Photo By Douglas F Schaub | 230109-A-SX613-480 ORLANDO, Fla. – Karen D. H. Saunders, SES, the program executive...... read more read more
The latest group of newly hired personnel selected to attend the Program Executive Office Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI) Acquisition Academy Apprentice Program (A3P) raised their right hands and officially took the federal government oath of office during a ceremony in the Partnership IV building, Jan. 9.
Officially known as Cohort 2, the first A3P class of 2023 consists of 23 students with a variety of experience ranging from current PEO STRI employees to new government hires. Career fields represented in the cohort include logistics management specialists, operations researchers, management analysts, budget analysts, financial specialists, computer scientists, electrical engineers, and computer engineers.
Karen D. H. Saunders, SES, the program executive officer for PEO STRI, administered the oath to the highly diverse group of men and women from across the U.S., and spoke to them about the secretary of the Army’s priorities and objectives, the PEO STRI mission, and joining the federal government workforce in support of national defense.
“People are the Army’s top priority; as you come into the workforce, you will be responsible for helping us build and maintain capabilities for our Soldiers and ensure their readiness,” Saunders said. “Every single Soldier in the U.S. Army has touched one of our PEO STRI products.”
Saunders stressed the importance of putting people first, and spoke about the scope of work performed at PEO STRI and developing a talented workforce that understands the mission and is trained and ready to support that mission.
“We are going to train you to be acquisition professionals,” Saunders said. “Hopefully some of you will go on to be senior leaders in the Army acquisition field and eventually train the next generation of leaders.”
A3P consists of more than 400 hours of classroom instruction in both virtual and in-person training environments, as well as trips to military installations. Following graduation from the 11-week course, Cohort 2 members will start three-year rotational internships, serving on the staffs of project managers and project leads across the entire PEO STRI enterprise.
Members of the cohort said they are excited to be a part of the A3P and look forward to learning about the Army, military acquisition process, and PEO STRI programs and overall mission.
“I learned about the A3P program last year, but it was too late to apply,” said Cohort 2 member Noel Lopez-Rodriguez, a Navy-veteran from Puerto Rico who is seeking to reenter the electrical engineering field after having worked as a claims specialist for the Social Security Administration for several years. “I look forward to helping Soldiers in their training, helping them to acquire new equipment, and helping train them for war so they are more familiar with their job.”
Fellow Cohort 2 member Nicole Brehan, a logistics professional from the San Francisco Bay area, said she learned about the PEO STRI A3P program while attending a one-year professional development logistics course at Fort Lee, Virginia.
“The course I did before was a broader view of the Army, and this is a little more specific,” Brehan said. “I want to learn more how PEO STRI functions as an organization and how the Army logistics and acquisition processes work.”
Bruce Delaporte, director of talent management at PEO STRI, said the swearing-in ceremony was an exciting start for A3P Cohort 2.
“Employment with PEO STRI provides a unique opportunity for employees to serve the public and support the mission as a civilian without being a member of the military,” Delaporte said. “We invest in our employees, we prioritize growing our diversity of talent, and we take care of our people.”
| Date Taken: | 01.09.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 01.12.2023 13:47 |
| Story ID: | 436680 |
| Location: | ORLANDO, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 169 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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