Great Lakes District/Cleveland, OH/DHS-USCG - Employment Skills Training

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS OFFICER - Training is organized into themed modules. Each module includes readings, policy primers, scenario-based exercises, tool walkthroughs (e.g., newsroom trackers, media monitoring, Congressional trackers), and weekly deliverables reviewed by the supervisor. External Affairs Foundations — Orientation to USCG External Affairs mission, roles, authorities, products, and stakeholders; ethics/PAO boundaries; task management; writing standards; plain language. Congressional & Intergovernmental Affairs — How a bill becomes law (operational view), congressional oversight, member/staff engagement, hearing prep, QFR/constituent response workflows, correspondence drafting, and stakeholder mapping. Public Affairs & Media Operations — Media relations, interview prep, press releases, media advisories, talking points, media monitoring, social content drafting, and multimedia basics. Community & Stakeholder Engagement — Community risk reduction messaging, NGO coordination, events planning, speaking engagements, local government & port partners, and after-action documentation. Strategic Comms & Crisis Response — Incident communications plan development (ICS‑300/PAO interface), rumor control, rapid approvals, comms battle rhythm, and executive messaging. Capstone & Handover — Synthesize artifacts into a reusable External Affairs Toolkit; conduct knowledge transfer and present capstone to leadership. Terminal Learning Objectives • Draft clear, accurate, and releasable written products (press releases, fact sheets, talking points, Q&As, congressional letters). • Plan and execute stakeholder engagement using a documented strategy, contact plans, and an editorial calendar. • Support congressional inquiries and hearing preparation with timely, coordinated responses and issue briefs. • Operate within PAO/ethics boundaries; understand approval chains and records requirements. • Develop an incident communications plan (ICS-aligned) with rumor control, media monitoring, and rapid update workflows. • Deliver a capstone External Affairs Toolkit (templates, style guide, comms plan, trackers) suitable for reuse by the office.

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS OFFICER - The USCG External Affairs Fellowship (SkillBridge) is a full‑time, structured, 26‑week experiential program designed to build practical competencies across External Affairs, Congressional & Intergovernmental Affairs, Public Affairs, Stakeholder Engagement, and Strategic Communications/Crisis Response. Participants will complete sequenced modules combining self‑paced coursework, shadowing, mentorship, and hands‑on deliverables that map to USCG External Affairs mission requirements. The program is designed for remote or hybrid execution (telework plus site visits/meetings as directed). The participant is responsible for any personal equipment, connectivity, or optional materials. There is no government financial obligation for materials or reimbursement. Products created during the fellowship (briefs, comms plans, templates) become USCG work products as directed by the supervisor.