Financial managers get certification program Published July 11, 2013 By Senior Airman Carlin Leslie Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Air Force Financial Managers are joining forces with their sister services to create a more effective training and certification program. The new Department of Defense Financial Manager Certification Program will affect nearly 10,000 Air Force active duty officers, enlisted and civilian financial managers. The certification will help build a training plan and ensure proper levels of knowledge and competencies are met in each position that is filled. "The DoD FM Certification provides a standardized career development roadmap for building the skills financial managers need to perform their jobs better and supports professional development of the FM workforce in an increasingly complex financial environment," said Shar Kaina, Director of Workforce Development & Executive Services for the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Financial for Management & Comptroller. The major command FM will work with base comptrollers and personnel as needed to map positions to the appropriate certification levels based on position and rank. "The certification is competency based, meaning that its requirements are built on the various skills needed to do a job. It helps [financial managers] focus education and training opportunities on the development of those specific skills - both functional and leadership," said Kaina. The certification allows Airmen to tailor their training to what they need using sources that are available in a DoD-wide library of FM courses located on FM Online. The new program will allow Airmen to have a recognizable certification. One goal is this certification will build credibility with the Airmen throughout their career -- a sign of their dedication, commitment, and expertise. "Our next step is to ensure continuous learning is anchored in the Air Force Financial Management culture by continuing to refine our processes to support the goals of the certification," said Kaina. "By 2017, all Air Force [financial management workforce] should hold the certification designated by their position and our goal is to help them get there." For DoD common access card holders, you can visit: https://fmonline.ousdc.osd.mil/default.aspx for more information regarding the DoD Financial Management Certification Program.