration information, see: Learning Week 20-23 May (dps.mil)

Day 1 (May 20) Events - Program & Organization Overviews
All sessions are virtual. Registration is not required. Users can join at any time.
0800 - Introduction to Learning Week Chief Learning Officer Overview
0830 - SSC Education and Training Strategy Update; Fireside Chat with Lt. Gen. Garrant
0930 - Acquisition Hub Overview
1030 - Force Development Branch (SSC/S1KO) Overview
1130 - AtlasX Overview
1230 - Defense Acquisition University (DAU) Overview
1330 - SSC Project Management Professional (PMP) Program
1500 - Financial Management (FM) Courses (for all career fields)
1530 - Galaxy Overview

Day 2 (May 21) Events - IGNITE Talks and Virtual Sessions Systems
All sessions are virtual. Registration is only required for the "Systems Engineering for the Rest of Us" course.
0800 - Experiential Learning - Practicing Like You Play in Acquisitions
0900 - Future of Work
1000 - Future of Leadership Education
1100 – Unleashing Your Superpower
1200 – It's Totally Possible: the Ultramarathoner's Blueprint for Embracing Possibility and Overcoming Limits
1300 - The Hand Behind Unmanned: The People, Beliefs, and Identities Behind US Investments in Space
1400 - Acquisition Professional Development Program
1400-1600 - Systems Engineering for the Rest of Us
1500 - Acquisition Instructor Course (AQIC) Overview

Day 3 (May 22) Events - Workshops & Courses
All sessions are virtual except for the Navigating Change Workshop. Registration is required for all workshops.
0800-1600 - Acquisition Case Study Workshop (Day 1)
0800-1500 - Partnering with Industry
0830-1600 - Navigating Change Workshop (Day 1)
0900-1030 - Artificial Intelligence (AI) Primer
1000-1130 - Artificial Intelligence: AI Basics & DoD Focus
1100-1200 – Agile Primer
1300-1400 - Contracting Hot Topics
1300-1500 – Technical Evaluations
1400-1500 - Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA)

Day 4 (May 23) Events - Workshops & Courses
All sessions are virtual except for the Navigating Change Workshop. Registration is required for all workshops.
0800-1500 - Acquisition Case Study Workshop (Day 2)
0830-1600 - Navigating Change Workshop (Day 2)
1000-1100 - High Performing Teams
1300-1400 - Zero Trust Overview
1400-1500 - Leader as Coach
1500-1530 - Acquisition Instructor Course (AQIC) Overview

How to Claim Continuous Learning Points (CLPs)
All sessions are eligible for continuous learning points pending your supervisor review of your attendance at these events. Please refer to Guidelines for Crediting Continuous Learning Activities on the AF Portal.
If you have completed any activities as a part of Learning Week and your supervisor agrees that the activity/event should be CL credit then follow the instructions at the page linked above.

 

 

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