Naval Support Activity, Mechanicsburg Philadelphia (Jan. 5, 2007): Pa. Navy base and local Community College partner to help build Naval acquisition workforce of the future.

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. -- The Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC), Harrisburg, Pa., and the Naval Acquisition Career Center (NACC) have partnered to refresh the naval acquisition workforce and to develop tomorrow's acquisition workforce leaders. Working through the Career Services Office, NACC sought to recruit HACC business students to fill two key positions that directly support the Naval Acquisition Intern Program (NAIP), the Navy's largest career development program.

NACC, located on the Naval Support Activity Mechanicsburg, is responsible for executing all of the acquisition workforce development programs for the Navy's Director of Acquisition Career Management (DACM). In addition to the NAIP, the center's responsibilities include management of the DACM budget, the acquisition workforce tuition assistance program, the continuous learning program, and the information technology systems that support these programs.

NACC used the Student Career Experience Program authority this summer to hire Nicole Ehlman and Amanda Baitsell. Both are learning jobs that help NACC support the almost 800 Naval acquisition interns homeported all across the country.

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Ehlman graduated in 2004 from East Pennsboro Area High School. Her goal at HACC is to earn a business administration associate degree and transfer her credits to Penn State to earn a bachelor's degree in marketing. She works in the business and financial management division at NACC as a payroll technician, ensuring the interns are paid accurately and on time.

"This is my first experience with the student career experience program and I was not sure what to expect," noted Scott Underkoffler, an NACC budget officer who supervises Ehlman. "I've been very impressed with her ability to balance her full-time work schedule while maintaining a full class schedule at Harrisburg Area Community College. Nicole has proved over the course of the last seven months that she can balance her schedule and be successful in both her job and school responsibilities."

Baitsell has an associate degree in paralegal studies from HACC and is currently working on an associate degree in business studies, also at HACC, hoping to graduate from the program in the fall of 2007. She works in the intern operations division as a career services representative. As such, she is on the frontlines of support to the interns, helping to ensure their travel orders and personnel paperwork are processed in an expeditious manner.

The HACC-NACC partnership has been a win-win-win situation for all parties. HACC has successfully placed students in positions with excellent career potential, NACC has revitalized its workforce, and Ehlman and Baitsell have received support to continue their studies while learning some valuable lessons about the workplace, especially time management.

"Through the SCEP program I have learned new responsibilities and skills that provide me with a sense of accomplishment. I am more goal-oriented and focused on my future. I look forward to completing my degree and moving forward with my career," Ehlman said of her experience.

"The student career experience program is an excellent tool to fill positions with current college students using an excepted appointment. It simplifies recruitment and provides for a quick and easy conversion to the competitive service upon completion of the educational program. Our partnership with HACC has been most fruitful and we are quite pleased," added Dan Diviney, NACC's intern career management team leader.

Metts is director, Naval Acquisition Career Center, Naval Support Activity Mechanicsburg, Pa.