When was the last time you watched a tutorial? Or fired off a query into a search field, trying to figure out how to reset a new gizmo?
Learning on the fly – or training at the speed of need – has become so pervasive in our lives, we hardly mark the moment of a search. Until, of course, we can’t find the instructions online.
Enter the Coast Guard’s Force Readiness Command (FORCECOM) and the Modernized Ready Learning (MRL) approach. Today, through FORCECOM’s efforts to modernize the Coast Guard’s training system, operators throughout the boat forces community will be offered immediate support and resources thanks to Modernized Ready Learning.
Leveraging the vision of MRL, the Standardization (STAN) Team at Training Center Yorktown’s Boat Forces and Cutter Operations (BFCO) Branch has created a milSuite site which looks and operates a lot like a YouTube playlist, or LinkedIn Learning course with the military member in mind. The Rescue & Survival Systems (R&SS) Petty Officer site is built as a training aid to support members in the performance of their duties as a current or future R&SS Petty Officer.
The initiative to bring the Coas
t Guard’s training system into the 21st century through on-demand training and support can be a game changer for field units. Serving as an R&SS Petty Officer can arguably be one of the most time consuming and complex collateral duties a boatswain’s mate can have throughout their career. The R&SS milSuite site has the ability to offset the lack of formalized R&SS training (C-schools, industry training, etc.) and immediately bolster the overall readiness and safety of hundreds of operational units across the nation.
While the Coast Guard continues to build proficiencies through training on the mess deck, on-the-job, or resident training, the advancement in technology over the past decade along with the struggles brought on by a global pandemic, and gaps within the Coast Guard’s Training System became abundantly clear and a course correction was needed.
There are a host of user-friendly functions available on the milSuite site which allows users access to:
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Learning Modules – This is the primary function of the site. Each Module offers the R&SS Petty Officer Reference Guide, a demonstration video, and a practice check to help train new R&SS Petty Officers in specific maintenance tasks.
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Training Module Feedback – Level 1 survey link that may be used by visitors or on-site training attendees which will provide feedback to site administrators.
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Ask the “R&SS Petty Officer” Discussion Board – A place to post questions where either site moderators or community members can answer your questions.
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R&SS Petty Officer Resources – A catalog of frequently used R&SS Petty Officer resources.
The milSuite site is used extensively throughout our sister services, as well as in other Coast Guard communities. Anyone with a Common Access Card (CAC) has access to milSuite.
Resources: