Photo By Petty Officer 3rd Class Cody Anderson | 200313-N-MW275-1029 MILLINGTON, Tenn. (March 13, 2020) Lt. Rob Slye reviews available...... read more read more
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MILLINGTON, Tenn. (NNS) - Tucked away in a corner office space at Commander, Navy Recruiting Command (CNRC) in Millington, Tennessee, sits a maze of cubicles. In the center is an open area where a collection of seven desks sit. Rising above this area is a large laminate sign emboldened with the word PRIDE. This is where the Personalized Recruiting for Immediate and Delayed Enlistment (PRIDE) is located.
PRIDE is the portion of CNRC that helps Navy classifiers at Military Entrance Processing Stations (MEPS) give jobs to incoming Sailors. Data from applicants, including their Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) scores and education level, is uploaded into the PRIDE system to determine eligibility for different jobs in the Navy.
This small office of only seven personnel is responsible for disseminating the thousands of jobs the Navy needs to fill throughout all the MEPS’ nationwide. PRIDE receives its job quotas from Naval Education and Training Command (NETC), and their needs are uploaded into the PRIDE database where MEPS personnel are able to track what is available.
“Imagine a stock exchange, but instead of stocks, we control the buying and selling of jobs,” said Lt. Robert Slye, the PRIDE branch head. “The Navy tells us what jobs and rates that they want to fill, we get those and put them in the system for the field to see and buy. “
This means that every applicant who visits a MEPS and is offered a job is indirectly interacting with the personnel at PRIDE. However, contrary to popular belief, the PRIDE office is not directly in control of what jobs are available at any given point in time. They are simply in charge of the system that enables classifiers to give jobs to future Sailors.
Slye stated that he would like to clarify that PRIDE does not hold back or reserve jobs from classifiers.
“I get the jobs from NETC and I open those up for the field,” said Slye. “We put out what we can, that’s reasonable, and that we know is certain. We support the field in knowing what’s out there and what’s available.”
Being in charge of the system that allows classifiers to see what jobs are available is one part of what PRIDE does. They also help upload data from applicants, including their Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) scores and education level, which are updated in the PRIDE system to determine eligibility for different jobs and enlistment bonuses in the Navy.
They also offer support to MEPS’ nationwide through their operators, enlisted personnel who answer calls, who are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. central time. The operators provide help for a wide range of issues encountered in the field. They can help classifiers upload ASVAB scores into the system, provide information on eligibility for enlistment bonuses, and approve various cut-score waivers.
Cut-score waivers allow entrants who might not have scored high enough on the ASVAB to qualify for jobs if certain criteria are met. These waivers are handled on a case-by-case basis and are reviewed and approved by PRIDE personnel.
“It really depends on the call or what the classifier needs, but there are some things that we cannot do,” said Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Jennifer Rodriguezpacheco. “If a person doesn’t qualify for jobs we can’t just make something available for them. Whenever there is something that we can do to make the process easier, then we do it. We get to help people who really want to join and eventually may get to work with them once we go back out to the fleet.”
PRIDE shop is manned during all hours of the day. This includes late nights on Fridays when MEPS stations nationwide are working past normal hours to ensure they’ve met the week’s goal. However, with such a small office, PRIDE is unable to answer every call immediately as they are fielding calls from all 65 MEPS at any given point, a point Slye wants to make clear.
“People think it’s a huge building with hundreds of people, but it’s literally a little bitty cubicle section with about seven people. That’s it,” said Slye. “So if you have a wait time, it’s because we’re serving the whole nation with very few people.”
PRIDE shop offers a bit of advice for future Sailors who might have their minds set on a specific job for their naval career. The jobs are listed at the beginning of the month and are taken on a first come, first serve basis. That means that prospective Sailors have a greater chance of receiving the job they want within the first two weeks of the month.
Navy Recruiting Command consists of a command headquarters, two Navy Recruiting Regions, 15 Navy Recruiting Districts and 11 Navy Talent Acquisition Groups that serve more than 815 recruiting stations across the world. Their combined goal is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America’s Navy.
For more news from Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, go to http://www.cnrc.navy.mil. Follow Navy Recruiting on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NavyRecruiting), Twitter (@USNRecruiter) and Instagram (@USNRecruiter).
| Date Taken: | 03.13.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 03.20.2020 16:23 |
| Story ID: | 365613 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 276 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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