Examination of the U.S. Air Force's Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Workforce Needs in the Future and Its Strategy to Meet Those Needs (2010) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
3 Air Force Career Fields and Occupations That Currently Require a STEM Degree
3 Air Force Career Fields and Occupations That Currently Require a STEM Degree
Pages 34-44
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 34... ...
ISSUES FOR OFFICER CAREER FIELDS REQUIRING A STEM DEGREE Relative to its current authorizations for line officers, the Air Force remains overmanned in lieutenants and undermanned in captains, majors, and lieutenant colonels (Table 3-1)
|
From page 35... ...
requiring career fields is above the 96.1 percent total manning level for line officers. Assuming no change in authorizations, shortages of officers in these career fields could be corrected only by increasing overall officer strength in the Air Force or by imposing even greater shortages on other career fields.
|
From page 36... ...
Assuming a relatively level number of accessions from year to year, a career field with average retention would mirror this ratio. If the ratio is lower than 2.1:1, it is likely that the career field has experienced higher-than-normal attrition of captains, induced at least in part by the force reductions associated with Program Budget Decision 720.1,2 In summary, the low manning levels for captains (compared to authorized numbers)
|
From page 37... ...
The 61S and 62E career fields have below-average proportions of field-grade authorizations but also have below-average proportions of field-grade strengths, probably reflecting some combination of low retention, low promotion rates, and migration of more experienced or tenured officers to the 63A career field. The shortage of field-grade assignments for the 63A Acquisition Management career field is discussed in Chapter 4.
|
From page 38... ...
In Appendix D, Figures D-3 to D-10, which were included in presentations from the Chief of the Force Management Division and the Headquarters Air Force Personnel Center, present additional perspectives on the current authorization structure and inventory for the five career fields that require a STEM degree and the Acquisition Management career field. The committee makes the following general observations based on the data presented in these charts: As shown in Figures D-3 through D-8, these six career fields except 33S share some sort of workforce "bathtub" for officers with 7 to 16 career years of service (CYOS)
|
From page 39... ...
For these STEM-degree-requiring fields and for the three acquisitionrelated career fields of Program Manager, Contracts, and Finance, the fill rates for captain, major, and lieutenant colonel positions are well below 100 percent, meaning there is an ongoing shortfall of experienced personnel in these positions. The fill rate for lieutenant colonel program managers fell from 42 percent to 31 percent, exacerbating manning issues discussed in Chapter 4.
|
From page 40... ...
, or reducing the promotion phase point to less than four years. CIVILIAN OCCUPATIONAL SERIES THAT CURRENTLY REQUIRE A STEM DEGREE Table D-1 in Appendix D shows the distribution of the Air Force civil service workforce in the three occupational series that require a STEM degree: Engineering (0800)
|
From page 41... ...
Unlike the senior leaders and manager/leaders, the technical expert aspires to become an expert in a selected field recognized at the national or international level. Therefore, this path allows individuals to increase their technical expertise instead of moving into management.
|
From page 42... ...
Air Force Personnel Center From the Air Force Personnel Center (AFPC) perspective,6 while the majority of the five career fields that require a STEM degree appear relatively healthy in the aggregate, there are shortages at the captain level.
|
From page 43... ...
The Chief of the Air Force Force Management Division (AF/A1PF) accessed overall manning, personnel tempo, and retention conditions in the five officer career fields that require a STEM degree.9 He noted some personnel tempo issues but found no significant manning or retention issues.
|
From page 44... ...
Finding 3-3. Fill rates for field-grade officers in the Scientist and Developmental Engineer career fields, in the Acquisition Management career field, and in other career fields important to the acquisition life cycle, while responsive to the Air Force's Non-Rated Personnel Prioritization Plan, are well below 100 percent, which perpetuates the manning shortfalls in these career fields.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.