HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- Some federal civilian employees at Hill Air Force Base are now able to transfer skills learned through mandatory job training into credits that count toward an associate of science degree, by earning some college credits from nationally or regionally accredited colleges and universities.
The pilot program is a new initiative that assists Air Force civilian workers in earning a college degree.
The Air Force Sustainment Center’s team working an education initiative questioned why civilian workers did not get applied college credit when completing required military training as Airmen get for associate degrees with the Community College of the Air Force.
That’s when the concept began.
As part of the AFSC’s strategic goals to innovate, design, and deliver training, a civilian university model was proposed to further develop and advance the civilian workforce. The team met with higher education institutions to evaluate training and courses completed by federal civilians that could warrant college credits.
“We are so excited about this program because we see a value for blue-collar and technical workers,” said Rebecca Delgado, Hill’s senior academic analyst and education services officer. “If we can make this work for civilians like CCAF does for the military, we are improving careers and personal development for our employees.”
As the pilot program is just being established, criminal justice is the first associate degree program available to civilians.
The team is working with other colleges and universities to add additional degree programs. Currently in the accreditation process and expected to be available soon are degrees associated with non-destructive inspection, information technology and quality assurance.
The AFSC team is working to offer the same associates of science degrees as CCAF.
To assist with costs, employees may qualify for civilian tuition assistance. Then, employees can go directly to a nationally or regionally accredited college of choice and earn the remainder of their needed credits.
The program not only benefits the career of Air Force civilians in technical specialties, it also enhances mission readiness, contributes to recruiting and assists in retention.
“We anticipate this being a win-win,” said Ron Brown, the AFSC University Model team lead. “The pilot program is focused on a self-improvement opportunity for civilians and it begins an Air Force transformation from a vocational to a professional culture. Developmental opportunities not only build self-confidence, they also fortify a more engaged civilian force.”
As the team establishes the pilot program across AFSC, they will coordinate with the Air Force Materiel Command, Air Education and Training Command, and Air University on potentially establishing the program for civilian workers across the Air Force.
This article was originally published Feb. 16, 2021, but later corrected to emphasize that this is a pilot program and that the program is not free; however, civilian tuition assistance is available for employees who qualify.