700-plus Airmen face retraining Published Dec. 1, 2005 Air Force Personnel Center News Service RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- The ongoing Noncommissioned Officer Retraining Program will involuntarily retrain up to 777 active duty Airmen. The second phase of the program started Nov. 18 and will continues until the Air Force meets retraining targets.Enlisted retraining staff workers at the Air Force Personnel Center here will place involuntary retraining candidates into Air Force specialties to help balance the enlisted force."This phase of the retraining program is necessary to help meet the needs of the Air Force by moving Airmen from career fields with manning surpluses to those experiencing shortages," said Tech. Sgt. Catina Johnson-Roscoe, NCO in charge of Air Force enlisted retraining. In Phase I of the program, Air Force officials notified more than 3,000 Airmen -- selected as vulnerable to retrain -- and asked them to submit their choices of shortage career fields they would most like to retrain into. Of those, the personnel center approved nearly 300 Airmen to change career fields or separate. "The Air Force makes every effort to place Airmen through the voluntary retraining phase, a program that allows Airmen to apply for their preferred career field choices," said Chief Master Sgt. Christine Williams, chief of the center's skills management branch. "Now, during the involuntary phase, we must place the overage Airmen in the remaining shortage AFSCs to best position enlisted manpower to meet Air Force mission requirements." The retraining staff will work with selectees to make the transition as smooth as possible for them and their family -- while still meeting Air Force needs, Sergeant Johnson-Roscoe said. Starting today, the center will update vulnerability listings -- by grade and Air Force Specialty Code -- on their Web site each week. The address is:www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/enlskills/retraining/retraining.htm. For more information, contact local military personnel flights.