AMSC extends deadlines for civilian courses

By ARNEWSDecember 17, 2008

Intermediate Course
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FORT BELVOIR, Va. (Army News Service, Dec. 17, 2008) -- Application deadlines have been extended for 30 days for civilian employees wanting to attend the basic or intermediate courses at the Army Management Staff College.

The deadline to apply for the next basic course at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., has been extended to Jan. 16. The course is scheduled for March 16-27.

The next intermediate course application deadline has been extended to Jan. 30. This course will take place March 30 to April 17 at both Leavenworth and Fort Belvoir, Va.

All basic and intermediate courses for 2009 will allow 30 extra days for employees to apply, AMSC officials said, until further notice. Applications will close 60 days before the start of a class, instead of 90 days out as in the past.

These courses are centrally funded and seats are available, said Jim Warner, president of the new Army Civilian University, which began assuming oversight of AMSC this month. Warner emphasized that AMSC courses are funded through Department of the Army headquarters at no cost to commands.

Last year, AMSC began shifting from what Warner called "the old paradigm" of one 16-week course to offering four new shorter courses. The idea, he said, is to provide leader development at different levels along an employee's career path.

Foundation Course

A "Foundation" course was established for new employees. This is strictly a distance-learning course taken online. It is designed to give students an orientation to the Army and begin their professional development. The course is required for interns, team leaders, supervisors and managers hired after Sept. 30, 2006.

Basic Course

The Basic Course is designed to educate direct-level supervisors or team leaders on the foundations of leadership and management skills to facilitate mission accomplishment. This course is a combination of distance learning and two weeks of resident instruction at the AMSC Fort Leavenworth campus.

Intermediate Course

The Intermediate Course is designed for leaders who exercise direct and indirect supervision. Students should enhance their leadership abilities and develop skills to manage human and financial resources. The course is a combination of distance learning and two weeks of resident instruction at either Fort Leavenworth or Fort Belvoir.

Advanced Course

The Advanced Course is designed for civilian leaders, GS-13 and above or within an equivalent pay band, who exercise predominately indirect supervision. This course is a combination of distance learning and four weeks of resident instruction at Fort Belvoir.

It's especially hard for an employee to transition when first promoted to a supervisory position, Warner said.

"I need to build a bridge to get him from subordinate to supervisor," Warner said. "It's a huge jump."

It's also hard for employees to make the jump from senior civilian to SES, Warner said. So AMSC offers Continuing Education for Senior Leaders.

CESL provides a participatory environment where senior leaders, GS-14 and above, discuss current issues and challenges facing civilian and military leaders. It prepares students for transition to senior-level leadership positions requiring strategic-level decision-making skills. This course is a combination of 40 hours of distance learning and one week of resident instruction at Fort Belvoir.

Other courses AMSC offers include an Action Officer Development Course , a

Supervisor Development Course and a Manager Development Course. All these courses together make up the Civilian Education System.

For class schedules and registration information, visit the AMSC Web site at <a href="http://www.amsc.belvoir.army.mil"target=_blank> www.amsc.belvoir.army.mil</a>.

To apply for any of the courses, use the Civilian Human Resource Training Application System at <a href="https://www.atrrs.army.mil/channels/chrtas/"target=_blank>www.atrrs.army.mil/channels/chrtas</a>.

(AMSC releases contributed to this report.)

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