March Integration week offers something for everyone

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. C. Michaela Judge
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HANSCOM AFB, Mass. --  Participation in this quarter's Integration Week just goes to show that education and training is an area Hanscom personnel continue to take very seriously.

More than 800 attendees took part in one or more of the 60 courses that were offered March 11 through 14.

The courses covered a variety of topics ranging from leadership and noncommissioned officer perspectives to career specific classes earning personnel continuous learning points, said Amanda Currier, Electronic Systems Center University consultant.

"One useful course that was provided to personnel was the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System training, which covered CPARS policy, workflow processes, automation, new features and helpful hints - all important aspects to familiarize personnel with the system," Ms. Currier said.

While some courses were specific to a certain career field or group, several were open to the entire community and offered topics in the area of self-improvement. One such course included retired Air Force colonel and former ESC program director Al Moseley's class on leadership.

Mr. Moseley's leadership course, titled 'Be a Better Leader,' challenged attendees to build a working definition of leadership, examined the motives of leaders and followers and looked at how to become a better leader.

Some of the other classes offered in the area of self-help included ergonomics training, a time management course, a senior NCO perspective course and one on job hunting among many others.

While some classes were presented in more of a briefing format, others included hands on training to further aid in learning and comprehension.

For instance, the Acquisition Schedule Management course, taught by Mike Mullen from Brooks City-Base, Texas, provided participants the opportunity to learn ASM through developing a schedule using Microsoft Project, Ms. Currier said.

"This training helped participants understand the importance of acquisition schedules, how to develop a realistic schedule, and how to manage their acquisition to meet that schedule," she said.

As with most Integration Weeks, acquisition professional development courses on subjects such as cost estimating and acquisition decision-making, and sessions covering the Net-Centricity series were also offered.

"Overall, the week was a success and offered personnel a chance to expand their knowledge on various subjects. The training activities not only aid our acquisition community to adapt to the changing acquisition environment, but they also create and reinforce a learning culture for personnel in numerous career fields to better equip them to be more effective in their jobs," she said.

The next Integration Week is scheduled for June 9 to 13. Registration to attend classes will open via Hanscom's CenterNet as the date approaches.

"It is important that those who register for a course either attend the course or cancel their registration in the system prior to the beginning of the session. Generally there is always room for last minute sign-ups or even walk-ins," Ms. Currier said.

Individuals interested in teaching a class during Integration week should contact Ms. Currier at 781-377-3249 or e-mail her at Amanda.Currier@hanscom.af.mil to begin the process.