Vance professional development changing with force Published Nov. 2, 2006 By Master Sgt. Lee Phillips Career Assistance Advisor Vance Air Force Base -- Change, change and more change. It seems like every week there is more news about how our Air Force is changing. Author Alvin Toffler, in his book "Future Shock," states "The illiterate of the future are not those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn." There are a lot of changes coming to Vance, especially in the area of force development. Recently, our leadership has visited other bases, and there is a real interest across the Air Force on improving force development. With the growing costs of war and a need for infrastructure updates, Air Force leaders are looking hard at how to do more with less. A few times a year, our Air Force generals meet at Corona, the senior leader conference, to discuss important issues affecting our service. Several years ago, they decided there was a need to bring back the base career advisor position. As a result, the base career assistance advisor position was introduced to help wing leadership on retention issues and professional development of Airmen. The role of this position was not to replace the personnel office or supervisor responsibilities, although advisors do play an active role in educating and supporting leadership and supervisors around the wing. Vance is creating a new approach to force development that will target each of our Airmen tiers. The philosophy is to allow each tier to develop the one below it. Senior NCOs will develop NCOs, and in turn the NCOs will teach Airmen. However, in the future, professional development will include officer and civilian programs to ensure we equip everyone. To begin the process, Vance has developed a professional development Community of Practice Web site. To access it, on the Vance home page go to information, then base information, then professional development. Through this site people can access leadership videos, supervisor toolboxes, joint service leadership reading lists and vital links to other pertinent Air Force information. This site also has a Vance discussion board to open lines of communications for the entire Vance team. I receive daily phone calls and e-mails with excellent questions that could be accessible to everyone if we used the discussion board. This tool is open to any type of discussion and is accessible by anyone. The CoP Web site will be the hub to all of our professional development courses and information. Currently, Vance offers NCO and senior NCO PD courses as well as quarterly informed decision briefings for first- and second-term Airmen. Other courses are being developed, along with a new lieutenant course similar to the first-term Airman program. Another Airman training course in development will help equip our Airmen when they are called upon to speak or teach a subject. This course will not provide any official certifications, but it will be required to teach in Vance's professional development programs. Vance is excited about the emphasis on developing our Airmen, and we are working hard to make this year one to remember.