AFPC automates civilian education application submission process

[The Patriot]

AFPC automates civilian education application submission process

03-07-2012 02:48 AM

Published:
Wed, 2012-03-07 10:45


AFPC automates civilian education application submission process


Heather Joy


AFPC automates civilian education application submission process

by Debbie Gildea
Air Force Personnel, Services and Manpower Public Affairs
Civilians who apply for developmental education programs will do so through the Air Force Personnel Services website this year, rather than via email or fax, Air Force Personnel Center officials announced.

Individuals interested in applying during the academic year 2013 civilian developmental education call for nominations will be directed to the AFPERS website where they can find and download all necessary forms. Once all the forms are completed and appropriate level signatures obtained, individuals will be required to upload their own application through the AFPERS website.

"This process is more efficient and cost effective, environmentally friendly and secure than the paper process used in past," said Joan Gudinas, AFPC civilian developmental education program manager.

To apply via AFPERS, civilians should go to the website (https://gum-crm.csd.disa.mil) and log in with their user identification and password or with the common access card.

Once in the civilian employee page, scroll down and select the "Force Development" link on the left side of the page. There, employees can access general information about the educational program or specific information germane to their developmental level, including application instructions and documents for each available program.

There are multiple programs listed by portfolio as well as general information and a tutorial called "Preparing an Effective Civilian Developmental Education Package," Gudinas said.

"If you aren't sure what you're interested in, browse through the programs and see what appeals to you in supporting your educational and career goals," Gudinas said.

When applicants select a portfolio, such as intermediate developmental education, they will see basic eligibility requirements, instructions for submitting waivers, and available programs. Selecting a specific program will open a window showing a list of required documents and forms, as well as the correct signatures required.

Once the package is ready to submit, applicants return to the specific program's home page and using the "click here" feature at the bottom of page, continue with the submittal process. Individuals can apply for up to three programs. Individuals who do apply for more than one program will have to submit their nomination for each program they've applied to using the "click here" feature on the individual program page.

"This process is going to save a lot of time and re-work," Gudinas said. "If a package does not upload, a red flag will appear to indicate that there's an error. If any documents are missing, incorrect, or signatures missing from the application, the leadership development office will make contact with the individual through AFPERS. In the past, we received hard-copy packages that were missing necessary elements, and that slowed down the process significantly."

If application packages are correctly uploaded, applicants will see, "Your civilian development application has been received by force development." After that, applicants can go to the "My Account" feature in AFPERS to check the application's status.

"Real people are keeping track of the process, too," Gudinas said. "If anything is amiss, a member of the leadership development team will leave a message for the applicant, and the applicant will be able to reply, all within the AFPERS site. To make sure they don't miss any messages, applicants should use the "My Account" feature to keep an eye on their submission status."

Once a package is complete and error free, the leadership development office will change its status from "open" to "ready for DT" to let people know their package has been quality-checked and is ready to be vectored by their developmental team.

"The process is really simple, and we'll keep an eye on submissions to make sure everyone is doing ok, but civilians eligible for and interested in CDE should log in to one of the webcasts in March to make sure they have a chance to see the process in action and ask questions," Gudinas advised.

Webcasts will be conducted at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. central standard time on the following dates for the grade groups specified:

• March 1: GS-14 and GS-15
• March 8: GS-12 and GS-13
• March 15, 21 and 29: GS-7 through GS-11

"AFPC leadership development programs are currently not offered to civilians GS-6 and below," Gudinas said. "Employees at that level should be concentrating on developing their technical skills, and should contact their local base training office for developmental opportunities."

To join a webcast, go to https://connect.dco.dod.mil/dpiwebcast. Registered users will enter their username and password. Others can log in as a guest and provide their full name and base.

"You can log in 45 minutes before the webcast begins, and because of technical issues, entry may be blocked after the webcast begins, or when the maximum number of viewers has joined," Gudinas said. "So don't wait until the last minute to log in or you may have to wait for the next session."

For more information about civilian developmental education opportunities, the new application process and other personnel issues, visit AFPERS at https://gum-crm.csd.disa.mil.







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