Press Release
☷TACOM renews its commitment to DEI through BEYA
U.S. Army ( By Press Release office)
Apr 28,2022
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Jarrelyn McCall , U . S . Army Tank - automotive and Armaments Command training specialist and graduate of Knox College , was hired during the 2021 Black Engineer of the Year Virtual Career Fair . Hiring events like BEYA allowed TACOM to hire a qualified and more diverse workforce . DETROIT ARSENAL , Mich . — Over the past couple of years , the Army has made Diversity , Equity and Inclusion a top priority . Army Materiel Command has taken that goal and implemented it into their hiring and recruitment efforts . One of those recruiting efforts is the Black Engineer of the Year Awards , or BEYA , which holds an annual Science , Technology , Electronics and Mathematics event that includes a virtual career fair . Over the past two years , AMC has been able to use Direct Hiring Authority at BEYA to recruit a pool of energetic and talented applicants . Direct Hiring Authority gives an organization the capability to hire non - competitively in certain circumstances when applicants are considered qualified for an advertised job . The fair also allows officials to educate college students about the benefits of government service , specifically in STEM related career fields . For the past two years , TACOM has actively participated in the event as one of AMC’s Major Subordinate Commands . Recruiting more than 20 people last year and recruiting 75 people this year . According to Dynetta Jones - Ayers , TACOM’s Equal Employment Opportunity specialist and diversity programs manager , AMC and TACOM have participated in the BEYA career fair for years but started actively recruiting at the event last year due to direction from Gen . Ed Daly , commanding general AMC . “When we talk DEI in the workforce , in order for that to happen , it has to start at the top , ” said Jones - Ayers . “With leadership’s push to make this happen , we’ve been able to tap into this resource and find individuals who are qualified but haven’t received the same opportunities as others . ” Frances Muntford , management and program analyst for TACOM’s G1 Workforce Development team , consolidated the job recruitment list that TACOM will be using at BEYA . “DEI now has high visibility at the leadership levels due to the Army priority , ” said Muntford . “BEYA is one of the avenues that we’ve used in the past to inform audiences of diversity across the enterprise . Now with a DEI plan , we saw that BEYA was one way we could meet some of our DEI recruitment goals . ” Jones - Ayers stated that attending BEYA and actively recruiting in the virtual event allows for minorities to have the same opportunities . “They have value , great qualifications , the skill sets and it’s just an untapped resource of talent . ” TACOM’s participation in this fair is extremely important and tells the participants that we want them to work for us , here’s what we can offer , and here’s how we can bring you onboard . She added that it would be more difficult without support from the top . These sentiments were echoed by Maj . Gen . Darren Werner , commanding general TACOM . “BEYA offered us the opportunity to expand on our Diversity , Equity and Inclusion programs , ” said Werner . “The virtual career fair allows us to tap into a pool of exceptionally qualified candidates giving them employment opportunities across the entire TACOM enterprise . ” “Leadership engagement is extremely important when it comes to DEI and Gen . Werner has pushed this initiative , ” said Jones - Ayers . Jarrelyn McCall , a training specialist for the Integrated Logistics Support Center’s Materiel Fielding and Training , joined the team in 2021 through the BEYA Virtual Career Fair . “I heard about BEYA from a mentor I knew at TACOM , ” said McCall . “He knew I had been looking for a way to jump start my career and since I was a STEM graduate , he thought BEYA was a perfect opportunity for me . ” McCall applied for hundreds of jobs through the career fair but ultimately chose TACOM because she felt it was an organization she could grow a career with . “BEYA helped me align my skills perfectly to achieve my career goals to work at TACOM , ” said McCall . “I was impressed with the way they were able to hire me directly into the federal workforce . ” LaKisha France was also one of last year’s BEYA hires and now works as a resource analyst in TACOM’s Force Management Office . She believes the interaction with the TACOM hiring managers added to the hiring experience . “You actually have a hiring manager that talks to you , goes over your resume and your skills , which is good , ” said France . “Another great aspect of the experience is that you interview for the job on the spot . ” Although BEYA’s Virtual Career Fair is targeted toward recent graduates of color , TACOM looks at recruiting the most diverse group of applicants with the required skill sets that match up with the careers being offered which allows anyone to apply . Steven Helzer , a TACOM logistics management specialist , also heard about BEYA through word - of - mouth and being from the local area in Michigan he decided to pursue a career with TACOM . Helzer was surprised at the response he got from all over TACOM throughout their arsenals and depots . After talking with the hiring officials , they informed him that he was qualified for a position in logistics , which he had been looking at getting into . “I was able to reach my career goal and BEYA helped me connect with TACOM and the U . S . Army , ” said Helzer . “It helped me connect with an employer that I was trying to build a career with . ” Jones - Ayers clarified that AMC’s DHA at BEYA was not being used to circumvent the traditional application procedures for employment with the federal government through USAJobs . gov . Muntford went on to say that BEYA offers an excellent opportunity to expose minority students to a larger pool of jobs that they wouldn’t normally have access to . “Through BEYA , we’ve solidified our efforts in recruiting by not just showing up but showing up with jobs to help us meet our DEI goals , ” said Muntford . Like last year , DHAs will give TACOM the most direct method to recruit qualified candidates , according to Muntford . “This will give us a more expedited process , ” said Muntford . “We can go to the fair , recruit qualified candidates , and offer them a position . ” However , DHA’s aren’t the only recruitment tool they are using at BEYA . “We are bringing together all of our capabilities of hiring top talent to BEYA to include Direct Hiring Authority , as well as more traditional ways of applying though USAJobs , ” said Muntford . “This allows us to recruit through more than one candidate pool . ” Muntford also believes that success of TACOM’s recruiting efforts at BEYA is directly tied to having the support from leadership . “Having command emphasis on the program is a total game changer , ” said Muntford . “Gen . Werner was able to meet with TACOM supervisors and create buy - in , a shared concept and goal , and helped everybody feel like they were a part of the team . ” This year’s hiring event took place Feb . 18 - 19 and while this event has passed , TACOM is looking at other ways to recruit top qualified candidates from around the country .
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