TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Human Resources personnel within Air Force Sustainment Center now have an opportunity to broaden their perspectives through a new career enhancement program that will allow them to experience diverse aspects of the career field in a different organization.
“It’s really an opportunity to expand the horizons of our HR community members,” said Venita White, Workforce Development Program Sustainment lead. “It gives them an avenue to learn more about the broader career field, eliminate silo thinking, and make networks outside of their job series.”
Participants accepted to the career broadening program will spend one year detailed to a different organization within HR starting October 1. While not guaranteed, placement into a preferred area is strongly considered, White said.
Applications for the program are being accepted from AcqDemo employees August 1 -12 and early next year for DPMAP employees.
Loretta Fort, AFSC Workforce Development, participated in the pilot program hoping to broaden her scope, be challenged and learn more about center-level HR.
“I felt like there was a lot more I could do, but I didn’t have the opportunity,” Fort said. “I was more familiar at the tactical level working with maintenance and this was another level of thinking strategically.”
She moved from a position in a training office at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex to the Air Force Sustainment Center Workforce Development Office, where she accepted a permanent position when it became available.
Fort encourages people to apply for the Career Enhancement Program. “Step out of your comfort zone. You never know where it’s going to lead you,” she said. “One thing it will do is broaden your perspective, give you an idea of how the whole mission comes together, and you will get more exposure of thought.”
White said the program strives to place personnel in areas that will help them achieve some skillsets that are not their current strengths so they will be able to experience development in that area.
Education and Training, Personnel Programs, Manpower, Employee Relations, Labor Relations and Workforce Development are the areas currently participating in employee trades. How many candidates are selected for the program depends on how many trades the organizations can accommodate, White said.
Personnel from Hill, Robins and Tinker Air Force Bases who are coded as Force Support and Human Resources are eligible if they are a GS-11 or NH-02 with a minimum of 24 months in their permanent position or a GS-12 or NH-03 with a minimum of 12 months in their permanent position.
For more details and to apply, visit the HR-CEP SharePoint