The key to the revolutionary enlisted career changes proposed by the Navy's top enlisted is cross-training. Instead of being locked into one specialty, sailors will be encouraged to gain new skills across ratings.

Opening up multiple career fields to sailors would lead the Navy to take more of a community approach to many occupations.

Take engineering. To make his point at an all hands call where he unveiled his plan, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (AW/NAC) Mike Stevens called Engineman 1st Class (SW) Mark Santos and a few other sailors to the stage at the Norfolk base theater.

After 12 years, Santos has few options. He can only serve aboard certain types of ships and even if he learns cross-over engineering skills, it's doubtful he’d be allowed to work across those boundaries.

The Navy and the shipping industry is moving towards diesel electric propulsion, where diesel-powered generators provide the electricity to turn the ship's screws.

He’d be able to work on the engines, but he’d have to rely on electrician’s mates or gas turbine electricians to troubleshoot and repair the electrical side.

"But let's say he had the aptitude for and the chance to learn and qualify for other occupational specialties such as [gas turbine systems technician, mechanical] — GSM," Stevens said. "Or if he also showed the aptitude for electrical and electronics, he could train as a gas turbine systems technician" electrical.

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He could become a more complete engineering expert, better suited to work on the full scope of a diesel generation.

Stevens also highlighted audience member Aviation Maintenance Administationman 2nd Class (AW/SW) Phil Young, who handles paperwork for Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 22 at Naval Station Norfolk.

"If I sent you to school for a few weeks, do you think you could do what a yeoman does?" Stevens asked Young, to which he replied yes.

Those working in administration-relating ratings would have the chance to qualify across ratings, from yeoman and supply to personnel specialist and career counselor, for example.

Another example: Aviation maintenance sailors. Those in the aviation machinist’s mate, aviation structural mechanic and aviation electrician’s mate ratings could cross-train and become more valuable to the Navy, Stevens said. Sailors from all of these ratings can qualify to be a total systems quality assurance inspector, someone with knowledge of how all the systems in an aircraft work.

"You have to have a pretty good idea of how to do maintenance to inspect all the systems," Stevens said. "So somebody like that, if we sent them to schools and get him credentialing in those areas, by the time he's got 14 years in maybe he's not just a full systems QA, but maybe he's a qualified [Airframe and Powerplant) mechanic — then when he gets out of the Navy, maybe he doesn't have to go to school for two or three years to re-learn what he already knows."

Multiple options

Stevens says one of the best rewards is more flexibility in choosing your next job.

Stevens painted a picture of how that could work, using snipe Santos as an example.

"What happens when a sailor with these multiple [ratings] is up for orders?" Stevens asked . "Well, I can send him to anyplace where just one of those occupational specialties is necessary."

And that would open up exponentially more jobs he can apply for .

"If I need to send him to a destroyer, I don’t need him there as an engineman, I need him there as a GSE or GSM," Stevens said. "Maybe you want to go to a platform that is diesel and I need his mechanical or electrical skills. That’s another choice he’d have."

One of the biggest problems Stevens has wanted to fix is how enlisted skills and specialties are confusing, even bewildering, to the civilian workforce that sailors will someday enter.

Speaking of AZ2 Young, he painted a picture of this push to move Navy occupations closer to their civilian counterparts.

"Today, if I went out in industry and said, 'I was say an AZ like Petty Officer Young here' — what’s the first thing they’re going to say? ‘What’s an AZ?’"

The same thing can happen yeomen, boatswain’s mates and many more, he said.

"It's important that we also use that to connect with industry as well," Stevens said. "All of us one day will be getting out of the Navy — even me with 33 years. Eventually we all must go do something else."

The Navy, he said has spent time and money developing the Navy Credentialing Opportunities On-Line, aka Navy COOL, which outlines credentials and certifications sailors can work towards to document their military knowledge and translate that to the civilian world. The Navy pays for many of these, like tuition assistance.

Stevens believes civilian certifications need to be part of sailors' career paths .

In Santos' case, once he's qualified in multiple engineering ratings, he should be eligible to take a Coast Guard exam and become a qualified Marine Engineer, Stevens said.