The Spaatz Association is committed to the professional development of all of its members, and specifically to the mentoring of its newest member, the newly promoted cadet colonel. The Board of Directors, at the Denver National Board Meeting, authorized the development of a web page that would be one of the Association’s first steps in the development of its mentoring program.
The Association is dedicated to providing resources to 1) help senior ranking cadet leaders provide the best programs available to their units (whether that be the local squadron or the National Cadet Advisory Council), 2) provide career development choices for Spaatz Cadets graduating from secondary education sources, and 3) help TSA members that are entering the full time job force for the first time. Watch this space for additional information in future months.
In addition to providing on line resources, we offer a mentoring service to those cadets looking for career and educational counseling. Contact us and note what career field or educational institution (service academy, college or university) you are interested in and we will attempt to match you up with another TSA member that can help you reach your goal.
Cadet Leadership Resources
Cadet training, provided both by cadet leaders and by senior members involved in Cadet Programs, are essential to leadership development in Civil Air Patrol cadets. Here are links of sites and files that provide cadet program curriculums.
The Lt Col Frank Pocher Minute Man Squadron, MAWG, has extensive cadet training materials, especially for Phase I training. Contained on the page are links to Phase I training handbooks, the Florida Wing After School Program (a completely downloadable program with everything needed to run a Phase I program in a local school district), and various other cadet program materials. Do not miss the squadron Integrated Leadership Program schedules and outlines below.
The Weir Cook Cadet Squadron, INWG, has developed an extensive and comprehensive cadet leadership training program, specifically geared to integrate all phases of the Cadet Program and the missions of Civil Air Patrol into the regular squadron meeting. These resources include training for all level of cadet program achievement.
The Maryland Wing, under the leadership of our own Matt Heusser, #1293, developed a Maryland Wing Cadet Commander’s Guide for the use of Cadet Commander’s in local squadrons.
The Parma Cadet Squadron, OHWG, has built an extensive cadet officer development program that is focused on the development of “presentation, military bearing, command presence and leadership confidence.”
The Red Wing Composite Squadron, MNWG, archives section, has extensive administrative tools and training publications that are available that span cadet development from Phase I through Phase IV.
The Cadet Noncommissioned Officer’s Guide, developed by Capt Shawn Stanford, CAP, is essential reading for any cadet leader in understanding the role that Phase II cadets can play, as well as helping them to find their place in the cadet program as they prepare for the Mitchell exam. Capt Stanford has also developed a Cadet First Sergeant’s Guide.
And finally, a wealth of resources, articles and advice on anything Cadet Program-related can be found at CadetStuff.org.
Finding and utilizing leadership curriculum is important to The Spaatz Association. If you have links of Cadet Program materials that you feel are important please contact us.
Post-Secondary Education Resources
Making decisions for education or employment immediately following graduation from high school can be extremely difficult. Listed below are resources to assist in selecting an educational or career path, followed by educational opportunities for scholarships, the College Board and selected collegiate institutions. Finally, listed at the end are links to the military academies, Reserve Officer Training Corps pages and followed by information from the various services for educational opportunities.
Several general resources are available on the web for selecting a college by geography, cost, or major (among other things). Among these are the:
Of course, in addition to all the civilian schools out there, the military academies have a lot to offer both for life and education development: West Point, the Air Force Academy, the Naval Academy, and the Coast Guard Academy. Civil Air Patrol National Headquarters has the ability to nominate cadet personnel to the Air Force Academy Preparatory School. Check this opportunity out at the HQ CAP cadet programs site.
One of the pleasures of going to college is finding financial aid. Financial aid can, of course, range from scholarships to grants to loans. Several sources for finding aid can be located at The College Board, CollegeNet, and Civil Air Patrol National Headquarters.
Reserve Officer Training Corps units exist at many colleges and universities around the country. ROTC can serve as an excellent way to pay for college with a two-, three- or even four-year scholarship. ROTC programs exist for the Army (and here is an unofficial site), Navy, and Air Force.
This page only gives a small number of resources for undergraduate education. Our page on careers will give more information for members not choosing to attend college level education immediately after high school.
Career Resources
Graduation from post secondary educational institutions, or making the decision to change a career some years after entering the work force, can be an extremely stressful time. This page will provide some links for selection of graduate educational opportunities, career search engines, government service jobs, as well as opportunities in aviation career fields. It would be impossible to list all of the web sources relating to careers and life development; this listing are just a selection of all the resources available.
Frequently the opportunities available in the job market can be overwhelming. Alternatively, after working in one career field for several years, other opportunities may sound appealing. There are several web sites in existence that can help prospective employees decide which is the best career option for them. One of these is focused on helping you to assess your leadership skills, and the other can help you assess your personality traits to apply them to different job opportunities. Additionally, the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Non-Profit Management has some excelelent resources for developing career opportunities and skills in leadership in the public sector.
Job opportunities in government service abound for those who have recently graduated from college. Among those sites are the Air Force civilian personnel web page, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration employment page, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the United States Office of Personnel Management.
In addition to these government sponsored sites, there are also aviation related resources availabe at Aviation Jobs Online page, the Nationjob page on Aviation related careers, a page on technical jobs related to Aviation, and the GO! Network career page.
Of course, each of the military services has opportunities to apply for officer candidate status based on your qualifications in school. This may include service as a line officer (whether aviator, infantry, logistics, support, etc), as an officer in the Judge Advocate General Corps of the various departments, the chaplaincy, or in medical or other health related career fields. The entrance requirements for these programs are different depending on the service, the field in which you are attempting to enter, and your technical qualifications. The easiest way to answer these questions is to call the local recruiter for each service and ask to speak to the personnel that handle the career field that you are interested in. Additionally, the career information may be found at the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps career web sites.
Graduate educational resources can be located at many of the same sites that are listed for undergraduate edcuation in the Post-secondary education section of our site.
Frequently, after graduation establishing a firm financial basis, whether that be paying off school debt, eliminating excess credit cards, or buying a car of home, can be difficult. There are several not for profit sites that provide free financial information including, The Motley Fool, Family Finances, and this site sponsored by Ask.com.
This page only gives a small number of resources for careers after school. If you have suggestions for enhancements or additions to this page, please contact us.
The links under Cadet Leadership sources do not seem to be working.
@John: Thanks for the update. This content was copied directly across from our old site (circa 2000). Our Mentoring Team is working on updating the links now. Look for a completely new Mentoring Resources page in Feb 12.