Education options available for civilians

  • Published
  • By Debi Smith
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Civilian personnel at Sheppard have numerous resources available for getting a college degree or pursuing higher-level education, including tuition assistance.

Civilian tuition assistance is an Air Education and Training Command elective program funded at the discretion of the AETC commander and only offered by three commands in the Air Force independently. The goal of the program is to improve employee skills that could be used to meet an Air Force mission, According to the Air Force instruction 36-401.

The AFI 36-401 said that money is allocated at the beginning of the fiscal year and once those funds run out, it is unlikely the base receives more. AETC Voluntary Civilian Tuition Assistance has been approved for fiscal year 2009, for courses that began on or after Oct. 1, 2008. To be eligible for CTAP the civilian employee must be an appropriated funded AETC employee or in a term position with more than one year before the "not to exceed" date. Temporary employees may also be eligible, at the discretion of the education services officer. While planning course selection, remember that civilians are restricted to one course per term.

Donna Collins, the Education Service Flight Chief, said that because of CTAP inception, tuition assistance has increased from 75 percent to 100 percent even temporary AETC employees may be eligible. There is an individual cap set at $250 per semester hour with an annual cap of $4,500, which is up from $3,500.No Fees will be paid for civilians except fees directly related to instruction of that course such as lab fees or technology fees. For example, a general technology fee that is charged for everyone is not paid, but a computer class that has a unique instructional technology fee just for that course would be paid Collins said.

If a student had difficulty with a class, reimbursement is not required for undergraduate "D" grades, however it is required for "F" for undergraduate and "D" for graduate courses. Individuals may also use scholarships and grants to cover "other" costs in conjunction with the CTAP, she said.

There are currently 51 individuals participating in the Sheppard CTAP. Contact the Education Services Office located in building 402 or call 676-4838 for more information, Ms. Collins said.

If the classroom setting is not an option at this time, other civilian training resources can be found at the Civilian Personnel Flight, including a number of VHS tapes and DVDs available in a lending library for checkout by civilian employees and supervisors. Examples of titles include: Dealing with Stress Management in the Workplace, Speaking Effectively, Substance Abuse Awareness and Combating Absenteeism.

Call Michael Reese at 676-4648, Stephanie Brown at 676-4643 or Dory Ramsey at 676-4641 for more information or to reserve an item. All items must be signed for and signed back in upon return.