APRIL 3, 2020 – Despite the new challenges facing commands, Sailors and civilians during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Navy College Virtual Education Center (NCVEC), OCONUS Navy College Offices (NCO), and Navy College Region Advisors (RA) to Navy Installation Commanding Officers (ICO) are finding innovative ways to complete their mission of helping Sailors meet their educational goals.
Sailors can no longer walk in to most NCOs nor call the NCVEC’s toll-free number due to NCVEC counselors and most OCONUS NCO counselors now teleworking to comply with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention social distancing guidance.
Navy College RAs are also teleworking and virtually supporting Navy Region staff as well as Navy ICOs.
These safety measures have not stopped the Navy College Program from completing their mission.
“We haven’t stopped doing any business since COVID-19 started,” said Navy College/Voluntary Education Communications Program Manager Leslie Dickey. “In fact, we have shifted and adapted our communication procedures to meet the needs of the Sailors, commands and academic institutions during this time.”
To continue the mission, the Navy College Program has both modified and created new communication methods for Sailors to use.
“As a response to COVID-19, we recently pushed the development of the Issue Tracker in MyNavy Education so Sailors could use this tool as an additional way to communicate with the NCVEC,” said Dickey. “Since its launch on Monday [March 30], Sailors immediately began using it, which is a testament to how well Sailors adapt to new tools.”
In total, the global Navy College Counseling Team completed more than 2,700 documented counseling sessions and other Sailor support tasks since March 16.
“The Navy College/Voluntary Education team is a leading innovator within MyNavy HR for delivering customer service to Sailors through adaptive and extremely responsive new processes,” said Naval Education and Training Professional Development Center (NETPDC) Commanding Officer, Capt. Brett St. George. “This team has responded remarkably fast so that Sailors can continue to advance their education goals without interruption during this difficult time.”
Sailors can now contact the Navy College Team in five ways:
- Log into My Navy Education and submit an inquiry through the “Issue Tracker” feature in the top right corner.
- If no Common Access Card (CAC) /Department of Defense (DOD) ID available, use the “Contact Navy College” form on the Navy College Program Website. Request a reply and provide contact information.
- Schedule a counseling appointment using the appointment scheduler on My Navy Portal.
- Use the Navy College Assistance Center to submit a help request or chat with a Navy College Education Counselor (not currently available on government computers).
- Text with a Navy College Education Counselor at (877) 838-1659.
For OCONUS NCOs, Sailors should check with their local offices to see if the office remains open for face-to-face support.
For additional information on the Navy College Program, visit www.navycollege.navy.mil to start the education process and complete required training. For OCONUS NCO information, visit: https://www.navycollege.navy.mil/contact.htm.
As part of the MyNavy HR Force Development team, NETPDC provides products and services that enable and enhance education, training, career development, and personnel advancement throughout the Navy. Primary elements of the command include the Voluntary Education Department, the Navy Advancement Center and the Resources Management Department.
Additional information about NETPDC can be found at http://www.netc.navy.mil/netc/netpdc/Default.htm.
Story by Cheryl Dengler
Naval Education and Training Professional Development Center