White Sands Orientation Home

Employee Development

Academic/Tuition Assistance
Career Training & Development/Career Counseling
Supporting your learning and development needs to enhance your performance and improve organizational effectiveness is the foundation of our service.

Members of the HR Development staff are available to help you:
- DEVELOP the knowledge, skills and competencies to perform effectively in your current position
- PREPARE to assume new or different responsibilities, either in your current position or to meet future goals
- ENGAGE in a continuous process of examining and addressing issues which affect organizational effectiveness
- FORGE partnerships with other directorates to improve organizational effectiveness
Co-op Program (Undergraduates and Graduates)
Mentoring/Coaching
In response to the President's Management Agenda and NASA's Strategic Human Capital Plan, the JSC Mentoring Program provides employees with a development tool to more effectively incorporate knowledge sharing in our day-to-day activities. The ultimate goal is to build a highly capable workforce that meets Center and participant objectives.

Mentoring links a mentor with a protégé and helps facilitate personal and professional growth by sharing the knowledge and insights learned through the years. Mentoring is a strategy for comprehensive growth and development and, in its truest form, a reciprocal relationship. Both members have a chance to learn, gain a new perspective on the work environment, stretch beyond comfortable boundaries, and meet other people across the Center.

Mentoring gives experienced employees, who are well established in their careers, the opportunity to share their personal experience, offer guidance and feedback, initiate employees into JSC's dynamic environment, and help experienced employees reshape their careers. It also provides a "reverse mentoring" opportunity in which the protégé can share thoughts and views acquired through schooling, within organizations, or experience outside of JSC. The protégés will be able to reinforce or reshape the foundation on which they are building their careers by creating an important relationship - one that helps them mold, define, and pursue their goals.

The Mentoring Program is open to all permanent JSC civil servant and military employees in Houston and White Sands Test Facility.
Student Programs
Student Employment Programs provide university and high school students with "real-life" hands-on work experiences that allow students to confirm their career choices while helping NASA train and develop its future workforce.

Health Services

Blood Drives
Blood drives are held periodically at WSTF. Employees can donate during work hours without charge to leave. Contact the Dispensary for more information.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
The EAP is a resource that offers confidential evaluation, counseling, education, and referral services to JSC employees, on-site contractors and their families. These services are free of charge.

The objective of the EAP program is to provide assistance to those who are experiencing personal problems that may be affecting job performance or overall sense of well being. These problems may range from depression, anxiety, job stress, family/marital discord, and other emotional issues to alcohol abuse or other chemical dependencies. The EAP staff can also provide information on obtaining community services such as elder care, parenting classes, hospice care, HIV/Aids treatment, financial assistance, and legal counsel.

Health Benefits Program
The Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) provides you with protection against the expenses of illness and accidental injuries. The FEHBP provides some of the following benefits:

Guaranteed medical insurance protection for you and your family,
Major catastrophic illness protection,
Coverage without medical examination, without waiting periods, and without restrictions because of your age or physical condition (preexisting conditions are covered; for example, pregnancy),
Premium-sharing to reduce your cost of the plan,
Continued protection after you retire, and
A choice of plans to provide the protection you need and want.

Health and Safety Training Programs
Various Health and Safety Training courses are available to both civil servant and contractor employees, such as CPR, First Aid, Hazard Communication, and Workplace Ergonomics.

Physical Fitness Programs
The Columbia Health and Fitness Center (Building 107) is located on the northeast end of the 100 Area main parking lot. All NASA and contractor employees may use this facility free of charge. The Center is open 24 hours a day but requires employees to use a mandatory buddy system. The facility includes a weight and exercise equipment area, basketball courts, and an outside jogging/walking track. Team sports such as volley ball and basketball or aerobics by DVD are also available at various times. WSTF Forms 532 and 533 must be completed to gain access to the facility and participate in any Fitness Center activities. The Center is the second building in all of NASA facilities to achieve the Silver certification from the USGBC in the LEED program.

WSTF Environment

Accommodation/Accessibility
- Web Content Accessibility
  JSC follows strict web content accessibility guidelines to communicate information about NASA science and technology to the broadest possible audience, including persons with disabilities. We continuously check our HTML pages to maintain compliance with accepted guidelines for compatibility with assistive technology. These guidelines also make Web content more available to all users, whatever user agent they are using (e.g., desktop browser, voice browser, mobile phone, automobile-based personal computer, etc.) or constraints they may be operating under (e.g., noisy surroundings, under- or over-illuminated rooms, in a hands-free environment, etc).
- Accommodations
  NASA's policy is to fully comply with the reasonable accommodation requirements of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. Under the law, Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to qualified employees or applicants with disabilities, unless to do so would cause undue hardship. NASA is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to its employees and applicants for employment in order to assure that individuals with disabilities have full access to equal employment opportunity. These requirements cover applicants for, and employees in part-time and full time positions. These requirements also apply to NASA interns, fellows, coops, visiting scientists and detailees that are not in a civil service status. NASA provides reasonable accommodations:
  
  a. when a qualified applicant with a disability needs an accommodation in order to be considered for a job.
  
  b. when a qualified employee with a disability needs an accommodation to enable him or her to perform the essential functions of the job or to gain access to the workplace.
  
  c. when a qualified employee with a disability needs an accommodation to enjoy equal benefits and privileges of employment.
  
