Air Force engineer specialty career fields get an upgrade

  • Published
  • By Susan H. Lawson
FT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. – The civil engineer Chief of Enlisted Matters, subject-matter experts and major command leaders convened recently at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, to form the 3E5X1 Engineering Specialty Training Requirements Team (STRT). As the name indicates, the team establishes lifecycle training requirements for the engineering career field.

The group discussed requirement changes and provided first-hand insight into the development of training that will herald the future.

“This experience has been great, being a part of this team, which is made of members from all of the MAJCOMs to include The Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, has been amazing,” said Senior Master Sgt. Tyler Adams, superintendent at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Engineering Flight. “In addition to the experience the MAJCOM representatives bring, the support we have received from AFCEC and AETC has been outstanding. I truly believe that we have put together tools to prepare our engineer Airmen to meet the needs of our Air Force for today and into the future.”

Engineering is registered under the Air Force specialty code 3E5. This event was the first face-to-face collaboration in 10 years to evaluate requirements for the 3E5s.

“The STRT serves as a forum that brings together the expertise to establish the best mix of formal and informal training across an Airman’s continuum of learning,” said Vincent Villanueva, training pipeline manager at AETC. “The STRT was a highly successful event this week as we had 3E5 career field leader make decisions that will affect initial skills and advanced training.”

The leaders and trainers from AETC shared training experiences where training failed and discussed ways to avoid future mishaps.

“It was a great experience for me to observe the 3E5 community come together as subject-matter experts from across the major commands and really shape the future of their career field for our future Airmen,” said Senior Master Sgt. Ron Oudean, pavements and construction equipment force development manager, AFCEC. “No stone was left unturned through this entire process and I believe the progressive changes made this past week will absolutely prepare our warfighters for future operations.”

With the changes made during this meeting, engineer apprentice Airmen will be able to focus on their specialties to ensure efficiency for the Air Force.

For more information on changes from the STRT search CE Dash or contact the reach back center at afcec.rbc@us.af.mil or 850-283-6995.