JULY 29, 2016, FORT KNOX, Ky. – An online training tool for Soldiers interested in understanding how the enlisted selection board process works is now available.
The tool, which is meant to provide Soldiers with an interactive learning experience of the selection board process, consists of an online video with printable training aids. The video is 49 minutes long and covers what a Department of the Army selection board is; how board members are chosen; how boards work; and how to prepare for your next board.
The video also details the different types of selection boards, including the Qualitative Management Program and the Qualitative Service Program. The last eight minutes of the video is a mock board that is designed to place Soldiers themselves in the position of board members and simulate the experience of grading and rating four different candidates.
The tool was developed over the course of seven months by the Department of the Army Secretariat at Army Human Resources Command.
“We waited to start the video until the release of the new (Noncommissioned Officer Evaluation Report) so we could incorporate it and the Select Train Educate Promote program into the presentation,” said Master Sgt. Tamika DeVeaux-Wallace, noncommissioned officer in charge, DA Secretariat.
“Additionally, this tool goes into great detail. We reference several different regulations and explain concepts that can help Soldiers grow more successfully in their careers. For example, how something like a broadening assignment can assist a Soldier’s career and change how a board member views their file.”
Soldiers have always had training on how to prepare for a selection board, but they were not always educated on why they had to prepare the way they do, according to Capt. Michael Hebert, a board recorder for DA Secretariat Selection Boards.
While the information has always been available, culling the knowledge from the different sources could be a daunting task for an NCO, especially for one who does not work in human resources and is unfamiliar with the relevant regulations.
The video also works to dispel misconceptions Soldiers may have about what actually happens during a board.
“Some Soldiers still believe that board members confer with one another and can have influence on the way other members rate a specific Soldier,” said DeVeaux-Wallace. “That just isn’t the case. Board members cannot speak to one another while reviewing files.”
In 2012 several policies were changed that tightened the rules and regulations governing selection boards, said Hebert. Nevertheless, many Soldiers still have misconceptions about the process despite the years that have passed since the changes were made.
“Soldiers still believe those myths,” Hebert said. “This is a tool to dispel those myths. Any NCO can go to the YouTube video, let their Soldiers see it. Then they are all taught by the very people who run the boards, and the information comes from all the regulations we have to follow. It addresses all the trends we see and can now stimulate a conversation for them at their level.”