ACQUISITION EDUCATION, TRAINING AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
CLOSING SOON: ACQUISITION TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Applications are being accepted until March 5 for the Army Acquisition Tuition Assistance Program (ATAP). ATAP provides tuition assistance to eligible Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW) civilians and Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) 51 Contracting (51C) noncommissioned officers (NCOs). This is your chance to take acquisition- or business-related courses in a declared major toward either a bachelor’s or master’s degree at an accredited college or university of your choice during off-duty time. The Army DACM Office is the sponsor of the ATAP and will fund tuition costs (laboratory and technology fees) within specified funding limits. Book fees, graduation fees, registration fees, general fees, course materials and travel expenses are not funded by ATAP. A copy of the ATAP announcement can be obtained from the website below. It is highly recommended that you print out a copy of the ATAP announcement, read it thoroughly and have it available as you prepare your application. All applications must be submitted using the Army Acquisition Professional Development System (AAPDS) within the Career Acquisition Personnel and Position Management Information System (CAPPMIS) at https://apps.asc.army.mil/camp/. Detailed instructions for completing the application are contained in the ATAP announcement at
https://asc.army.mil/web/career-development/programs/acquisition-tuition-assistance-program/.
DEFENSE ACQUISITION UNIVERSITY SENIOR SERVICE COLLEGE FELLOWSHIP (DAU-SSCF)
Applications to the DAU-SSCF are being accepted until March 17. The DAU-SSCF program is a 10-month educational and leadership development opportunity sponsored by the Director of Acquisition Career Management (DACM) Office and conducted under the auspices of DAU at Huntsville, Alabama, and Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, and new this year is a Virtual Cohort seminar. DAU-SSCF provides leadership and acquisition training to prepare senior level (GS-14 to -15 or broadband equivalent) civilians for leadership roles such as Product and Project Director/Manager, Deputy Program Executive Officer and other key acquisition leadership positions. To find out more about the DAU-SSCF, go to https://asc.army.mil/web/career-development/programs/defense-acquisition-university-senior-service-college/.
OPEN NOW: THE SENIOR ENTERPRISE TALENT MANAGEMENT (SETM) AND ENTERPRISE TALENT MANAGEMENT (ETM) PROGRAMS
Now through May 15, the SETM and ETM programs are open for applications. These Army talent management programs are designed to produce senior civilian leaders with an enterprise perspective and the potential to serve in positions of increasing levels of responsibility. A variety of exceptional professional development, senior-leader education and experiential learning opportunities are available for eligible candidates at GS-12 through GS-15 (and equivalent pay bands). More details can be found at https://asc.army.mil/web/career-development/programs/setm-etm/.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
FY21 PRODUCT DIRECTOR CENTRALIZED SELECTION BOARD RESULTS
Congratulations to the eight selectees of the FY21 Product Director Centralized Selection Board. The following is a list of the final FY21 Product Director selectees:
- Benton Gady, Cyber Infrastructure, Program Executive Office (PEO) Simulation, Training and Instrumentation, Orlando, Florida.
- Patrick Miller, Field Artillery Launchers, PEO Missiles and Space (M&S), Huntsville, Alabama.
- Michael Payne, Army Human Resource Systems, PEO Enterprise Information Systems, Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
- Everett Roper, Joint Tactical Ground Station, PEO M&S, Huntsville, Alabama.
- Michael Sawyers, Air Ground Support Equipment, PEO Aviation, Huntsville, Alabama.
- Ronald Stephens, JAVELIN, PEO M&S, Huntsville, Alabama.
- Christopher Upton, International & Transport Aircraft, PEO Aviation, Huntsville, Alabama.
- Jack Wilson, Joint Biological Tactical Detection Systems, Joint PEO Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.
The FY21 Product Director Centralized Selection Board is a civilian-centric board and a high priority talent management initiative. The board’s purpose is to identify high-performing civilians possessing leadership potential to fill civilian product director positions commensurate with their military counterparts, ensuring the Army meets the future needs of our Soldiers. Talent management for the Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW) is a high priority for the Army DACM and the Army Acquisition Executive (AAE), with the goal of placing the right people in the right jobs with the right skills at the right time. For more information about this career development program, go to https://asc.army.mil/web/career-development/prod-dir/.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEW 51C NCOS
A big round of applause goes to the 31 active duty and reserve noncommissioned officers (NCOs) reclassified into the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) 51 Contracting (51C). The NCO contracting corps offers a promising career path and the opportunity to serve in a variety of locations. Candidates selected for reclassification learn a new craft and gain valuable transferable skills through the training, education and professional development opportunities of the MOS. The accession process is competitive yet rewarding. 51C NCOs are responsible for providing procurement support and serving as a business adviser for the Army contracting mission. To see a list of all the selectees, read the original 51C NCO reclassification results article at https://asc.army.mil/web/news-51c-reclassification-results-2/. For more details on the 51C NCO Reclassification program, visit https://asc.army.mil/web/career-development/military-nco/active-component-reclass-program/.
