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Professional improvement is continuous. It includes certification training and a variety of continuous learning activities that serve to increase the performance capabilities as an acquisition professional. Individual goals that support continuous learning may include the following:
- Learning about new acquisition, technology and initiatives
- Staying current on changes in a career field
- Completing training for higher certification levels
- Learning something about, or becoming certified, in other career fields
- Completing a degree program
- Broadening experience and expanding technical expertise
- Developing new leadership and management skills
Most workforce members will participate in a combination of continuous learning activities. These activities can be characterized as one of the following:
The following sections and the Recommended Continuous Learning Point Award table describe the guidelines for determining Continuous Learning Points (CLPs). However, these are only guidelines. The supervisor and the workforce member, should use these guidelines to determine points credited for any given training or developmental activity that has not been predetermined by the sponsoring activity.
When experience or other non-assessed activities are to be used to earn CLPs, they must follow certain principles and procedures. Supervisors and employees should pre-define, as closely as possible, the tasks to be accomplished, expected outcomes, and the learning opportunities. If it is an assignment, the individual should be mentored during the assignment. Accomplishment of a product, such as a briefing, a project design, a report, or other work product that shows the learning attained, is desirable. Sharing the knowledge and experience gained and the product with others in the organization should be highly encouraged.
Training Activities
- Career field certification training is required by the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) and is the most important facet of professional training for the workforce member. It should be the priority for those not certified to the level of their assignment. However, there are times, such as those while waiting for a class date or fulfilling the experience time requirements after training is complete, when other continuous learning activities are appropriate.
- For professional growth and preparation for other opportunities, workforce members should always strive to achieve Level III certification in his or her career field as well as certifications in multiple career fields. However, funding for certification training above that required for the position or for career fields other than the one identified with the position is not normally available from resources other than what may be available within the member’s parent command. In all cases, DAU courses taken towards career field certification will count for CLPs.
- In addition to DAU courses, examples of continuous learning activities include:
- Completing awareness training. Periodically DoD and the Components conduct briefing sessions to acquaint the workforce with new or changed acquisition policy. However, this does not have any testing or assessment of knowledge.
- Completing learning modules and training courses. These may be formal or informal offerings from a recognized training organization, including in-house training course/sessions or personnel demonstration projects, which include some form of testing/assessment for knowledge gained. If a course has been awarded Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for the successful completion, then these CEU should be used as the guide for awarding CLPs. The CEUs can be converted to points at 10 points per CEU.
- Performing Self-Directed Study. An individual can keep current or enhance his or her capabilities through a self-directed study program agreed to by the supervisor.
- Teaching. Acquisition workforce members are encouraged to share their knowledge and insights with others through teaching of courses or learning modules. Teaching is also a part of the Professional Activities category.
- Mentoring. Helping others to learn and become more productive workers or managers benefits DoD and the individuals involved. Mentoring is also a part of the Experience category.
Educational Activities
- A workforce's continued development through formal educational programs at institutions of higher learning is encouraged. For formal academic programs offered by educational institutions, each semester hour is equal to 15 CLPs and each quarter hour is equal to 10 CLPs. Accordingly, a 3 semester college credit course would be equal to 45 CLPs.
- When a workforce member's IDP is prepared, the supervisor determines which courses are appropriate for awarding CLPs. For example, an engineer who is taking an accounting class for a Masters of Business Administration degree probably would get full credit for the semester hours. On the other hand, if the engineer is taking courses not related to current or future duties, the courses would not be counted as continuous learning.
Experience
- The Experience category includes on-the-job experiential assignments, intra/inter-organizational rotational career broadening and developmental experiences, mentoring, and serving on a special project or IPT outside normal duty requirements. Supervisors and employees must use discretion in arriving at a reasonable point value to be awarded for rotational and developmental assignments. The assumption is that longer assignments are more beneficial than shorter assignments. The supervisor may feel that an individual may deserve more or less than the values shown. In determining the points for a rotational/ developmental assignment, the supervisor should consider both the long-term benefit to DoD, and the immediate benefit to the supervisor’s organization and the workforce member. For example, a second rotational assignment of the same sort would be less valuable than a different type of rotational assignment.
- Points are also earned when documenting proficiency achievements through the validation of Acquisition Workforce Qualification Initiative (AWQI) tasks in support of mission assignments. Task(s) must be validated by an independent subject matter expert (SME) attesting to the fact that the workforce member has met the AWQI standard. Like other options within the Experience category, supervisors and employees must use discretion in arriving at a reasonable point value for the area of proficiency. Most often, the area of proficiency being validated should be valued at one point for every associated task. More complex tasks may warrant more points not to exceed three.
Professional Activities
- Participating in Organization Management: Although membership alone in a professional organization will not be considered as fulfilling continuous learning requirements, participation in the organization leadership will. This includes, when they meet the restrictions in DoD 5500.7-R (Joint Ethics Regulation), elected/appointed positions, committee leadership roles, or running an activity for the organization.
- Attending, Speaking, Presenting at Professional Seminars, Symposia, or Conferences: A workforce member can receive points for attending professional seminars or conferences. However, the supervisor needs to determine that the individual learned something meaningful from the experience. Because speakers and lecturers require time to prepare their lecture or presentation, the entire process from conception to formal presentation should get full credit for each hour involved.
- Publishing: Articles for publication normally will meet the criteria for continuous learning. Points will be awarded only in the year published. Compliance with DoD publication policy is required.
- Participating in Workshops: Points should be awarded for workshops with planned learning outcomes.
- Professional Examination, License or Certificate: These activities include passing the CPA exam; licensing as a Professional Engineer; receiving certification as a Professional Contracts Manager or Federal Contracts Manager from the National Contract Management Association; or receiving Project Manager Certification from the Project Management Institute. CLPs will be credited only in the year initially awarded.
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