Air Force automates training records process

  • Published
  • By Phil Berube
  • Air University Public Affairs
Airmen in logistics career fields soon will have access to an online tool that takes an Airman's training records out of a desk drawer and makes them available through a desktop computer.

The automated training records and management application, called "Training Business Area," or TBA, on the Air Force Portal, will replace the need to file and maintain paper copies of the AF Form 623, On-The-Job Training Record.

The initial version of TBA is projected to support the training of more than 200,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian personnel.

The TBA application will give supervisors access to virtual training products, such as career field education and training plans, or CFETPs, and Air Force job qualification standards. They will be able to create individual training plans, document upgrade training and accomplish other related actions they now do with paper and pencil.

The intent of TBA is to keep warfighters in the fight and not bogged down with paperwork.

"TBA will save warfighters thousands of hours in documenting, managing, completing and transcribing training actions," said Master Sgt. Cynthia Kaelin of the 754th Electronics Systems Group at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, Ala.

Sergeant Kaelin is a member of the team that developed and loaded more than 290 training products into the TBA application.

"Another huge benefit is that supervisors will get near real-time access to revised (career field education and training plans) from their career field managers," Sergeant Kaelin said.

Supervisors will appreciate not having to transcribe paper copies of revised CFETPs, said Chief Master Sgt. Ellsworth Brown, the Air Force career field manager for aircraft maintenance systems specialties.

"This single capability is priceless," he said.

Once operational, TBA will allow Air Force career field managers, major command functional managers, "schoolhouse" training managers and subject-matter experts to expedite CFETP revisions during utilization and training workshops, Chief Brown said. 

"Once this group finalizes revisions to a CFETP, the (career field manager) can quickly gain publication approval and push the new change electronically Air Force-wide to everyone loaded into TBA for that particular (plan). The end of transcribing training records is near," he said.

Chief Brown was one of about 20 career field managers and senior Air Force leaders who witnessed TBA's capabilities during a product demonstration at the Pentagon in 2005. Sergeant Kaelin and a co-worker conducted the demonstration.

"They blew my socks off," said the chief of his initial impression of TBA. "My first comment was, 'We need this in the field ASAP!'"

Supervisors and trainees in the field will gain the most from TBA, Chief Brown said.

Among its many features, TBA will allow supervisors to develop virtual master and individual training plans that can incorporate efficiencies from other Air Force specialties loaded in TBA.

"For instance, workcenter supervisors can add tasks from other specialties that apply to their workcenters without having to develop an AF Form 797 (Job Qualification Standard Continuation/Command JQS)," Chief Brown said.

"All technical references assigned to those tasks will flow with it. Trainees will now have access to their individual training requirements anytime through the Air Force Portal, enabling Airmen to play a more proactive role in their training and career development," Chief Brown said. "Additionally, since TBA is accessed on Air Force Portal, it provides for a real-time, worldwide view of maintainers' qualifications and certifications by weapon system and equipment."

Creating automated training documents is only a hint of TBA's potential, Sergeant Kaelin said.

"We envision TBA's capability to extend to forecasting and tracking completion of formal training schools and managing career development courses and skill-level and upgrade training or just about any other action that has to do with training Airmen," she said.

Initial field testing of TBA is scheduled to start mid-year, followed by worldwide release this fall. 

Career field managers for specialty groups not currently supported by TBA who would like to learn more about the application can contact Chief Brown (AF/A4MM) via e-mail at ellsworth.brown@pentagon.af.mil or by calling him at DSN 227-8164. Supervisors in non-logistics specialty groups should contact their major command functional managers, who will evaluate their requests, then forward approved requests to their respective CFMs.