The
sound of the proverbial clock ticking down has the financial management
workforce at the U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville taking
extra time to complete training certification.
Department
of Defense employees know each year they must complete what seems like an
endless list of training requirements. However, some job specialties, like
financial management, require an additional certification.
In
2012, the National Defense Authorization Act allowed the Secretary of Defense
to establish a certification program for financial management career fields. In
June 2014, the DOD Financial Management Certification Program was implemented,
giving the workforce two years to complete all required training.
“The
clock is ticking away on the DOD Financial Management website,” said Huntsville
Center’s Finance and Accounting Chief Frank deBoer. “June 2016 is right around
the corner.”
The
program was designed for both military and civilian financial management
workforce career fields with the purpose of providing a framework to guide professional
development in key areas such as decision support and audit readiness.
For
civilians, the program is primarily focused on the 05XX occupational series.
“However,
the program includes civilians who perform financial management tasks, but are
not assigned in the 05XX Occupational series,” deBoer said. “For example,
program analysts assigned to 0343 occupational series that primarily work in
the financial management field are required to complete the certification.”
Huntsville
Center has 27 personnel required to complete the certification program. So far,
18 have been certified, with the remaining nine not far behind.
The
certification program has three certification levels. For GS-07 and below,
Level 1 is required; GS-09 through GS-13 must complete Level 2; and GS-14 and
above must complete Level 3. Dependent on the Agency, some job positions may
require a higher level of certification.
Huntsville
Center Financial Management Analyst Loren Norgren recently completed the
program’s Certification Level 2. While the program wasn’t academically
rigorous, the process was, he said.
When
Norgren tried to transfer his certification from the Department of the Navy to
Huntsville Center eight months ago, he discovered a problem.
“I
thought I had completed the certification, but it got kicked back,” he said.
“They had to transfer my account, and I basically had to start the process
over, but I was able to use most of the courses I had already completed toward
my certification.”
Through
his first attempt at certification he learned he had taken some courses he
didn’t need.
“One
of the biggest issues was determining what classes to take and in what order to
take them,” Norgren said.
Overall,
being efficient with your time and understanding the program’s requirements are
key, Norgren said.
“Identify
the courses you need to take by writing them down on the worksheet the program
provides. This ensures that you are not taking courses you don’t necessarily
need,” Norgren advised. “Challenges that people have had are shared challenges,
so talk to someone who has been through it because they will probably be able
to give you good advice.”
And remember, the clock is ticking. There are only four months left until the June 30 deadline for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers financial management professionals.