ATLANTA, GA. -- Recruiter instructors from across the Southeast were in attendance for the 6th Marine Corps District Recruiter Instructor Training Symposium held here April 1-4, 2014.
The symposium is held each year to provide the district’s core recruiter trainers with the information and training needed to stay on top of the latest recruiting trends and methods.
“As training techniques are updated and changed, the recruiter instructors have to ensure they have the latest information so we can provide training throughout the command group and recruiting station,” said Master Gunnery Sgt. Randy Merritt, the Recruiting Station Atlanta recruiter instructor.
The symposium also provided an opportunity for the group to address a critical issue for the district and the Corps as a whole. In the 35th commandant’s planning guidance, Gen James F. Amos highlighted his intent to increase diversity representation throughout the Corps. The commandant emphasized the importance of recruitment and attracting an increased number of quality minority applicants to the Corps as a critical component of this initiative. Dovetailing this effort, the commanding officer of the 6th MCD, Col. William Bowers, tasked the group during the symposium with developing a strategy and training to improve quality female prospecting across the Southeast.
“I think the strategy we formulated on female prospecting was great,” said Merritt. “This is an area that we as a district have struggled with, so it was good to have a variety of inputs from across the recruiting force.”
The team took a systematic approach to finding a solution to the challenge. The group explored the issues faced by key decision makers and actors within the recruiting stations before developing solutions.
“We trained on diagnosing problems at all levels by determining if the problem is related to knowledge, skill, system or attitude of the individual,” said Merritt. “Then we applied the necessary training to address the issues and maximize their performance levels”.
In addition to helping solve critical problems facing the district, the symposium also yielded opportunities to identify and head-off potential problems before they occurred. Throughout the symposium the recruiter instructors were briefed and had an opportunity to interact with the district’s commanding officer, sergeant major and operations personnel to discuss various recruiting trends throughout the district. The interactions provided an opportunity for both the district headquarters command and staff members and the recruiter instructors to collaborate on finding solutions to combat current and future negative trends.
“The District Recruiter Instructor Symposium provided the district recruiter instructor’s situational awareness of the positive impact they are making and the challenges that we face,” said Master Gunnery Sgt. Frederick Gaston, the 6th Marine Corps District Training Team Chief.
“We are building a winning team. We are working to develop a rich environment where each command group member, SNCOIC and recruiter, are sustaining success.”