Because of the enormous amount of training involved at the shipboard level, close attention should be paid to ensure that a workable training plan is instituted aboard your ship. Depending upon such variables as the size of your ship, the number of personnel in the crew, and the ship's mission, the methods of training are going to vary. But no matter what the size of the ship and crew, you are going to be involved in the planning and implementation of the on-board training program. A typical table for the organization of shipboard training is shown in figure 13-21.

Figure 13-21.-Shipboard training organization.

PLANNING BOARD FOR TRAINING

The Planning Board for Training (PB4T) is responsible for developing and maintaining an ongoing unit training program. This board reports to the commanding officer, and, as a minimum, should be comprised of the following personnel:

Executive officer (also designated as the chairperson)

Department heads

Damage control assistant

Educational services officer

Training officer

Command master chief

3M coordinator

Medical officer (or senior corpsman)

Safety officer

Other personnel may be assigned to the planning board as required by specific training evolutions. Although you should be familiar with most of the personnel in the above list, it should be pointed out that the training officer is a separate (or collateral) billet as required by the size of the command. The training officer is designated by the commanding officer to assist the executive officer in the execution of the command training programs. He or she has specific duties within the scope of the training mission of the command that should not be confused with the duties of the educational services officer (ESO).

The Planning Board for Training meets at least on a monthly basis and primarily performs the following general functions:

1. Assist the commanding officer in the establishment of command training policies.

2. Establish the training program for the command and periodically reviews schedules within the training program to evaluate training effectiveness and progress.

3. Establish a training syllabus for officers and another for enlisted personnel.

This is by no means the extent of the responsibilities of the PB4T. The board can meet as often as deemed necessary by the chairman and may include whatever personnel required to perform the specific training functions. Guidelines for the Planning Board for Training are located in Standard Organization and Regulations of the U.S. Navy (SORM), OPNAVINST 3120.32. These guidelines are also provided in the individual SORM of the command.

TRAINING PLANS

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Discuss ship or station training plans and how they impact on readiness.

Now that your ship's training organization has been established, the next step of the training process is to determine what training is necessary and get it scheduled. If you look at the amount and variety of training for your particular ship's crew, you should realize what a large undertaking this can be. Training has to be scheduled and accomplished for virtually every member of the ship's company. It is required in all areas-from every day shipboard routine to specifics in rate skills necessary for an individual to perform his or her duties within the work center. As you can see, training plans are important tools in the control of training programs at all levels aboard ship. Shipboard training plans (or schedules) are of two types-long-range and short-range. These plans should be developed by taking into account the ship's operating schedule, daily routine, availability of required personnel, and any evolution that may affect scheduling.

LONG-RANGE TRAINING PLAN

The long-range training plan is the basic instrument for the planning and recording of all training schedules and is used to keep all personnel informed of projected training goals and operating schedules. This schedule is initially developed and maintained by the department head and training officer. The department head is responsible for consolidating the training information for his or her department. He or she will forward it to the training officer. The training officer then consolidates the long-range plans received from all the department heads, adds all unit level training requirements (e.g., GNT, indoctrination training), and presents it to the executive officer for review. The plan then goes to the commanding officer for approval. Once approved, this package becomes the unit's long-range training plan. A copy of applicable portions is provided to each training group (work center, team, etc.). This plan provides the framework for the preparation of the quarterly and monthly training plans, which contain more detailed information about each of the training requirements, The long-range training plan should be prepared using an OPNAV Form 3120/1A (fig. 13-22), and training events should be prioritized in the following sequence:

- Schedule fleet exercises, trials, inspections, and any other major evolutions that may be required by the type or fleet commanders.

- Schedule all required exercises required by the type commander to maintain a state of C1 readiness.

- Schedule any other applicable unit exercises.

- Schedule all other unit training. Some examples of unit training are damage control lectures, security force training, general Navy training (GNT), and telephone talker/lookout training.

Once the long-range plan has been developed and implemented, then the short-range training plan is setup and put into operation.