MERIDIAN, Miss. – Twenty-two accession Sailors graduated from the first modernized Retail Service Specialist (RS) course at Naval Technical Training Center (NTTC) Meridian Sept. 4.

NTTC Meridian, under the leadership of Center for Service Support (CSS), modernized the three-week course through the Ready, Relevant Learning (RRL) modernization process implemented by U.S. Fleet Forces Command (USFF) and Naval Education and Training Command (NETC).

“RRL is driving fundamental changes to the way the Navy approaches Sailor training,” said Rear Adm. Pete Garvin, NETC commander. “And this team win is a great example of how NETC is working hand-in-hand with Fleet Forces [USFF], type commanders, and other key stakeholders to execute the long-term vision of RRL as a pillar of Sailor 2025.”

“This course is a great example of how providing the right training at the right time in the right way improves Sailor performance and increases unit readiness in the fleet,” added Capt. Milton Troy III, CSS commanding officer.

The modernized RS “A” School provided students with more hands-on training in entry-level tasks associated with performing their duties on the waterfront.

“The course still has the hands-on lab equipment as before to enable more ‘reps and sets’ after the introduction of material through interactive courseware,” said Retail Services Specialist 1st Class Ryan Brannan, an RS “A” School instructor from Corpus Christi, Texas. “The goal is to better prepare our students for the practical or hands-on events and ultimately, to help them perform better on the same gear in the fleet.”

NTTC Meridian successfully held a virtual pilot course earlier this summer, where new information technology was added to each student’s workstation to facilitate a better learning experience.

“RRL has added more information and increased the amount of testing while reducing the overall course time,” Brannan added. “Retention of the course material for the students has increased as evidenced by the overall test scores.”

After students received classroom training via the modernized courseware, they applied that newly gained knowledge on real equipment through several hands-on labs.

“Being able to learn and talk about processes in the classroom, and then being able to do it in the lab made it much easier to understand,” said Seaman Apprentice Dejah Quick, from Tampa, Florida.

RS is the first administrative rating to be modernized under RRL. Aviation maintenance adminstrationman, personnel specialist, yeoman and yeoman (submarine) will undergo a similar modernization in Fiscal Year 2021.

“It is so exciting to see the RRL vision of modernized, on-demand, Fleet-responsive learning come to fruition,” said Cmdr. Christy Sibley, NTTC Meridian commanding officer. “The course transformation has resulted in Sailors who are better prepared to hit the ground running in the Fleet and we are looking forward to more ratings having this type of training.”

NTTC Meridian was commissioned in 1974, and delivers approximately 200 apprentice-level trained RSs to the Fleet annually.

For more information on NTTC Meridian, visit https://www.public.navy.mil/netc/centers/css/nttc/.

For more information on RRL, visit https://www.netc.navy.mil/rrl.