GOING BEYOND THE BASICS WITH CREDENTIALS
Credentials are an important aspect of the Back-to-Basics (BtB) framework and a powerful complement to baseline Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA)-required certification. With BtB, credentials are designed to provide customizable training at the right time for the right person in the right position. While there are no specific limitations on which credentials may be pursued, we recommend maintaining the spirit of BtB by focusing on the credentials needed for your current position first. Then, consider working on credentials for positions that you aspire to hold in the future.
Signing up is quite simple and there are detailed instructions on the DAU credential website. Once you register for a credential program, be sure to also sign up for each component within your selected credential as well. In other words, pursuing a credentialing curriculum requires enrolling in individual courses separately in order to satisfy the entire program. After completing all components, the credential automatically appears on your Acquisition Career Record Brief (ACRB).
Be sure to routinely check the DAU website since new credentials are added on a regular basis. In May 2022 alone, DAU offered “Designing Supportable Systems” (CLCL 006) and “Excel Skills for Data Analytics and Visualization” (CCON 016). For those doing contracting work, coming soon is the “Contracting for Systems Acquisition Credential” (CCON 020) course.
Since credentials also represent an accomplishment of your training, we recommend adding them to your resume as well. This helps to provide a more detailed understanding of your training and dedication to the acquisition profession. Next month, we will address ways to update your resume in the new Back-to-Basics environment.
Please see these webpages for additional resources:
DAU Credentials: https://www.dau.edu/training/pages/credentials.aspx
USAASC Back-to-Basics: https://asc.army.mil/web/dacm-office/back-to-basics
For more information about the Back-to-Basics initiative, please visit https://asc.army.mil/web/dacm-office/back-to-basics/.
ACQUISITION EDUCATION, TRAINING AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
ACQUISITION TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM – ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
OPEN NOW through July 16 is the application window for the Acquisition Tuition Assistance Program (ATAP). ATAP is designed to fund individual business college courses or business college courses required for a master’s or bachelor’s degree in a business or acquisition discipline for eligible Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW) members. ATAP is a fiscal year (Oct.-Sept.) program that provides tuition, laboratory and technology fees, within limits, to AAW civilians, military occupational specialty (MOS) 51 contracting (51C) noncommissioned officers (NCOs), and flexible length and renewable term technical appointment employees in the Department of Defense laboratories designated as science and technology reinvention laboratories (STRLs).
ACQUISITION LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE PROGRAM (ALCP)
The ALCP fiscal year 2022 2nd quarter announcement is cancelled. The fiscal year 2023 1st quarter announcement tentative opening date is scheduled for July 1. ALCP harnesses self-awareness as the tool for enhancing leadership, innovation and diversity development by demonstrating how individual preferences and behaviors affect the ways we interact with co-workers and are viewed by others. Program offerings help participants understand how accepting individual differences can produce a stronger group and a leadership corps that’s capable, collaborative and creative.
OPEN FOR APPLICATIONS! INSPIRING AND DEVELOPING EXCELLENCE IN ACQUISITION LEADERS FY23
The Inspiring and Developing Excellence in Acquisition Leaders (IDEAL) program for fiscal year 2023 is open for applications through August 3. IDEAL targets new and emerging supervisors who are seeking to refine their leadership skills or develop them in preparation for a supervisory or leadership position. Applicants must be civilian AAW members, GS-12 or GS-13 (or broadband equivalent) and must meet DAWIA certification requirements. To learn all about this popular program, visit: https://asc.army.mil/web/career-development/programs/inspiring-and-developing-excellence-in-acquisition-leaders-ideal/
PROPONENCY CORNER
The DACM Proponency and Analysis Division, along with the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) and Army Futures Command, participated in the Texas A&M Army ROTC cadets’ first U.S. Army Branch Week hosted on campus by 1st Brigade cadre and staff on April 27-28.
The event was attended by more than 200 cadets, who were able to meet with representatives from several Army branches, including Infantry, Air Defenses Artillery, Armor, Aviation, Engineers, Field Artillery, Chemical, Signal, Military Intelligence, Military Police, Adjutant General, Finance, Ordnance, Quartermaster, Transportation and Medical Corps, as well as Army Acquisition Functional Area 51 and the Texas National Guard.
Branch Week is an essential aspect of a cadet’s experience. It’s the main effort for the branch representative and cadet mentorship program to assist members of the Corps of Cadets in deciding their future. During this event, the cadets learn whether their skills are appropriately aligned with the branch of their choice. They will select their preferred branch during their senior year, and this brief introduction is intended to help determine the branch that best suits their professional goals in the Army.
The Army Acquisition Functional Area 51 representatives were Maj. Elizabeth (Raquel) Jimenez, a 51C officer with ATEC, Maj. Mark May, a 51A officer from Army Futures Command, and Maj. Camille Morgan, proponent officer for the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center. The representatives leveraged the event to engage and inform the cadets as early as possible. “We want to plant the seed for a career in Army acquisition and share opportunities for continued service well after active-duty obligation and post-key development in the Army,” said Morgan.
WHAT’S NEW?
- On May 10, the Army DACM signed a memo providing guidance on the designations, qualifications, tenure agreements and position requirement waivers for Critical Aquisition Positions (CAPs) and Key Leadership Positions (KLPs), in support of Department of Defense issuances and Army acquisition executive guidance. This memo applies to Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW) and non-AAW professionals who are selected to occupy a CAP or KLP. Three enclosures include: references, acquisition codes and the CAP Tentative Selectee Waiver process.
- The civilian CAP Tentative Selectee Waiver process explains the process to submit a CAP waiver request to the Army DACM Office. It applies to both AAW and non-AAW professionals who are tentatively selected to fill a CAP.
- The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) Master of Science in Systems and Program Management (MSSPM) non-resident program policy: On April 21, the Army Director of Acquisition Career Management signed the NPS MSSPM program policy, regarding policy and procedures for application and selection of AAW civilians into the program. The NPS MSSPM program is a two-year educational opportunity that is sponsored and centrally funded by the Army DACM Office.
- The NPS Master of Science in Systems Engineering (MSSE) non-resident program with a System of Systems focus policy: On April 21, the Army DACM signed the NPS MSSE program policy, regarding application and selection of AAW civilians into the NPS MSSE. The NPS MSSE program is a two-year educational opportunity that is sponsored and centrally funded by the Army DACM Office.
- Army Acquisition Workforce product/project director policy and procedures: On April 25, the Army DACM signed the AAW product/project director policy, regarding AAW product/project director positions and the Centralized Selection Board (CSB) process. This policy applies to all AAW civilians who apply to, or are selected to fill, a CSB product director or project director position.
The entire collection of AAW policies can be accessed in our Policy Library at https://asc.army.mil/web/alt-workforce-policy-procedure/.
HOW’S MY CAREER DOING?
You are your own best career manager. To help you achieve your goals, use the DACM Office program timeline resource. Whether it’s obtaining a degree, paying off a student loan, learning team and leadership skills or broadening your experience with a developmental opportunity, there’s something for everyone. Check out all the upcoming programs here:
https://asc.army.mil/web/career-development/programs/program-timeline/.
