Additional resources online to support NSPS conversion

by April Rowden
Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs Office

April 21, 2010 - RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas – New online training courses are now available to help smooth the upcoming transition of more than 40,000 current Air Force NSPS employees into non-NSPS personnel systems.

To facilitate the conversion, multiple resources have been added to the National Security Personnel System’s official Web site, including two new training courses: “Classifying Positions under GS: A Primer for Supervisors” and “Performance Management: A Tool to Achieve Results.”

In “Classifying Positions under GS: A Primer for Supervisors,” supervisors are shown how to write and certify the duties and responsibilities of a position, as well as how to explain the classification process to employees.

To assist with writing the core documents, supervisors can use the Air Force Standard Core Personnel Document library, located in the Air Force Portal. The growing SCPD library currently includes more than 1,000 standardized classification documents, as well as templates for supervisors.

“Performance Management: A Tool to Achieve Results” is designed as a guide for supervisors to effectively involve their employees in accomplishing the agency’s mission. From setting proper goals to rating and rewarding performance, this training course sets the foundation for evaluating employee performance.

Two companion resources to the Performance Management module are also available: “Managing My Performance: A Guide for Employees” and “Managing Employee Performance: A Guide for Supervisors.”

All courses provide an overview of the General Schedule, or GS, personnel system that can benefit all federal employees, regardless of their personnel system, supervisory level or service branch.

Employees are also encouraged to review “GS101,” an introductory training course that provides information on the structure and features of the GS system, covering topics from pay and promotion to appraisals and career development.

After finishing the training courses, employees should update their training record in MyBiz using the self-service module in the Defense Civilian Personnel Data System, and provide a copy of their training certificate to their supervisor.

To enhance transparency in operations, the Web site also incorporates a transition section that includes news, timelines, resources and training tools, and a modified feedback area where viewers can submit brief comments to help shape the site’s content.

Training courses can be found on the NSPS Web site (http://www.cpms.osd.mil/nsps/). Click on the “NSPS Transition” button and look in the “What’s New” box.

The transition out of NSPS is a result of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010. The NDAA contained a provision that repealed NSPS and required the transition of employees out of NSPS no later than Jan. 1, 2012.

For more information, visit www.cpms.osd.mil/nsps/ or contact the local civilian personnel section.