Are You Ready? OJT

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Tabitha Dupas
  • 403rd Wing Public Affairs
KEESLER AFB, BILOXI MS --  This is part 3 of 3 in a series on 403rd Wing readiness.

It is important that Citizen Airmen are qualified in the jobs they are assigned; education and on-the-job training ensure they are prepared.

Career development courses are the foundation provided to Airmen and they go hand-in-hand with OJT.

"CDC's are the knowledge side of the Airmen's Air Force Specialty Code," said Staff Sgt. Amanda Flores, 403rd Wing education services coordinator. "These courses are important for Airmen to progress in their career, make rank and become deployable."

Education affords Airmen the opportunity to grow within their career field. "When Airmen are getting the education, they are progressing through their career," said Senior Master Sgt. Edrick Haynes, 41st Aerial Port Squadron air transportation superintendent. "This can keep them from getting stagnant."

According to Sergeant Flores, Airmen can go to their supervisors or unit training managers to find out what they need to do to increase in skill level or be eligible for promotion. The skill level is the level of job proficiency each member obtains.

"To obtain each skill level, different things are required," explained Sergeant Flores. "There are not only CDCs, but there is on-the-job training and schools. Each AFSC requires different things. Reservists can take advantage of the seasonal training program for OJT."

Seasonal training is completed after Airmen have attended technical school.

"UTA weekends are very busy and its hard to get any job training or qualifications taken care of," said Sergeant Haynes. "We allow our Airmen to come in on 90-day orders after they return from schooling to help them learn their job. During this time, we can sign off on critical tasks."

Besides the seasonal training program, different career fields offer temporary duty assignments and deployments to help Airmen increase their understanding of and confidence in the job.

"People learn in different ways," said Sergeant Flores. "Having the education behind OJT makes Airmen well-rounded in understanding their job."

When it comes to being individually prepared in a specific career field, there are plenty of resources available to help Airmen obtain the critical skills necessary to complete the mission.

"Every group in each area of the big picture should be able to complete their task," explained Sergeant Haynes. "If there is a breakdown with one Airman in the system, it will effect the mission as a whole."