Five-year career plans
SCMA plots career paths well into the future

Moving up: PAC letters have been sent, so make sure you have yours if you were presented at PAC. Photo by Cpl Cameron Jamieson

WITH the completion of the 2005 Promotion Advisory Committee (PAC) series, the SCMA career managers are finalising the posting planning cycle and are aiming to have the majority of posting orders on the Defweb by July 8.

A few facts on the 2005 PAC. A total of 1400 soldiers were considered from all corps and it is expected that about 530 of these will be promoted within this PPC.

By the end of June, all soldiers who were presented to PAC should have received a letter advising them of their result. If you have not received your PAC letter, speak to your chain of command.

Remember, to be presented to PAC you needed to have received a promotion recommendation in the 2004 PAR and have met the time in rank requirements for your rank and trade. The time in rank requirements can be found in the Employment Category Standing Orders (ECSO) applicable to your trade.

Your posting order may not always be exactly to a location or unit that was your first choice, however the posting order should not be a surprise to either the individual or the unit.

It is expected that upon receipt of a posting order the unit chain of command will inform the soldier of the posting and discuss any major issues. If an individual is unhappy with the posting order, the chain of command should contact the relevant SCMA career manager in the first instance.

SCMA will impose a moratorium on the processing of all Applications for Retention or Reposting between July 11 and August 7. This will allow individuals to consider the posting order in detail before making decisions in relation to requesting retention or reposting.

Personnel who have strong reasons for a posting not to proceed should submit a PE 166 Application for Reposting or Retention, however no formal action will be conducted by SCMA during this period. SCMA would expect soldiers to submit their PE 166 no later than six weeks after receiving their posting order.

All applications will then be considered between August 8 and September 4, with results being promulgated no later than September 26. Any applications received after September 26 will only be considered in exceptional circumstances. This is to reduce the number of soldiers affected by late notice changes.

If soldiers consider they have compassionate reasons for retention or reposting, they should submit an application for Compassionate Posting (COPAS). All COPAS applications should be accompanied by a Defence Community Organisation report. Details of COPAS postings are detailed in DI(A) Pers 149-3. The SCMA career managers will conduct career interviews between July and October. The aim of these interviews is to discuss postings for January 2007, not January 2006.

During the interview the career manager will present a five-year career plan to each soldier. These plans aim to provide soldiers with likely career paths well into the future, including possible postings and courses. Soldiers should consider their preferences before the interview. This will enable the career manager and individual to develop an agreed five-year plan.

It is not always possible to plan five years ahead in detail, however the aim is to provide soldiers with a likely career path to allow them to make informed decisions.

These plans will be reviewed every posting planning cycle, with both the career manager and individual able to adjust as circumstances change. For those that do not know the requirements of their ECSO, it is highly recommended that they read and understand the requirements for their trade before discussing the five-year plan with the career manager.