This was just sent to the CAP-PAO List and to the Wing/Region PAOs.
Dear CAP PAOs and friends,
AFAIDL Course 02010, the "CAP Public Affairs Officer Course" is being retired. No new enrollments will be accepted as of 30 June 2010.
This course is obsolete and does not meet the training needs of our Public Affairs Officers.
An examination based on the contents of CAPR 190-1 and the new PAOs How to Guide (Separate announcement coming later today) will replace this course for completion of the Technician Rating of the PAO Specialty Track, CAPP 201.
This test will be available by 30 June 2010. An announcement of test availability will be made separately.
If you have a member who is enrolled in the PAO Specialty Track (CAPP 201) and needs a waiver of the course to complete the Technician Rating, he/she may send a request via the chain of command to the National PA Team Leader at al.pabon@mncap.org
This waiver request must be approved by the member's immediate commander and wing commander. It must outline the work the member has accomplished (writing releases, publishing newsletters, managing websites, organizing community outreach activity, etc...) which shows he/she has a basic understanding of the Public Affairs function.
This request will be reviewed by NHQ/PA and CAP/PA then approved/disapproved by the Senior Advisor, Support.
Once the new examination is in place no further waivers will be granted.
If you have any questions about this letter please do not hesitate to contact us.
Commanders, Professional Development Officers and Wing/Region PAOs are requested to give this information the widest possible distribution.
Thanks for all that you do and have a great day.
Al.
Is a waiver required by regulations, and if so can you cite that?
Completion of the specialty is at the subjective authority of the local commander. This now places a national review of more than the existing test would cover and effectively places the approval authority at the subjective acceptance of a National Staff officer, bypassing 3 echelons of command.
Absent something in a reg or ICL, this looks to me like it falls into the "well there's no more test, so N/A" category, with no way for NHQ to even be aware it's happening.
Why not just use the existing curriculum until the new one is ready instead of having this "dead space" in between?
What dead space? The old course is functional until 30 June and the new one will be operational then.
Why do we need a waiver process for this requirement? They've got a month and a half to finish a cakewalk course. If they can finish in time, great. If not, they haven't really wasted any time and can do the new system when it is available.
Quote from: RiverAux on May 10, 2010, 09:43:28 PM
What dead space? The old course is functional until 30 June and the new one will be operational then.
Gotta go with River on this - didn't read the dates right.
Why should there be a need for any "waivers"? I'd just tell my people to wait for the new test.
One would assume that those who are currently in the course....can get the waiver and get their technician rating now instead of waiting for a new test that may or may not be published June 30.
This is actually a well thought out transition plan.
If you don't want to go through the waiver process then you have to wait for the new test.
As you say there is no ICL that says the test is N/A....so unless you do a waiver....you must finish the 02010 course as spelled out in the CAPP 201.
As for regulatory requirements....when the National PAO says this is the way we are going to do it......I'm not going to shout "but that's not in the regs". Come on guys.....lighten up. We all know that it takes for ever for a new regulation/pamphlet to get published.
The Nat PAO has a problem (the regulatory course is being retired) he has a fix (the new test is in the works) and he has a transition plan to catch anyone who is going to fall in between the cracks.
I think this is good leadership. (who would have thunk that CAP could do that ! :o)
The issue is not that this isn't workable, it's more a "state's rights" issue - staff have no authority to
grant waivers for anything, and in this case the level of the waiver is much too high, creating an incorrect vetting of the rating.
This is the same attitude I have locally where staff at higher echelons assume a reporting relationship to respective staff at downstream units where no such relationship exists.
If a waiver is necessary, it should be no higher than Wing, and more appropriate at the unit.
Regardless, any change like this needs to be published on HEADCAP's stationary, and should have been sent through the commander lists and the eservices RSS feed, not just the PAO lists.
Quote from: lordmonar on May 10, 2010, 10:47:41 PM
One would assume that those who are currently in the course....can get the waiver and get their technician rating now instead of waiting for a new test that may or may not be published June 30.
But why not just finish the course? What makes anyone special enough that they would be allowed to skip this requirement rather than do it? Apparently those that are currently enrolled in the course will be allowed to finish it, so why not do that?
These situations should be handled like ECI-13, the impending change should spur people to move their FPOC's and get it done or be forced to start over.
States rights!? You got to be kidding me!
The CAPP says you must take the AFAIDL course....if you want to by pass that requirment (because it no longer exists) then you need a waiver. The waiver is given at NHQ level.
NHQ is the boss. They can say Region Leve, Wing Level or Squadron Level and they can change it if they want.
Just as a Wing CC can take away a squadron CC authority to approve things.
This is basic military heirarchy!
As for why not finish the program? I don't know. That would be my thinking....there may be more to the issue then was presented in the OP's post.
As I was saying....instead of belly aching....let's see this for what it is....NHQ doing its job and fixing a problem with a workable plan.
Link to the Announcement on the NHQ Website (PA Essentials Blog). This is also going to CC's and PDO's via their communications channels.
http://www.capmembers.com/cap_national_hq/public_affairs/pa_essentials.cfm?show=entry&blogID=169