Education and training opportunities
By USAASC Acquistion, Education and Training Branch
FY14 Acquisition Education and Training (AET) Announcements
The FY14 schedule for acquisition, training and education (AET) opportunities is final. All AET opportunities, except for the Acquisition Leadership Challenge Program (ALCP), will be announced through the Army Acquisition Professional Development System (AAPDS).
To access AAPDS, login at the Career Acquisition Management Portal (CAMP) and click on “Career Acquisition Personnel and Position Management Information System” (CAPPMIS). Once in CAPPMIS, select the “AAPDS” tab, and then “Application Module.” Click on “Apply” and view all available Army Director of Acquisition Career Management (DACM) available opportunities.
For information on any program, go to the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center (USAASC) website and click on “Career”.
FY14 AET Schedule:
*NOTE: ALCP will not be announced using AAPDS. Please contact your command or organization acquisition career management advocate or organizational acquisition point of contact to obtain a command allocation.
Acquisition Tuition Assistance Program (ATAP): The ATAP FY14 announcement will open April 28 and close May 26, 2014.
The Competitive Development Group/Army Acquisition Fellows announcement is on hold for FY14. Because of the current hiring freeze, we have been unable to bring new fellows on board from the FY13 Announcement. If and when the hiring freeze is lifted, we will first work toward finalizing the FY13 board results prior to conducting another announcement.
The Defense Acquisition University-Senior Service College Fellowship (DAU-SSCF) announcement will open Jan. 29 and close April 2, 2014. REMINDER: applicants need to complete Civilian Education System (CES) Advanced Course prior to the start of the Fellowship.
The Defense Civilian Emerging Leaders Program (DCELP) announcement will open May 5 and close June 13, 2014. These dates are tentative as this is a DOD scheduled program and DOD has not provided specific dates.
The Excellence in Government Fellows (EIGF) announcement will open June 12, 2014 and close July 15.
The Naval Post Graduate School-Masters of Science in Program Management (NPS-PM) announcement will open Feb. 3, 2014 and close March 18.
There will not be a School of Choice (SOC) announcement in FY14 due to the current fiscal environment. Should a command have an urgent need to send a high performing workforce member to obtain his/her bachelor or master’s degree during duty-time, please contact Scott Greene, AET Branch Chief, to discuss options.
Having trouble keeping the dates straight? All of the opening and closing dates noted above are also posted to the USAASC Events Calendar.
Defense Acquisition University (DAU) Training
DAU Class Status during Government Shutdown: DAU resumed classes on Oct. 8, 2013 and made every attempt to support all classes originally scheduled for week of Oct. 7, conducting 22 of the 32 scheduled offerings. For classes that started prior to the government shutdown, DAU will make every effort to reschedule the classes, but that is not guaranteed. Students in the cancelled offerings will receive priority preference to reapply to the rescheduled offering(s). We recommend students reapply to the classes available in their next cost-effective location. Because of reduced DAU travel funding for FY14, USAASC will only fund Priority 1 and 2 travel to cost effective locations at this time.
Registering for FY14 courses. The FY14 schedule has been available for student registration since May 16, 2013. Planning and applying early will afford students a better opportunity in obtaining a class in the timeframe requested. Students may apply using AITAS.
Encourage your supervisor to approve your training request as soon as you apply. Applications cannot be processed until the supervisor approves the training request in Army Training Requirements (ATRRS) and AITAS. Students should view the DAU iCatalog to ensure they meet the prerequisite(s), prior to applying to a DAU course. Workforce members and their supervisors should plan their training and ensure they have adequate time to complete prerequisite training prior to attend the follow-on course. Reservations for follow-on courses are cancelled if prerequisite requirements are not met.
It is imperative the student and supervisor’s email addresses are correctly listed in the AITAS student profile. For more information on DAU training to include, systematic instructions, training priority definition or FAQs, please visit USAASC’s DAU Training webpage.
DAU Training Best Practices: Here are some key points for how students can better prepare for a DAU resident course:
- Reduce lag time between taking part A (online prerequisite) and part B (resident)
- Review prerequisite materiel prior to attending a follow-on resident portion.
- Review course objectives (available in the DAU iCatalog) prior to attending class.
- Consult with instructors prior to class on their recommendations to ensure success.
- Reach out to instructors and fellow peers during class time for further assistance.
- Prepare by reading and having a general overview of the class materials before the beginning of each class.
- Study nightly and review notes in the morning before class.
Program Manager’s and Executive Program Manager’s Course: The two courses, also known as PMT 401 and 402 are statutorily required for program executive officers, deputy program executive officers, and program managers/deputy program managers of acquisition category (ACAT) I and II programs. Board-selected ACAT I or II program managers should attend the course prior to beginning their assignment. PEO, DPEOs, DPMs must complete the mandatory training 36 months from encumbering their position. Please work with your command and supervisor to ensure attendance in the required training. High potential Level III acquisition professionals in O-5, GS-14 or above, with extensive experience in acquisition, including four years in or directly supporting a program, may participate in space-available slots. Each fiscal year, the Army receives a limited allocation of seats in selected offerings. More details of the course available on the DAU’s iCatalog.
A weekly low-fill listing, posted weekly on DAU’s website, allows 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 for students priority 2 and 40 days for priority three to five students. Please remember that even if a class is on the low-fill list, students must choose the designated cost-effective location for their training.
All requests, including submission of the travel worksheet (for students approved for DAU funding), should be completed no later than 15 days prior to the start date of the course. Students who do not submit a travel worksheet earlier than 15 days prior to class start date may not be guaranteed central funding for their TDY. Students may start their travel order as early as 60 days prior to the start date of the course.
FY14 Certification Changes: DOD Acquisition, Technology & Logistics (AT&L) career field certification standards are implemented on Oct. 1 of each fiscal year. FY14 changes are outlined in the following table. The eleven changes are effective for the respective certification career fields on Oct. 1, 2013. For career fields not listed in the table, there are no approved changes to date. To view the most current career field certification standards required for your current acquisition position, please access DAU’s iCatalog.
- If you have questions on any Acquisition Education, Training, and Experience (AETE) programs or DAU Training, please contact the the AETE Branch Chief Scott Greene @ scott.greene4@us.army.mil
