CALT reaches 1,000 graduates at OTS Published May 5, 2014 By Matthew J. Correia Civilian Acculturation and Leadership Training Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. -- The Civilian Acculturation and Leadership Training program celebrated its 1,000th graduate April 25 during a ceremony at the Air Force Officer Training School at Maxwell. The commander of the Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development, Brig. Gen. Robert Thomas, presented the graduate, Logan Weston, with a commander's coin to commemorate the CALT program's milestone. "The Air Force values education and training. We want to make sure that you [Air Force civilians] benefit from those opportunities of education and broadening, and one of them is CALT," said Thomas to the class of graduates. "The course is designed to reinforce all those attributes which every officer and every manager in the Air Force should have. These attributes are universal beyond the Air Force and into other environments. One small nugget from this course applied in your work center pays for this course." Logan is an electrical engineer assigned to Hill Air Force Base, Utah. He said he came to the CALT program with three objectives: seeking an understanding of how to work better with the military, gaining an understanding on how to lead and gaining an understanding on how to be a mentor. He achieved all three objectives. "I learned how to relay the vision," he said. "At my work center, a vision has been given to me by my leadership on where we need to go, and now I better appreciate how it's my job to relay it to my team members. I don't want to be a leader for self-serving reasons; I want to be a leader to help people. I've seen through CALT how a leader can help people and be there for people. In order for the mission to get done, you've got to develop and bring people with you. Without that, you can't lead." Logan, who has been a civil servant for nearly five years, believes strongly in the CALT program and that all civilian Airmen serving in supervisory roles should attend. "In a heartbeat!" he said. "I would say that every Air Force civil servant needs to come through CALT, no matter their years of experience. CALT opens your eyes to how the military functions and to how people function in general and it gives a perspective of how people can come together as a team. I would recommend that anyone be allowed to come. If they're able to attend CALT, let them come." The mission of the CALT program is to introduce newly hired, non-prior Air Force civilian employees to the Air Force culture and way of life and prepare them for future leadership, managerial and supervisory roles. The program is patterned after the OTS curriculum. It provides a unique in-residence experience focused on Air Force culture, missions and the significant role leaders play in the service's overall success. The curriculum parallels the leadership modules taught at OTS and includes team-building exercises, some outdoor activities and simulation exercises. CALT's target audience is in the grades of GS-7 thru GS-13 (or equivalent) within any career field and with between two-five years' experience (less than two years with approval). Details about the application process are outlined on the "myPers" site, accessible via the Air Force Portal. Conduct a key word search for the term "CALT." Course dates and additional information are available on the CALT public page at http://www.holmcenter.com/index.php?menu=calt_publicpage.Â