  NASA will process requests for reasonable accommodation and, where appropriate, provide reasonable accommodation in a prompt, fair, and efficient manner.
  
  For more information on Federal Employment of People with Disabilities, visit the OPM web site http://www.opm.gov/disability/appempl.asp
WSTF Cafe
WSTF no longer has an onsite food service available, but food vending machines are available with a wide variety offered. A permanent food service business is currently being sought.

WSTF EAA Gift Shop

The WSTF EAA Gift Shop is located in Building 111 to your left as you enter the building. The shop offers space-themed gifts or souvenirs. In addition to high-quality gifts, the WSTF Gift Shop offers toys and items that are not space specific such as cartoon character watches. Profits from the exchange store are used to fund employee activities. The WSTF EAA Gift Shop is open on alternating Thursdays and Fridays from 10:30a -12:30p.
Columbia Health and Fitness Center

The Columbia Health and Fitness Center (Building 107) is located on the northeast end of the 100 Area main parking lot. All NASA and contractor employees may use this facility free of charge. The Center is open 24 hours a day but requires employees to use a mandatory buddy system. The facility includes a weight and exercise equipment area, basketball courts, and an outside jogging/walking track. Team sports such as volley ball and basketball or aerobics by DVD are also available at various times. WSTF Forms 532 and 533 must be completed to gain access to the facility and participate in any Fitness Center activities. The Center is the second building in all of NASA facilities to achieve the Silver certification from the USGBC in the LEED program.
WSTF Clinic – Building 104, ext. 5212

The WSTF Clinic is located on the west side of the Fire Department, Building 104, and is available to all WSTF employees for emergency treatment of injuries or illness. The Clinic offers employees the “Total Health” wellness program that provides physical examinations and other services to promote a healthier lifestyle. Highlights of the annual physical examination include early detection screening tests for skin cancer, prostate specific antigens, EKG, Audiogram, Tonometer, Spirometer, and blood work. Health and medical brochures are available inside the waiting area.
Technical Library

WSTF provides scientific and technical information gathered and recorded by NASA Headquarters, at NASA field installations, and contractors. The library is open to all WSTF employees for reference research and for circulation of materials. Employees can order technical publications, research databases, and receive digital or hard copies of WSTF documents. Employees can access WSTF scientific and technical author data via this website: http://www.sti.nasa.gov/ . The technical library is located in Building 101, Room 116, ext. 5692.
White Sands Federal Credit Union and ATM – Open Thursday and Friday 10 – 4 p.m. Building 100, ext. 5060
Mail Room – ext. 5322
Badging Center – Main Gate, ext. 5185

Community Involvement

Community Outreach

Exhibits
Exhibits focusing on NASA and JSC are available to organizations such as schools, sciences centers, and other venues that reach general audiences through the traveling exhibits program. These exhibits can be seen at local events such as the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and other events nationwide. JSC personnel can also borrow small exhibits and models for volunteer outreach activities. Spaceflight artifacts and models are often part of exhibits, and can also be useful tools for presentations. For more information, please visit: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/programs/exhibits/index.html.
Speakers Bureau Program
This program allows JSC employees to share their passion for the space program with the community. Employees from all areas of JSC are encouraged to volunteer and share their knowledge.
Want to get involved? For more information, please visit: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/programs/speakersbureau.html.
Community and Industry Liaison
JSC’s Community and Government Relations Office paves the way for information exchanges, technology transfers, and important partnerships by identifying and coordinating with external organizations or companies that share NASA/JSC goals.

WSTF Education Outreach
The WSTF Education Outreach Program provides teachers with the tools to reach and inspire their students. The program seeks to capture young people’s interest in science, engineering, mathematics and technology. WSTF employees volunteer to share their knowledge and experience with teachers and students. Volunteers participate in various outreach opportunities including lecturing or performing hands-on activities in the classroom, career shadowing, tutoring, mentoring and judging at science fairs.

WSTF Combined Federal Campaign
The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is the annual fund-raising drive conducted by Federal employees in their workplace each fall. Each year Federal employees and military personnel raise millions of dollars through the CFC that benefits thousands of non-profit charities.

Blood Drives

Blood drives are held periodically at the WSTF Dispensary to benefit the surrounding towns.

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Compensation

Employee Development

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WSTF Environment

Community Involvement