全球智库信息集成服务系统

Officers:

• Develop evidence-based methods to refine academic degree requirements for functional areas, highlighting the need to consider the future.
• Develop a more precise and visible framework for documenting the results of this method so the Air Force can sum up accession requirements by career field and know whom to recruit, access, and classify.
• Adopt a more effective method of coding degree types.
• Use data from this analysis and from results mentioned above to identify "critical" and "high utility" academic degrees for use across the accession process.
• Consider substituting some STEM degree requirements with requirements for critical thinking skills identified by a minimum Air Force Officer Qualifying Test, perhaps with sufficient STEM coursework.

Civilians:

• Highlight, within and across Air Force functional areas, requirements for STEM knowledge, skills, and degrees by delineating specific STEM skills in position descriptions, incentivizing employees to obtain STEM degrees by including them in promotion plans, and seeking relief from OPM prohibitions on requiring specific STEM degrees in nontechnical occupational series.
• Promote and consider increasing programs that encourage STEM recruiting and retention for civil service positions.

General:

• Gather support for the STEM Advisory Council--approved classification of academic degrees to be accepted for all Air Force accession/hiring processes.
• Ensure Air Force-wide STEM needs acknowledge STEM requirements in non-STEM functional areas.
• Office of the Air Force Chief Scientist and the STEM Advisory Council communicate future technology needs to impacted functional areas and update degree requirements.