PME completion deadline crucial for career advancement

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Mozer O. Da Cunha
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
Courses 14 and 15 are scenario-based comprehensive courses designed to provide NCOs and Senior NCOs with the foundation required for future in-residence leadership experiences, but each come with a 12-month time limit for completion.

“The first groups of NCOs and Senior NCOs required to complete the course received notification from Air Force Personnel Center between June and July of last year [2015],” said Master Sgt. Jeffery Jewell, 2nd Force Support Squadron base education and training manager. “Now as the deadline approaches, we still have Airmen that are due to complete the requirement.”

Automated notifications sent by AFPC must be acknowledged both via myPers and Air University prior to beginning the course, but the countdown begins immediately, regardless of acknowledgement.

“We encountered situations where Airmen completed the required PME and didn’t acknowledge the myPers notification, causing career setbacks,” said Senior Master Sgt. Tameka Morales-Long, Air Force Global Strike Command enlisted force development program manager. “Acknowledgment of both of those notifications is crucial to avoiding a red mark in your records.”

Once enrolled, Airmen are encouraged to complete the requirement without delay. The structure of these courses is not content memorization, but rather concept application.

“End of course exams for the new courses will not resemble the usual tests Airmen have grown accustomed to,” Morales-Long said. “During EOC, students need to apply newly-acquired knowledge to solve a variety of scenario-based problems. Therefore, engaging the reading material early on will give students more time to understand the concepts and absorb the information required for the EOC.”

Students are also reminded that deadlines are based off AFPC’s timeframe, not Air University’s.

“Enrollment with Air University just signifies that you’ve started the course,” Morales-Long said. “Requesting extensions with Air University does not change AFPC’s deadline, only extensions approved by AFPC will expand the timeframe.”

Airmen face consequences if PME is not completed within the deadline.

“Failure to complete the requirement within the timeframe could be potentially catastrophic for your career,” Jewell said. “It’s important to not place yourself in a situation where you can’t promote or possibly have your line number pulled in addition to being barred from re-enlistment.”

“It would be tough to place your career at risk, especially when you can control it; all it takes is reading some material and applying that knowledge in the EOC before the closeout date. While it can be time consuming, it’s nothing compared to being out of a job that you love,” Jewell added.