ORLANDO, Fla. –
The latest cohort of Defense Contract Management Agency Keystones gathered for a workshop this September here.
During the three-day workshop , Keystones to interacted with senior DCMA staff, networked, participated in team-building exercises, and exchanged ideas and insights of their program experiences.
Agency Keystones take part in a three-year program that recruits and trains new personnel in all contracting disciplines and provides robust functional cross-training in other functional areas to improve their preparedness and capabilities as government contracting employees upon graduation.
Forty-five Keystones participated in this year’s workshop.
Garrett Flickinger, a Keystone from DCMA Twin Cities, expressed his appreciation of the opportunities afforded by the program.
“I really like the program and particularly the abundance of hands-on training that will get me fully up-to-speed,” Flickinger said.
As the Keystones navigate the program, their duties and responsibilities increase, and their grade increases annually from entry-level to the journeyman grade.
Keystone training includes group presentations, self-paced coursework, and direct instruction from employees, who the Keystones are assigned to work with and learn from.
Aaron Quinn, a Keystone from DCMA Atlanta, said he enjoys the focus on training inherent in the program.
“It supplements the training I get from my supervisor, and it all combines to allow me to become more proficient in my craft,” Quinn said.
Keystones learn virtually, in the classroom and on-the-job to prepare them for their Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act certification. Keystones are expected to quickly integrate into the DCMA workforce and perform at the journeyman level of proficiency upon program graduation.