| This training
has been the most worthwhile and memorable time in my NPS career.
-Course Participant
After leaving my Compass
II training I felt that the NPS was a Utopian society but after working
and talking to a classmate several months later we realize that what we
were being taught wasn't being applied in the workplace.-
Course Participant |
Intangible Benefits: Carrying the Flame | |||
 |
It is clear reading the comments from the follow-up surveys, and even
more so reading the course evaluations completed immediately following
the completion of the courses, that Compass II is an uplifting,
exhilarating experience for many participants. Sadly, many reported a rapid
dissipation of that feeling upon return to their duty station. There was
a feeling that everyone needed this training: new employees especially,
but mid-career employees who might need a boost or a reminder as to why
they joined the NPS as well. Numerous comments suggested making the program
mandatory. While "mandatory" coursework is counter to the idea of competency-based
training, the intangible benefits of Compass II may justify it.
The feeling seemed to be that the long-term effectiveness of the Compass
program would be greatly enhanced if everyone had the same starting point
and some general consensus on core values and the true meaning of the NPS
mission. This is not a new idea. Indeed, both top leadership and rank-and
file-employees have explicitly stated it. In 1995, the National Leadership
Council stated that:
One of the guiding principles of this new [Training and Development] Strategy is that each employee receives a comprehensive orientation to the history, mission, and values of the National Park Service, with periodic re-orientation. -"Coupon Sheet", NPS Employee Training
and Development Strategy
Recommendation • Compass I, or equivalent, should be part of every employee's basic orientation beginning the first day on the job. • Compass II should be part of every employee's orientation within the first year of duty. |