Defense Civilian Emerging Leader Program

(DCELP)

Important information about DCELP Cohort 13.
Each year, DOD offers two DCELP cohorts, one for the Acquisition, Human Resources (HR) and Financial Management (FM) functional communities, and one for all other functional communities.  The curriculum is the same for both cohorts, however, individuals taking part in the Acquisition/HR/FM cohort have the opportunity to meet senior leaders from those communities and to network with students from those communities across DOD.  For YG 2021, Cohort 13 is the Acquisition/HR/FM cohort and Cohort 14 is the cohort for all other communities.  Army Acquisition Workforce members may apply to either cohort.  This announcement pertains only to Cohort 13.  Individuals wishing to apply to Cohort 14 should reach out to their local training officers for information and must adhere to all procedures and requirements pertaining to that cohort.

KEY DATES

• Announcement Opening: Feb. 3, 2020
• Announcement Closing: April 28, 2020
• Board Review Complete: May 2020
• DOD Notification of Selectees (tentative): September 2020
• Course Dates (tentative): March through June 2021

ELIGIBILITY

• Must be a permanent (non-temporary/non-term) civilian member of the Army Acquisition Workforce. Exception:  per the Section 1109, FY16 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and Section 11.A.3.f, 82 Federal Register 43339, eligibility to participate in the IDEAL program is extended to flexible length and renewable term technical appointment employees in the Department of Defense laboratories designated as Science and Technology Reinvention Laboratories (STRLs).  Term employees not appointed under Section 1109, FY16 NDAA are not eligible for the IDEAL program.
• Must be a GS-07 through GS-12 (or equivalent payband).
• GS-11s and below must be at least Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) Level I certified in current acquisition position and within the 24 month grace period (if Level II is not yet achieved). GS-12s must meet certification requirement for their current acquisition position by the date of application submission. Certification status must be reflected on the individual’s Acquisition Career Record Brief (ACRB).  NOTE: If you had met your original certification requirement and were recently promoted so that you now require the next level, you may still be eligible for DCELP.  The Army DACM Office DCELP PM will review this on a case-by-case basis.  If this situation defines where you are with your certification, please contact the DCELP Program Manager, listed in the Contact section below.
• Served 3 years, or any combination thereof, in a Department of the Army Civilian Permanent Position(s). This requirement must be met at time of application.
• Completed Civilian Education System (CES):
  • GS-07 through 09 or equivalent payband: CES Basic (EITHER distance learning course OR resident course)
  • GS-10 through 12 or equivalent payband: CES Intermediate (BOTH distance learning AND resident course)

HOW TO APPLY

• Before starting the application, suggest you read this announcement in its entirety to ensure you are aware of all program requirements.
• Login at the Career Acquisition Management Portal (CAMP) using the following link: https://rda.altess.army.mil/camp.
• Click on the “CAPPMIS” tab;
• Once in CAPPMIS, click the “AAPDS” tab;
• Click on “Apply”
• Click on the “Apply” link associated with the event entitled “2021 Defense Civilian Emerging Leader Program (DCELP)”;
  Follow the instructions within each section of the application. After you’ve uploaded all pieces of the application, click the “Submit Application” button. If you would like to save your work and return to the application later, click the “Save” button.
• You must submit your application in AAPDS by 11:59 pm, April 28, 2020.

DETAILS

Location

DCELP is a residency program with classes taking place at the DOD Executive Management Training Center in Southbridge, Massachusetts.  All DCELP participants, including any who might be local to Southbridge, must stay at the hotel.

 Funding

For Army Acquisition participants selected for DCELP Cohort 13, Acquisition organizations do not have any funding obligations.

DCELP Tuition and Lodging – funded by DOD
DCELP Travel and Per Diem – funded by Army DACM Office

Curriculum

DCELP consists of four one-week in-resident sessions, assessment tools, knowledge transfer activities, participant writing and briefing projects, and individual coaching.  The program concentrates on the five terminal learning objectives of Know Self, Express Self, Build Teams, Manage Organizations, and Understand the DOD. Selectees should anticipate spending approximately 21 days in resident courses throughout the program, which is tentatively scheduled to start in March 2021 and conclude in June 2021.

