The ACTEDS plan is a systematic, competency-based approach to providing technical, professional, managerial, and leadership training to civilian personnel at appropriate times in their careers. Competencies are the occupational-based knowledge, skills, and abilities required for successful and acceptable job performance. Training opportunities are offered to provide careerists with an effective mix of formal training, on-the-job training, education, sequential developmental assignments, and various self-development activities. The ACTEDS Plan describes the education, training and professional development that should result in the careerists attaining the competencies necessary for successful career progression within CP-18. CP-18 makes maximum use of structures and relationships already established in the blend of technical, supervisory, managerial and leadership positions and training in the engineers and scientists (resources and construction) category.

This ACTEDS program provides the structure for assuring that civilians in CP-18 occupations receive the training and development and training necessary to fill assignments identified as "key positions", and that maximum productivity is reached with the scarce resources. Specifically, it assures that those careerists who aspire to obtain key positions will have the opportunities for developmental assignments to broaden their career skills and knowledge, which will help prepare for career progression.