HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – Members of the enlisted force came together for an all-call hosted by the installation’s senior enlisted leader at the conference center here July 6.
Chief Master Sgt. Alan Weary, installation command chief, spoke to Airmen about personal and professional development opportunities across Hanscom Air Force Base, as well as changes to upcoming evaluation standards.
“It’s been a great year of reestablishing and developing connectedness following the pandemic, but now we’re going to see a lot of efforts to develop our people,” said Weary.
The presentation included briefings from Master Sgt. Sarah Jones, Hanscom AFB’s development advisor, who is available to assist enlisted members with all matters of career development and planning.
Tracy Robertson, an education service specialist here, spoke to attendees about Skillbridge. Skillbridge is an internship program available to enlisted and officers across all Air Force specialty codes within 180 days of their date of retirement or separation from active duty service.
The program gives separating service members an opportunity to explore professional opportunities beyond their military careers.
Weary encouraged Airmen to be familiar with the programs available for development, not just for their personal use, but so they can advise their subordinates who may need resources.
The chief shared that his father, a former Air Force aircraft maintainer, would glance into his subordinate’s toolboxes as a gage for their competency and discipline, and a way to identify gaps in their technical skill.
“The stripes we wear are, in a way, our toolboxes,” said Weary. “We can decide how we configure the tools, but we have to know where to pull from when we need the information.”
In addition to identifying professional gaps, Weary noted the importance of Air Force standards, not just dress and appearance, but standards of leadership qualities.
“We have to set standards for communication, how we articulate our needs and understanding of how we connect to the mission,” he said. “I encourage all of us to be deliberate in finding our gaps and be intentional in how we go about filling them.”
For additional information about enlisted career development, contact Sarah.Jones.24@us.af.mil.
For information about Skillbridge and the application process, email Hanscom.TA@us.af.mil.