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Nominations sought for OC-ALC’s free training program

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  • By Kevan Goff-Parker

 Nominations for the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex’s Production and Operations Management training program will be accepted August 6-17. The POM program training will begin in January 2019. The OC-ALC pays 100 percent of attendees’ tuition and books and the program is administered by the Southeastern Oklahoma State University faculty.

 Dr. Wynell Neece, consultant and program analyst for the OC-ALC, said the voluntary, competitive training program began nearly two years ago, after OC-ALC leadership determined the base needed to provide an additional level of expertise in production and operations management.

 The training program addresses current and/or future corporate shaping and development strategies and goals. Most of the classes are held at Tinker AFB in Bldg. 201, with some classes at Rose State College in Midwest City.

 “The POM program is designed to help individuals to really understand today’s work in production and operations management,” Neece said. “Although the POM program isn’t a college degree program, it is attractive to participants because when they complete the two-year program, they will generally have gained enough credits to potentially complete a bachelor’s degree.”

 She said to self-nominate for the program individuals must have an associate’s degree in science or an associate’s degree in arts or earned 62 to 64 credit hours towards a bachelor’s degree.

 “There are a variety of applicants that come from a wide variety of backgrounds, including some of the lower grade employees to individuals who are already supervisors,” Neece said. “Their associate’s degree can be in just about anything as long as they have enough credits to satisfy Southeastern Oklahoma State University’s requirements,” Neece said.

She said nominations will be accepted only if the nominees are assigned to OC-ALC in a Consolidated Sustainment Activity Group-M funded position and work full time. The program is not open to individuals who have already earned a bachelor’s degree. 

“Everyone who is elected into the program will be lockstep and attend classes together for the duration of the two-year program,” Neece said.

 Participants take two classes per each eight-week session on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 to 10 p.m.

 Neece said the program is now in its third year and there are currently 16 people participating. The first group of eight should complete their training before the end of the year.

 “Because management wants to build on this profession in production and operations management, they will probably be in demand to a degree,” she said. “The whole genesis of this training came about because leadership determined they just didn’t have this kind of detailed knowledge, especially leaders in the program, but we didn’t limit this to just leaders and supervisors.

 “The POM program is so that individuals will have the ability to gain this knowledge so they will be more marketable and be able to expand on their careers.”

 Neece said once individuals have applied for the program and it is determined they qualify; they are then vetted by their organization. Leadership then has to approve them to go forward and a senior panel reviews the top candidates and makes their decision based on an interview process.

 “The participants have voiced their appreciation for the POM program and the coursework, and these are individuals with full-time, demanding jobs and practically all of them have either young children or teenage children,” Neece said.

Selection criteria includes:

Degree review from SEOSU

Points for GPA

Employee written statement; supervisor rating on competencies (teamwork, communications, organizational skills, customer focus, initiative and problem solving)

Organizational recommendation

Finalist interview

 For more information on how to obtain an application packet and instructions, contact Dr. Neece, POM Program point of contact at 734-3300.