315 maintenance managers make education top priority

by Tech. Sgt. Shane Ellis
315th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

1/13/2014 - JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. --  Every quarter maintenance managers from the 315th Airlift Wing attend specialized training here, which allows them to better perform their duties in real-world maintenance environments.

The training is conducted in house by experts in their respective fields.

Known here as "Maintenance University," the program started five years ago and includes four courses.

1. Course 101 is a basic introductory course for heavy airlift.
2. Course 201 concentrates specifically on the C-17 Globemaster III.
3. Course 301 is Boeing interfaced, which is taught by a Boeing instructor.
4. Course 401 is the 437th Maintenance Group interface, which ties in the complete Joint Base Charleston maintenance mission.

Next year will see an expansion of MX University with the introduction of course 501, which will include aerial port and logistics readiness interfaces.

Originally, MX University was aimed toward maintenance officers. As word began to spread, and benefits were seen, the class was opened up to maintenance chiefs, other senior level maintenance leaders and production superintendents.

In an effort to gain the widest dissemination of knowledge, it's common to see mid-level noncommissioned officers attending class every quarter.

According to Lt. Col. Darryl Frazier, 315th Maintenance Group deputy commander, the success of MX University is directly related to members of the 315 AW.

"Our managers want to know more about their jobs," said Frazier. "They want to know how they can do better and what they can do to continually develop their skills and knowledge."
The success of the ongoing training was seen in 2013 when 10 out of 11 unit training assemblies finished with no unscheduled broken aircraft.

"This tells me that our maintenance managers understand the importance of having our aircraft ready at any given moment," said Frazier. "Going home after a UTA with no unscheduled broken aircraft sets our active duty team members up for success when they come to work on Monday morning."

Classes can be viewed online through Global Reach, and please call DSN 963-2294 for more information.