Acquisition Education and Training Corner

By March 22, 2013March 6th, 2024Career Development

Education and Training Opportunities

Even in the face of significant fiscal constraints, our acquisition workforce has statutory requirements to meet. Therefore, we will still be offering many of our acquisition education, training, and experience opportunities. On March 13, 2013, the Hon. Frank Kendall, Under Secretary of Defense, published a memorandum, Continuation of Centrally Funded Defense Acquisition Workforce Development Fund Initiatives, wherein he states we “must continue acquisition workforce initiatives centrally funded by…the DAWDF [Defense Acquisition Workforce Development Fund]. These initiatives include…DAWDF initiatives to bolster and sustain the quality of the acquisition workforce. Quality initiatives include training, development, recruitment, and retention initiatives.”

Listed below are three programs that will continue to be offered.

Defense Acquisition University – Senior Service College Fellowship (DAU-SSCF)
The 2013-2014 announcement is open through April 1, 2013 to all eligible personnel in GS-14 and GS-15 or equivalent broadband/pay band equivalent positions who have met their current position certification requirements. This program has recently been endorsed as an Army equivalent Senior Service College by the United States Army War College. For more information, visit https://asc.army.mil/web/career-development/programs/defense-acquisition-university-senior-service-college/. This program, located in Aberdeen, Md.; Huntsville, Ala.; and Warren, Mich. provides a great opportunity for our civilians to attend a SSCF within their local commuting area.

Naval Post Graduate School – Masters of Science in Program Management
The announcement will be open through May 13, 2013 to all eligible personnel in GS-11 through GS-15 or broadband/pay band equivalent positions who have met their current position certification requirement. While it is not in Monterey, Calif., this distance learning program will provide required DAU training in program management (as well as other career field courses) to graduate with a master’s. For more information, go to: https://asc.army.mil/web/career-development/programs/naval-postgraduate-school-master-of-science-in-systems-and-program-management/.

Excellence in Government Fellowship (EIGF)
The announcement will be open from June 13 – July 15, 2013 to all eligible personnel in GS-13 – GS-15 or broadband/pay band equivalent positions who have met their current position certification requirement. EIGF offers our senior acquisition workforce members the opportunity to network and team with fellow senior leaders from across the government. This program focuses on benchmarking best practices and then returning to your organization to implement. For more information, go to: https://asc.army.mil/web/career-development/programs/excellence-in-government-fellows-program/.

Defense Acquisition University (DAU) Training

Training required for Army acquisition workforce members is a mission critical activity and is exempt from recent cuts stated in a memo from Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Ashton Carter, dated Jan 10, 2013. DAU travel for required Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) certification courses is centrally funded by DAU through the USAASC. Some acquisition workforce members’ travel for DAU acquisition certification training is being cancelled by organizations due to their current interpretation of their budget execution mitigation efforts. The attached memo outlines that DAU central funds is entirely separate from budgetary actions within a service or agency to mitigate budget execution issues in FY13. Army acquisition students approved to use DAU central funds to attend training shall not cancel training due to budget constraints. Cancellation requests (from students approved for central travel funds) less than 30 days from class start or reservation cut-off date (with funding constraint as a reason), will be denied. Students shall be deemed a ”no show” if they do not attend the scheduled training.

USAASC will continue to centrally fund cost effective locations selected by the student. Commands and supervisors should continue to support and send their employees to required DAWIA training. To view DAU Travel Status memo, please go to: https://asc.army.mil/web/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/DAU-Travel-Status-Memo-2013.pdf.

Furlough Impact
DAU plans to support the teaching schedule under furlough conditions. Students may view DAU’s tentative furlough plan at https://atrrs.army.mil/channels/aitas/appdefault.asp.

Note: This plan is not final. Once the plan is formalized, DAU will provide details to the DACM offices, post to the DAU website, and send notices to the students. Students attending a DAU course will assume the furlough schedule of DAU and not their home organization for the duration of their DAU training.

FY14 Schedule
On Thursday, May 16, 2013, the FY14 schedule will be available for students to apply for classes. Students should continue to apply for FY13 courses available on the schedule. Planning and applying early will afford students better opportunity in obtaining a class in the timeframe requested. Encourage your supervisor to approve your training request as soon as you apply. Students should view the DAU I-catalog at http://icatalog.dau.mil to ensure they meet the prerequisite(s), prior to applying to a DAU course. A weekly low fill listing posted weekly at http://icatalog.dau.mil/onlinecatalog/tabnav.aspx to provide students the opportunity to attend classes coming up in the next 60 days. Low fill classes within 60 days from the start date of the class are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Application Process
Applications cannot be processed by the Army registrar office until the training has approved by the supervisor. It is also imperative the student and supervisor email address is provided correctly in the Army Training Requirements and Resources (ATRRS) Internet Training Application System (AITAS) student profile. Please apply at https://www.atrrs.army.mil/channels/aitas. For more information on DAU training including systematic instructions, training priority definition or FAQs, please go to: https://asc.army.mil/web/career-development/programs/defense-acquisition-university-training/faqs/. Once you receive a confirmed reservation in the requested class, ensure you attend the class as scheduled. Cancellation request for a confirmed reservation must be submitted at least 30 calendar days before the class starts or by the reservation cutoff date, whichever is earlier, to avoid a no show.

Equivalencies
DAU provides a list of equivalencies (http://icatalog.dau.mil/appg.aspx) for all courses delivered by DAU and/or predecessor courses, which are considered acceptable towards meeting current acquisition career field certification requirements. To document your approved equivalency, open a helpdesk ticket at: https://apps.asc.army.mil/camp/index.cfm?fuseaction=support.helpRequest and request your ACRB be updated to reflect DAU equivalent course(s) completion.

Course Management
DAU course management has a new process to allow higher priority, specifically priority 1, student’s first preference in the DAU resident courses. As result, students in priority 2 through 5 will be waitlisted for classes showing available seats. When a student is placed in a wait status, they will roll into a reservation 65 days prior to the class start date if a priority 1 does not encumber a seat. They could still be bumped—up to five business days prior to class reservation cut-off date or start date, whichever is higher—if a higher priority student has applied within the 65 days. The new process minimizes bumping and allows priority 1s to see which courses actually have seats available for them to obtain their required position

Understanding Industry (Business Acumen) – ACQ 315 is a new 4.5-day course in development by DAU. The course covers a wide range of business knowledge competencies including industry orientation, organization, cost and financial planning, business strategy/development, supplier management, incentives and negotiating strategies. Students will learn business skills on aligning company strategies, finances, and operations that motivate company decisions, gain fair and reasonable profits, while providing best taxpayer value to the government on defense products. The course is presented from an industry perspective. The target audience is DAWIA, Level III-certified acquisition personnel across all DAWIA career fields. DAU will pilot the course from June 24 through 28, 2013 in Huntsville Ala. The course is available starting 4th quarter FY13. Interested Army students may register for the offerings in AITAS: https://www.atrrs.army.mil/channels/aitas/.