Online tools help Airmen manage their careers
Posted 11/2/2011 Updated 11/1/2011
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by Debbie Gildea
Air Force Personnel, Services and Manpower Public Affairs
11/2/2011 - RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) -- There are a host of online tools available to help Airmen manage and grow their careers. Significant career development tools include My Development Plan, the Airman Development Plan and the Career Path Tool.
"If you don't use the tools, you may miss a lot of opportunities for education, development programs and mentorship," said Capt. Michael Quashne, the Air Force Development Information Technology Integration Branch chief. "In the past, Airmen spent hours locating sources, gathering data, filtering useful information, applying the information to their personal preferences and hoping that all of that information is still relevant. Now, they have MyDP, where everything relating to force development has been gathered, vetted and posted for them."
MyDP is tailored to each individual user based on career field, which allows users to see what the Air Force and the career field advise regarding education, training and experience.
"MyDP is a single source of the information Airmen need to make informed career and development decisions;" said 1st Lt. Joel Walker, the MyDP program manager. "It is the context in which Airmen make informed decisions about their assignment and development preferences."
In addition, users can take advantage of the discussion forums to learn more about a variety of interests while interacting with other members and leaders.
CPT is a new tool currently available for some commissioned Airmen (although it is scheduled to be available for the total force with initial capabilities expected in early 2012), officials said. CPT allows Airmen to see their past assignments, education and deployments, and to plan for future opportunities, all in the familiar career pyramid format.
"CPT lets you see what your career field managers think would be a good follow-on assignment, shows you metrics on education and experience of other members in your field, and more," said Quashne. "It's a skills and experience tracker as well, so career field managers can use it to identify members with special experience and tailor development tracks geared to meet future needs."
With the information they glean from CPT and MyDP, users will be better able to communicate their career goals and preferences in the ADP, the captain added.
"People who don't use MyDP run the risk of making decisions based on outdated information, incorrect data and even bad advice," Walker said. "Information in MyDP comes directly from sources you can rely on."
MyDP, ADP and CPT are accessible via the Air Force Portal Life and Career tab, force development menu. New users will be prompted to create an account before they can access the tools.
"MyDP, ADP and CPT are some of the most powerful tools in an Airman's toolbox," Quashne said. "They allow you to have a say in your career development, so taking advantage of them just makes sense."
For more information about the career development tools and other personnel issues, visit the Air Force personnel services website at https://gum-crm.csd.disa.mil.
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