IMPLEMENTATION IS COMPLETE FOR THE ARMY ACQUISITION WORKFORCE RECRUITMENT AND SUSTAINMENT CENTER OF EXCELLENCE
In September of 2019, the Director of Acquisition Career Management (DACM) Office and the Civilian Human Resources Agency (CHRA) announced a partnership for the creation of the Army Acquisition Workforce Recruitment and Sustainment Center of Excellence (AAW R&S COE). The center’s mission is to address the hiring challenges facing our civilian acquisition community by supporting an integrated strategy to recruit, hire, sustain and retain our best and brightest talent to meet current and future Army Acquisition Workforce requirements.
We are excited to announce that the year-long AAW R&S COE implementation plan is complete and the center is now diligently serving the acquisition workforce. We are also pleased to present new AAW R&S COE branding that represents the level of excellence that the organization provides throughout the personnel lifecycle.
Find the latest information at the center’s website: https://asc.army.mil/web/dacm-office/aawrs/.
DEFENSE ACQUISITION UNIVERSITY (DAU) NEWS
BTB FUNCTIONAL AREA RESTRUCTURING
DOD is making significant changes to the current acquisition workforce framework with the implementation of the Back-to-Basics 21st Century Acquisition Workforce Talent Management Framework (BTB). The Sept. 2, 2020, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment memorandum, “Back-to-Basics for the Defense Acquisition Workforce,” streamlines the current acquisition career field structure into six functional areas: Business Financial Management / Cost Estimating; Contracting; Engineering & Technical Management; Life Cycle Logistics; Program Management; and Test & Evaluation. Note: Business Financial Management and Business Cost Estimating will have separate certification tracks. Full implementation of the new framework is planned for no later than October 1, 2021, but will be incrementally implemented early if segments of the framework are DOD approved and ready. The Army DACM Office is extensively engaged in BTB implementation planning and is working closely with DOD, DAU, acquisition functional representatives and our sister services to transition the acquisition workforce as seamlessly as possible into the new construct. To date, two functional areas have provided official guidance on their restructuring to align with BTB: Contracting and Program Management. Stay informed of functional area changes as they evolve, on our website: https://asc.army.mil/web/dacm-office/back-to-basics/.
Additionally, DAU has begun to redirect faculty resources to support the Back-to-Basics Acquisition Workforce Framework. To date, the following courses have been canceled:
NEW PREREQUISITE REQUIREMENT FOR PMT 4010
Beginning in FY22, EXE 4000V (Problem Solving for Tomorrow’s Defense Leaders) and EXE 4050V (Optimizing Possibilities) will be mandatory prerequisites for the PMT 4010 Program Management Course. Each of the EXE courses is a week-long virtual instructor-led training so they may be taken without the need for travel. Courses do not have to be taken sequentially, however, it is recommended that the student take EXE 4000V first. In an effort to ensure our Centrally Selected List (CSL) acquisition officers successfully complete these prerequisites, the Army DACM Office will prioritize reservations for EXE courses so that those requiring PMT 4010 to fulfill the training requirements of their position are given seats first. For more details, refer to the PMT 4010 course description page in DAU’s catalog at: https://icatalog.dau.edu/onlinecatalog/courses.aspx?crs_id=12461.
POLICY
FY21 MANDATORY ANNUAL ETHICS TRAINING FOR THE ARMY ACQUISITION WORKFORCE
On Feb. 8, the Army Director of Acquisition Career Management signed a memorandum titled “Mandatory Annual Ethics Training for the Army Acquisition Workforce.” This memorandum provides supplemental guidance on reinforcing the requirement that all Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW) professionals complete ethics training. The memo also establishes the end of each fiscal year, Sept. 30, as the annual ethics training suspense date. Please note that this is a significant change from the previous annual suspense date of Dec. 31.
CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE: Track your annual ethics training completion by planning ahead in your official system of record. For most AAW professionals, training completion data is tracked through your Individual Development Plan (IDP) within the Career Acquisition Personnel and Position Management Information System (CAPPMIS), found in the Career Acquisition Management Portal (CAMP) at https://apps.asc.army.mil/camp/. When planning annual ethics training through your IDP, be sure to select the “ETH2021” option. Please refer to the memo’s enclosure for specific instructions on how to receive completion credit through your IDP.
If your system of record happens to be the Total Employee Development (TED) database, then be sure to select “MAN-ETH21” when planning your training.
AAW professionals should mark their completion by selecting the right ethics training course number in whichever database they use to track their training (“ETH2021” for CAPPMIS and “MAN-ETH21” for TED).
The enclosure to this memorandum, located at https://asc.army.mil/web/ethics-training-policy/, outlines implementation guidelines by providing details on training options, tracking, completion credit and recording your ethics training completion.
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