7/2/2013 – JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas (AFNS) — Enlisted Airmen in overmanned career fields who want to retrain into an undermanned field have until July 7 to submit their application under Phase I of the fiscal 2014 Noncommissioned Officer Retraining Program, Air Force Personnel Center officials reminded Airmen.
The two-phase program is used to balance and sustain the enlisted force by moving second-term and career Airmen from overage career fields to shortage career fields, said Chief Master Sgt. Brian Shearer, the AFPC skills management branch chief.
Approximately 970 Airmen from nearly three dozen career fields will be affected this year, and as of June 24, volunteers approved for the program totaled only 5 percent of the number needed.
“Until July 7, Airmen in overmanned fields will have some influence over their retraining options, but at midnight July 7, those options go away and we enter NCORP Phase II – nonvoluntary retraining,” Shearer said.
During Phase II, July 8 – Sept. 8, AFPC will select the most qualified and vulnerable Airmen for retraining out of overage career fields. Airmen who meet retraining eligibility criteria and who are vulnerable for non-voluntary retraining will be notified this month.
To apply for NCORP retraining, Airmen must be on their second or subsequent enlistment, be a staff sergeant (or staff-select) through master sergeant, and have a minimum 5 skill level in their control Air Force specialty code. In addition, staff sergeants must have fewer than 12 years of active service as of Sept. 30, and technical and master sergeants can have no more than 16 years of active service by Sept. 30.
Retraining applicants must have at least 24 months of retainability upon completion of their new career field technical school, as well, said the chief.
For complete eligibility and application information, go to myPers at https://mypers.af.mil and enter “Enlisted Retraining” in the search window.