HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center is hosting the first Focus Week of 2023 from Jan. 23-27.
Focus week is a quarterly opportunity for personnel to complete mandatory and discretionary leadership and acquisition training, along with the potential to earn continuous learning points.
“The AFLCMC environment has changed rapidly without pause, and Focus Week provides courses to help our workforce manage these changes while enhancing their career development,” said Jason Sibrel, program manager, AFLCMC Focus Week.
More than a hundred courses will be available, ranging from career and functional area-specific training and coaching to personal development classes.
Courses designed specifically for acquisition and program management personnel include Current Topics in Cyber for Air Force Weapon Systems, Spectrum Management for Acquisition Professionals, Program Manager Acquisition Process Model Overview Training, and an overview of Defense Contract Audit Agency Services.
Current Topics in Cyber for Air Force Weapon Systems is an online course offered from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (ET) Jan. 23. The workshop will bring together subject matter experts from the Cyber Resiliency Office for Weapons Systems, or CROWS, to educate and hold discussions on recent developments in weapon systems and cyber security. This course is worth seven continuous learning points.
For those who find themselves seeking information on various aspects of the acquisition process, Program Manager Acquisition Process Model, or APM, Overview Training is available this Focus Week. This one-hour course, worth one continuous learning point, provides an authoritative source on all the stages of the acquisition processes. This is an online course available from 11 a.m. to noon Jan. 24.
The Defense Contract Audit Agency Services, DCAA Services is a functional training class that will provide an overview of DCAA mission and responsibilities. In this course, students will learn the different products and services provided by DCAA, along with tips on when to request pre-award audit services. The presentation will also highlight the types of audit opinions that can be expressed within an audit report, and the services provided by financial liaison advisors. This course is targeted toward acquisition professionals in the contracting and program management career fields and is available online from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 24. DCAA Services is worth 1.5 continuous learning points.
Spectrum Management for Acquisition Professionals is designed to provide Air Force Materiel Command program personnel with an introduction to spectrum management processes and procedures. Currently scheduled from 9-11 a.m. Jan. 23, this course is worth two continuous learning points.
Multiple personal development opportunities are also available this Focus Week, including Leading Hybrid Teams and Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps.
Leading Hybrid Teams facilitators recognize the hybrid workforce is here to stay. Developed for both employees and supervisors, this course is dedicated to equipping participants with tools to help them communicate and excel in a hybrid or virtual team. Learning objectives in this course include building soft skills for leading and managing teams, employing hard skills to excel in virtual teams, team building in a virtual environment, communication in a hybrid or virtual environment, and sharpening skills to facilitate success in a virtual environment. Worth two continuous learning points, this course is available from Jan. 24 from 9:30-11:45 a.m. or Jan. 26 from 1:30-3:45 p.m.
In Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps, facilitators are focused on working with students to recognize the five mindtraps that stand in the way of becoming a better leader. These include rightness, simple stories, agreement, control, and ego. Worth 1.5 continuous learning points, Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps will be held from 11-noon Jan. 24.
Several courses are available in person, but most are hosted on platforms such as Zoom, Defense Collaboration Services, and Microsoft Teams, said Sibrel.
“A vast majority of the Focus Week courses are now held virtually and are open to the entire AFLCMC workforce, regardless of geographic location,” he continued. “Course attendance has increased dramatically as a result of the virtual learning environment.”
Attendance is open to military, civilian, and most contractor personnel, as long as the contract allows for the attendance of training and the course is open to all, he added.
For a list of all the courses and step-by-step instructions on how to register, visit the Focus Week course catalog by clicking here.
Registration for all courses is available on the Acquisition Now Continuous Learning website.
For questions or additional information, contact Jason.Sibrel@us.af.mil.