By Staci Mathews
NAWCWD Public Affairs

In response to a Defense Department demand to improve command processes using AIRSpeed initiatives, NAVAIR now has its own qualified instructors to train its Black Belts instead of outsourcing that instruction, and recently graduated its first class of in-house trained Black Belts.

“To already have NAVAIR employees as Master Black Belts teaching other Black Belts is an outstanding accomplishment,” said Capt. Robert Novak, NAVAIR’s AIRSpeed program manager.

After five months of intensive training at NAVAIR headquarters in Patuxent River, Md., Ron Deville, of the NAWCWD Electronic Combat Range, graduated in July from the first Black Belt class taught in-house by NAVAIR instructors. During the course, Deville learned to apply Lean Six Sigma tools to make improvements within speed, cost and/or quality.

“This milestone represents an important strategic shift from dependence on contractor-supplied training to our own Master Black Belts as instructors,” said Stu Young, AIRSpeed executive director.

NAVAIR Master Black Belts Tom LaBatt and Barry Barefoot were co-instructors for the first in-house NAVAIR training in July. They co-taught the previous Black Belt class with Master Black Belts from the George Group as part of the shift toward NAVAIR’s self-sustainment.

“LaBatt and Barefoot provided excellent examples of applications of AIRSpeed principles during the Lean Six Sigma training,” Deville said. “For me, they were real-world scenarios. These guys were good; they were knowledgeable and could relate what they were teaching to specifics within NAVAIR and the Navy.”

LaBatt and Barefoot’s journey took two and half years to become certified Black Belt instructors. Prior to earning that distinction, LaBatt and Barefoot went through the same procedures as current Black Belts. They received certification which required training that involved auditing classes, teaching under supervision, and successful evaluations by other Master Black Belts to teach Yellow Belt, Green Belt and Black Belt classes.

“Improving efficiency to meet goals for capitalization and budget reductions is imperative to support China Lake and across NAVAIR,” Deville said. “I am always a devil’s advocate, but when I saw the results I became an advocate of AIRSpeed. Impacting the speed, cost or quality of NAVAIR products and services will, at the end of the day, make a difference for the warfighter.”

Once his interest in AIRSpeed was sparked, Deville applied for the NAVAIR Leadership Development Program, of which the Black Belt certification is only part of the curriculum.

“Now that I am a Black Belt, I’m constantly involved with various belts and the culture is beginning to change,” Deville said. “We are starting to see a demand for our resources to help solve problems and improve processes across NAVAIR.”

PHOTO CUTLINE

Stu Young, right, AIRSpeed executive director, recognizes China Lake’s Ron Deville for his completion of Black Belt training at a recent graduation ceremony in Patuxent River, Md.