Today's digital age has brought a huge advantage in career advancement opportunities that were not available in years past. I want all of you to know the leadership of the 507th is committed to providing you the tools necessary to succeed.

My focus in writing this is to ensure all of you are fully aware of the process for acquiring Enlisted Professional Development (EPD). An enhanced education can only increase your corporate value and provide you an opportunity to set and achieve goals.

Let's start by attempting to clear the acronym game of confusion that we are all accustomed to. EPD is stated above, next is your Reserve Enlisted Development Plan (R-EDP) which is found in vPC-GR and is the initial step in this process; it is essentially a resume for your future. The Development Team (DT) is a board that evaluates your submitted R-EDP and provides vectors for your future. The Enlisted Development Education Board (EDEB) is where you apply for additional courses. The last acronym is the Key Personnel List (KPL). The KPL is utilized throughout the command by senior leadership for selection of strategic positions, career management plus EPD courses. AFRC's leadership commitment toward development of the enlisted force starts with a qualified candidate pool.

Like I stated above, the initial step is to fill out the R-EDP; you will need to describe your civilian career experience, military deployments, achievements, and your goals over the next one to five years. You will also be required to provide areas of career enhancement that you are interested in strengthening. Volunteer experience, willingness to travel to a new duty assignment, professional affiliations and certifications are also key elements of the plan.

Once you have the R-EDP filled out, you can submit for a mentors feedback followed by coordination through your chain of command. It is critical that you are in communication with your leadership throughout the process. When coordination is complete, the R-EDP will have a status of "DT ready," which means your R-EDP is now submitted.

The DTs have a four phase process of operations: planning, preparation, execution and post execution. The DT board is to provide feedback for EPD to go with a list of "high potential" Airmen for the KPL. There are DT boards going on throughout the year as there are career field specific functional boards as well as a board for E-8s and E-9s.

In order to get selected for EPD courses, you will need to submit for them via an annual application process. Once your submittal has gone through your leadership's approval it will be forwarded to an EDEB. The EDEB selects candidates for the current advertised courses through a structured process with focus on the whole person concept, information from the R-EDP, senior rater endorsement and future needs of the Air Force.

Your number one resource is our education and training section. These professionals will help guide you through your CDCs, PME, formal education and EPD. I encourage you to take full advantage of the educational opportunities available as it will not only make you marketable for a career, it will provide the Air Force a highly trained and educated workforce. Once again, your leadership is totally committed to you and your advancement and will do everything possible to help you achieve your goals.