Diversity In Action

The Coast Guard has scholarships for women and minorities

There are openings for naval, civil, ocean, marine and IT engineers. Apprenticeships help prepare techies for advancement

College students at minority-serving institutions who want to join the U.S. Coast Guard (New London, CT) have a scholarship program aimed just at them, says Rear Admiral Ronald T. Hewitt, head of HR for the service. The College Student Pre-commissioning Initiative (CSPI) provides a monthly salary, full tuition, fees and the cost of books during a student’s junior and senior years.

“The Coast Guard is definitely recruiting people from the STEM disciplines,” says Hewitt. He’s working with Norfolk State University in Virginia to develop a strategy for improved recruiting at HBCUs.

The Coast Guard safeguards U.S. maritime interests in the heartland, at ports and around the globe. It carries out an array of civil and military responsibilities touching almost every facet of the U.S. maritime environment.

It has grown 5 percent in each of the past few years and 20 percent overall since 9/11. “The need for security on the water has become more important,” explains Hewitt. “Ninety percent of the goods in our economy end up on the water at some point.”

There are nearly 42,000 active-duty service members in the Coast Guard. Officers must attend either the Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT, or Officer Candidate School (OCS). OCS candidates need a four-year college degree or a military service record.

Seventy percent of Coast Guard Academy students are STEM majors. “Thirty percent of our applicants are female,” says Hewitt. “It’s the highest number of female applicants of all U.S. services.”

The service also employs about 7,000 civilians.

Technology is important to the Coast Guard. The service has recently created “centers of excellence” in an effort to transform and modernize support for its cutters. Positions are available throughout the world. “We’re looking for engineers to support electronics, as well as naval and civil engineers and ocean or marine engineers,” Hewitt says. Other specialties include computer electronics, network engineering, electrical engineering and computer science.

The Coast Guard has major tech- focused command centers across the U.S.: a data center and operations systems center in Martinsburg, WV; a telecommunications and information systems command center in Alexandria, VA; and a computer and networking center that handles shipboard electronics in Portsmouth, VA. There’s also a pay and personnel center in Topeka, KS.

Technical folks with experience are usually preferred, Hewitt says. But the Coast Guard has apprenticeships for less-experienced people who can advance after being mentored and coached. “We create ladders throughout your career,” he says.

Sea duty for military Coast Guard members varies. Large cutters are generally deployed up to two months. “Some people want to go back right away and request an early return,” Hewitt says. “I went to sea for two years out of school, but since then the jobs I’ve had were all on shore.”

Six cutters are in the Persian Gulf protecting oil platforms and maritime traffic, but Hewitt says that most ships are in U.S. waters doing marine safety or search and rescue. There are opportunities in the Great Lakes, Hawaii, Alaska, and even on western U.S. rivers.

The Coast Guard is taking its CSPI recruiting show to schools like Morgan State (Baltimore, MD), North Carolina A&T (Charlotte, NC) and Hampton (Hampton, VA). An admiral has been assigned to sponsor each school. Hewitt is the senior Coast Guard sponsor at Norfolk State.

Recruiting is also done at conferences and meetings of groups like the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and Society of Women Engineers (SWE).

Summer jobs and year-round part-time work are available. Partnerships between universities and nearby Coast Guard tech centers offer additional opportunities. For example, NC A&T will be partnering with a Coast Guard aviation center in Elizabeth City, NC to sponsor senior projects.

“Students should apply to the Coast Guard during their sophomore year after they’ve picked their discipline,” says Hewitt. He also recommends participation in a summer intern program. “They get to learn about the Coast Guard and select a project that interests them.” The goal is for interns to join the Coast Guard after graduation.

The Coast Guard encourages community volunteerism. Each command has its own website that lists activities related to the needs of its surrounding communities. “It doesn’t take long to see what those are,” Hewitt says.

The Coast Guard isn’t just about rescuing people at sea, he says. “We don’t have a big marketing budget, but our commandant does Twitter daily!” he says with a smile. “He keeps the blogs going. We want more people to know about us!”

D/C