By JO2 Diane Jones, Naval Personnel Development Command Public Affairs MERIDIAN, Miss. – Beginning now, the Sailors who are destined to become future Yeomen (YN) are in for a great surprise. The A-school they were expecting is now online. A Revolution in Navy Training innovation, Sailors now learn to become YNs through a virtual online office that simulates the environment Sailors will encounter at sea. The new prototype of YN A-school is an interactive online course taught in a classroom environment. Students will learn through a virtual office. For example, a student can click on a filing cabinet – this will give them access to learning about the Navy’s filing system among other pertinent skills. Instructors are replaced by facilitators who are there to help students navigate through the courseware. And, Sailors can work their way toward becoming a qualified Yeoman at their own pace. These Sailors will now be able to begin YN A-school as soon as they arrive in Meridian, Mississippi. No more waiting for a class to form or wasting time waiting for the next course to begin. “The Yeoman course normally takes five weeks to complete. With the new hands-on, reality-based course, the time could be cut down to as little as three weeks. It’s all up to the Sailor,” said Dean Norman, Director of Innovations and Analysis at the Naval Personnel Development Command/Task Force EXCEL. Using this prototype as the example for the future of learning will save the Navy a significant amount of money. According to Norman, it’s thought that just the YN ‘A’ prototype alone can save the Navy up to $900,000 the first year. Not stopping with the YN A-school, the revolutionary approach will eventually extend to all the Administrative Aschools. This means that the Personnelman, Religious Program Specialist, Aviation Storekeeper, Storekeeper, Ship’s Serviceman, Aviation Maintenance Administrationman ratings as well as the Flag Writer follow-on school will become a self-paced online interactive course. The face of traditional A-schools are changing. “This prototype, as well as the Electricity, Electronic, Communications and Radar prototype launched earlier, will have far reaching results,” said Norman. “These innovations are bringing knowledge to Sailors, wherever they are and when they need it.” For more information about the innovation at YN Aschool visit www.nko.navy.mil. LINK-Perspective Magazine January-April 2004