New course benefits civilians professionally Published Feb. 27, 2006 By Capt. Paul D. Baldwin Air Force Materiel Command Public Affairs WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Air Force Materiel Command civilian professional development will take a leap forward when Mrs. Barbara A. Westgate, AFMC executive director, unveils the AFMC Orientation Course during a March 3 video teleconference from Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. The course made its debut at AFMC headquarters here in August 2005 in a test phase of one of its modules. Module 4, Air Force Core Values, is the only section of the course taught in a classroom. The other four modules are taught online and can be viewed from a computer with Internet access. In a memo announcing the course's implementation, Mrs. Westgate said she is happy with the results and is excited to be an advocate for the course. "I had the opportunity to review the videos and online training and they are very well done," she said. "This is a key step in making new employees feel welcome and ensuring they are able to be productive members of the Air Force and AFMC. "Our military colleagues have always had this experience in Basic Military Training or commissioning sources, but our civilian hires were left on their own to learn as they went," Mrs. Westgate said. "Now, our civilian work force will have this same opportunity." Together, the five modules make up part one of the course, or Spiral 1. The modules are Air Force Heritage and Today, AFMC Heritage and Today, Air Force Customs and Courtesies, Air Force Core Values and Air Force Core Competencies. The course will take about eight hours to complete, including the classroom portion, Mrs. Westgate said. The course is significant for AFMC because its work force is nearly 70 percent Air Force civilians. However, several other commands have requested information about the course, Mrs. Westgate said. "The AFMC Orientation Course has been adopted as the Air Force model and an implementation plan is being developed," she said. Professional development of Air Force civilians has been a priority for AFMC, and has received renewed emphasis from Gen. Bruce Carlson, AFMC commander. Along with continuous process improvement and health and wellness of the work force, General Carlson has said that education and training are vital to success and continuous improvement in the command. "We need people who are healthy, educated, trained ... and ready to accomplish the mission," General Carlson wrote in an August 2005 Commander's Log to AFMC people. "We need people of honor, courage, and commitment, (and) we must make it a priority to build those traits within the people we lead ... through training and personal example." The civilian orientation course will be offered to all AFMC civilians. "The target audience is new civilian hires," said Sherre Collier, chief of Leadership Development in the AFMC headquarters Personnel Directorate, which spearheaded the course's development. "But it will also be available to the current work force as well." The online portions of the course will be available for registration through the Air Force Portal and the Knowledge Now Web sites after the March 3 video teleconference. AFMC bases will schedule and advertise classes locally for the Air Force Core Values module. "Some bases may add the classes to existing orientation programs," Ms. Collier said. Civilians will be awarded the new Air Force civilian pin upon completion of the first five modules of the course. The pin is about the size of a nickel, pewter in color, and is dominated by the Air Force symbol. It recognizes the pride and dedication in civil service and a commitment to civilian professional development, Ms. Collier said. Spiral 2 of the course should begin development in April, with testing and delivery scheduled for October 2006, Mrs. Westgate said. Spiral 2 consists of an additional three modules: Force Development, Work-force Health, Safety and Security, and Personnel Administration.