Page 59: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Q3 2015)

58 60

SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS cally, it is intended to enable career progression for all indi- viduals, whilst providing the company with a set of tools to manage that inherent complexity.” Joyce envisions the Career

Navigator as a tool to help satisfy three important goals. Actu- ally, Career Navigator addresses all three: • transparency around all aspects of career progression, • the ability to nurture and support employees in their career progression, • tools and information to assist the company in making near-term and strategic decisions around career progression and succession planning.

Transparency

Effective training and career advancement must be a part- nership between employees and their employer, not some-

The Career Navigator is fundamentally thing done “to” employees “by” the employer. There can be no successful partnership without transparency. The Career about enabling transparency,

Navigator is intended to provide transparency into many as- accountability, planning and “ pects of training and career progression. management. More speci? cally, it is

In the context of the Career Navigator, the SEA Team has coined the acronym “TASK” to generally refer to some Train- intended to enable career progression ing, an Ability, a Skill, or some Knowledge; think of a TASK for all individuals, whilst providing the as a competency, but more broad. The career navigator has the company with a set of tools to manage potential to track the completed and assigned “TASKs” for each operational employee. that inherent complexity.

The Career Navigator can provide transparency by way of a learning plan “dashboard” indicating which TASKs are re- – Jeff Joyce, ” quired of each employee, and when. It does this in the form

Director of Fleet Operations at BC Ferries of a visual timeline highlighting upcoming, overdue, and achieved requirements. For each employee who opts-in, their learning plan is visible to the employee, their supervisor and if they choose, any mentors the employee may have (more on employees a list of positions they are “nearly” quali? ed for – that below). There is no paper to carry or lose – the learning those requiring only a small number of new TASKs for that employee. plan is available anytime and anywhere the employee or his/

These basic forms of transparency could help make the her supervisor wishes to access it. This form of transparency is fundamental, but even this basic information is unclear in employee an engaged participant in their training and career advancement. This has been shown to help place employees many work environments. into more suitable positions within the company, to improve

In addition to the learning plan, employees can be provided employee retention, and generally make for more engaged and feedback on their achievement in acquiring each TASK. This happy workers.

feedback is standardized according to guidelines or “rubrics” which help ensure uniformity. Along with the learning plan, this feedback could be especially helpful when an employee

Supporting Employees acquires a new supervisor. The detailed history provided by To fully develop their employee’s talents and opportunities, the learning plan and the related feedback, if shared, will the Career Navigator team is envisioning additional func- help the new supervisor immediately understand the em- tionality to support and nurture employees as they progress ployee’s strengths while highlighting learning and support through their career. Mentorship is one example. All employ- opportunities. ees have tremendous expertise, and sharing that expertise is

A third form of transparency envisioned in the Career bene? cial to the expert, the person being mentored, and to the

Navigator is the gap analysis report. This report will allow company. To facilitate this, the Career Navigator can allow employees to view “what if” scenarios showing the TASKs any employee to indicate (by clicking a checkbox) that they which would have to be achieved to prepare themselves for a are willing to act as a mentor. For any employee seeking a position of interest. Likewise, the report will be able to show mentor, the Career Navigator lists appropriate mentor candi- www.maritimeprofessional.com Maritime Professional 59| | 50-63 Q3 MP2015.indd 59 9/18/2015 11:11:09 AM