The Marine Corps recently adopted civilian communities of
interest (COI) as the approach to workforce planning and management.
Civilian career groups have been broken up into 21 communities
of interest, each led by a senior civilian. We are currently
establishing the communities, identifying the required competencies
and training, and developing career paths from entry to senior
level. COIs are integral to a comprehensive career and leadership
development program which includes the following components:
technical and leadership competencies, identified career paths,
skills assessment, opportunities for training and development
through classroom, e-learning and rotational assignments,
and opportunities to compete for Formal Schools and programs
outside the Marine Corps.
In a Naval
Message (PDF | 9KB),
the Commandant of the Marine Corps describes the attributes
of a Community of Interest as follows:
•
Functional commonality
•
Unique core competencies integral to mission
•
Common knowledge, skills and experience
•
Common core training curriculum
•
Common culture / professional identity
•
Identifiable career path
•
Senior leadership advocate
•
Links to community professional associations
•
Centralized access or management of information and
standards.
Community leaders are senior civilians who have assumed the
following roles as Advocates for Civilian Marines within their
designated community:
•
Set the community vision and plan
•
Provide community guidance
•
Establish/maintain career path templates
•
Collect, maintain, and share best practices
•
Establish/maintain community-wide communications
•
Assess community demographics and "health"
Each COI also has a senior practitioner who is responsible
for managing functional competencies and skill level requirements
within a specific COI. The community manager also works with
the COI Leader to provide career development guidance for
the community across the Marine Corps.