 Continuous Learning Points (CLPS)

Participants completing DCELP will receive 128 CLPs.  You may add DCELP to your Individual Development Plan; you will find it in CAPPMIS (https://rda.altess.army.mil/camp) under IDP / Planning / Other Training Plan / Add Non-DAU Training.

Start Early!

You are encouraged to start early on the application process. Supervisors and other organizational leaders are required to prepare portions of the application and you are strongly advised to engage with these individuals early in the process so that you will have a complete application submitted by the closing date of 28 April 2020.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS / APPLICATION SUBMISSION

Army Acquisition applicants for DCELP Cohort 13 must follow procedures outlined in this announcement.

The documents listed below must be submitted through the CAPPMIS/AAPDS automated system (see How to Apply, above, for instruction on how to access the system).

When a form is provided for you to fill out, you must use the form provided. Applications using the wrong form will be returned to the applicant for correction.

Do not attempt to upload a document that is password-protected or that contains macros as this will cause the process to fail.

• Nominee Information Sheet: Please download the Nominee Information Sheet. Fill out the form, ensuring that all information is accurate.  Upload the completed form (PDF) into your application.
• Ensure your ACRB is accurate prior to submitting your application. Your assignment history, training, education, and certification must match the information on your resume. Your ACRB must reflect any degrees you have obtained and the name of the school and year your degrees were completed.  Applicants may update and correct specific fields of their ACRB using the edit ACRB functions within CAPPMIS.  For those areas that cannot be changed by the applicant, the applicant may request assistance in updating their ACRB using the online help request at: https://rda.altess.army.mil/camp/index.cfm?fuseaction=support.helpRequest. Please check the small box next to the ACRB verification link in the application to verify your ACRB is correct.If this block is not checked, you will receive an error message when you attempt to submit your application.

• Statement of Interest: Please download the Statement of Interest. Fill in the information and upload your completed Statement of Interest (PDF) into your application.  The Statement of Interest should not repeat information in the resume, information sheet or any other materials submitted for the program. Rather, it should focus on why you should be selected as a participant in DCELP.  Address, in 500 words or less, the following:
  • What you consider to be your major strengths and qualifications for DCELP
  • The contributions you will add/bring to the program
  • How will attending DCELP fits into your professional career development plan
  • The return on investment to your Component/organization and to DOD
• Supervisor Assessment: Please download the DCELP Supervisor Assessment. Your immediate supervisor will need to fill in the appropriate information on pages 1-2 and in one location on page 3.  Your second level supervisor will need to sign on page 2. NOTE: This is one of the most important documents during the board review process, therefore it is imperative that the Supervisory Narrative on page 2 be detailed and well-written, addressing the proficiencies on page 1. You (the applicant) will also have to sign on page 3 noting you understand the program requirements. After you have received digital and/or hand signatures on all sections, upload the assessment into your application in AAPDS.  If the form is not editable, please write/type in the information, scan the form, and upload it (PDF) into your application.
• DCELP Resume: Please download the resume sample. Create your Resume using 12 point New Times Roman font with 1 inch margins and a maximum of 6 pages. Upload your Resume (PDF into your application.
• Current SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action:Upload your current SF-50 (PDF) into your application in AAPDS.
• CES Course Certificate of Completion or copy of CHRTAS Course Credit Documentation: You must upload into your application the appropriate CES documentation. For GS-07 through GS-09 (or equivalent payband): CES Basic Course Certificate of Completion or CHRTAS equivalency credit documentation for the CES Basic Course. For CES Basic, EITHER the Distance Learning Course OR the Resident Course must be completed. For GS-10 through GS-12 (or equivalent payband): CES Intermediate Course Certificate of Completion or CHRTAS equivalency credit documentation for the CES Intermediate Course. For CES Intermediate, BOTH the Distance Learning (Phase 1) AND the Resident Course (Phase 2) must be completed. Uploaded document must be PDF. If you have obtained equivalency credit for the respective CES course, you may find your CHRTAS equivalency credit documentation at https://www.atrrs.army.mil/channels/chrtas/student/main.aspx. You will have to log into the website and click the “CES Eligibility and Completion Status” link. If the report shows that you have equivalency for the required CES course, please upload a legible copy of the report (PDF) into your application.
• Command Endorsement Memorandum (CEM): Please review the CEM sample.  Your CEM is limited to one page and must include all of the following:
  • Be signed by and from the applicant’s first GS-15 (or equivalent payband) or Colonel in their chain of command
  • Be on organizational letterhead
  • Be addressed to the following (but DO NOT MAIL): Director Acquisition Career Management, 9900 Belvoir Road, Fort Belvoir, VA  22060
  • Be unique to the specific applicant
  • List top 3 qualities of the applicant
  • Directly comment on the applicant’s leadership ability and potential, how DCELP will help the applicant achieve their potential, and how the Army will benefit from their participation
  • Be digitally or physically signed and dated by the required completing official
  • When complete, upload your CEM (PDF) into your application in AAPDS.
• Continued Service Agreement (CSA): Please download the CSA. You must physically or digitally sign and date the CSA.  Do not change the dates (1 June 2021 to 30 May 2022) that have already been entered for you. Upload the completed CSA (PDF) into your application in AAPDS.  Incorrectly completed CSAs will be returned to the applicant for correction.
  • Army Acquisition Civilians selected to participate in DCELP must complete an Agreement to Continue in Service before assignment to the training. Employee will be denied training if he/she fails to sign a CSA and include it in this application.  A signed copy of the agreement must be maintained in the organization’s case file.
  • The period of continued service obligation is equal to three times the length of the training period. For example, if the training period is one year, the obligated continued service would be three years (one year times three.)
  • An employee is required to continue in service for three times the amount of time the employee participated in the program even if the employee voluntarily drops out of the program. The determination on whether or not an employee is involuntarily removed from the program (e.g. for performance related issues) to continue service will be decided on a case-by-case basis.
  • Supervisors at all levels are charged to protect the Government’s interests should an employee fail to successfully fulfill his/her signed training agreement by not completing the continued service obligation. Supervisors, or a designated official, will review the status and circumstances of each unexpired agreement to decide whether to transfer, waive or require repayment of expenses incurred other than salary costs.
  • Reimbursement is required upon departure from the Federal Government prior to completion of the service agreement. Training costs include course tuition, per diem (meals), and travel (TDY funds).  Salary and benefits are not included in the cost of training.  If the employee fails to complete the obligated service period, action can be taken to recover training costs.  The USAASC DACM Office has the option of recovering the cost of training by setoff against accrued pay, compensation, retirement credit, or other monies due the employee if the employee fails to serve in the Federal Government for the agreed amount of time.
  • In accordance with the USAASC DCELP Policy and Procedures, students will be required to reimburse the government for session travel costs if the student does not successfully graduate from DCELP. Students will be required to reimburse the government within 30 days of notification.  If payment is not received within the specified time, the participant’s supervisor will be informed of the debt their employee owes to the government.

SELECTION PROCESS

The Army DACM Office will administer a Board to review and rate applications.  Applicants will be notified of the status of their application after final results have been approved by DOD in the September 2020 timeframe.

DCELP NEWS

CONTACT

(for Army Acquisition only)
Ms. Kristine Faria
Army DACM Office
Comm: (703) 664-5743
DSN: 654-5743
Email:  kristine.e.faria2.civ@mail.mil
If you are not a member of the Army Acquisition Workforce, please visit https://www.dcpas.osd.mil/CTD/Training for more information.