References:

(a)  ALCOAST 321/22, FY23 BASIC BOARDING OFFICER COURSE (BBOC) AND BOARDING OFFICER PRACTICAL COURSE (BOPC) PRIORITIZATION AND SLATING PROCESS
(b)  ALCOAST 157/22, COVID 19: UPDATE TO COVID-19 ADMINISTRATIVE RISK MITIGATION AND LEADERSHIP MEASURES
(c)  ALCOAST 286/22, FY23 LAW ENFORCEMENT INSTRUCTOR-COURSE (LEI-C) PRIORITIZATION AND WAIVER REQUEST PROCESS
(d)  Cutter Training and Qualification Manual, COMDTINST M3502.4 (series)
(e)  ETQC TRAINING ADVISORY 008-22, PROCESSING FY23 “C” SCHOOL, “A” SCHOOL & ACCESSION COURSE TDY ORDERS
(f)  Performance, Training and Education Manual, COMDTINST M1500.10 (series)

Please read the below message in its entirety for full detail; however, important highlights are as follows:

• 15 Sep 2022:  FY23 “C” school schedule available in DA.
• New ETR submissions are required for all FY23 courses.
• All ETRs submitted before 15 Sep 2022 will be removed, requiring resubmission for FY23.
• Requests for FY23 MLEA Boarding Officer courses will be prioritized per Reference (a).

1.  Effective 15 Sep 2022, the complete FY23 “C” school schedule has been entered in Direct Access (DA).  Available FY23 sessions are listed on the “Training” page of the Education and Training Quota Management Command (ETQC) Portal site by clicking on “C" School Course Schedule or Course Description Catalog at https://cg.portal.uscg.mil/units/forcecom/ETQC/TrainingPage/SitePages/Home.aspx . 

2.  Effective 15 Sep 2022, Unit Training Officers (UTOs) can submit electronic training requests (ETRs) for FY23 courses listed in DA.  New ETR submissions are required for FY23 courses - member ETRs will not “carry over” from FY22 courses to FY23 courses.  Additionally, all ETRs submitted prior to release of this message will be removed, requiring resubmission on 15 Sep 2022 or later.  **The only valid ETRs for FY23 courses are those entered on 15 Sep 2022 or later. **    

3.  Convening schedules fluctuate, training dates shift, quotas are sometimes added or removed, and convenings are occasionally cancelled.  To ensure the most updated information is obtained, UTOs and members should regularly check the ETQC “C” School Course Schedule for changes that occur throughout the year.

4.  In accordance with Reference (b), unvaccinated members are authorized to attend "C" schools specifically required for their assignment, as necessary to meet mission readiness requirements.  No other "C" School training is authorized for unvaccinated members.  Unvaccinated members may not be able to attend some required "C" schools if the entity providing the training prohibits unvaccinated member attendance (i.e. DoD, FLETC, etc.).  Failure to comply will result in the member returning to the unit without the training. Commands of unvaccinated members in receipt of orders to attend “C” schools not necessary to meet mission readiness requirements shall request official cancellation via the unit’s official CMD-SMB to CMD-SMB-CG-ETQC.  Upon receipt, ETQC will process the request and re-issue orders to qualified, fully vaccinated members.

5.  Unit Training Officers (UTOs) can submit electronic training requests (ETRs) for all FY23 course sessions listed in DA and should submit requests as soon as a training requirement is identified and the unit can accommodate the member attending.  PPC has DA guides to assist UTOs, under "Self-Service for Commands" and "Training Administration System (TAS)" at Direct Access/Global Pay User Guides, Tutorials and Webinar Recordings (uscg.mil) .

1. Commands must ensure members meet all pre-requisites and eligibility requirements prior to ETR submission.  Pre-requisites are listed in the “Pre-requisite” section of the Course Description Catalog on ETQC’s CGPortal site.  Pre-requisites may also be found in the “Course Detail” section of DA.

2. In the remarks block, it is recommended that two alternate session numbers are included (if other sessions are available and supported by the command), minimizing the need for additional ETR submissions.  Units submitting for BBOC/BOPC/LEIC must follow submission guidance released in Reference (a) and Reference (c).
    
3. The ETR should be submitted using the first available date in the request, with all subsequent dates in the remarks block.  For example, if a member wishes to attend a course with convenings in Oct, Nov and Dec, the initial ETR should be for the first available convening date, i.e. Oct, with alternate dates listed as Nov or Dec in the remarks.  If the ETR is submitted with Dec as the primary and remarks for alternates in Oct or Nov, the member’s chances of earning a seat in Oct or Nov are diminished.

4. If the member is not selected for the session identified in the ETR and no alternate dates are listed in the remarks, the ETR will be deleted after the convening has occurred, and the member will not be considered for future convenings until another ETR has been submitted.

5. DA limits viewable remarks in the ETR to 254 characters – please keep your remarks concise.  Any additional characters greater than 254 will not be seen by ETQC.

6. All Reserve ETR remarks shall first indicate the status of the reservist (i.e., Reservist-EAD, ADOS [long or short term], SELRES/ADT-AT, etc.) along with other required prerequisites and information to ensure the appropriate funding/quota is utilized.  UTOs and units shall follow the Coast Guard Reserve Training Management System (CGR-TMS) process and submit ETRs upon approval by the geographic DXR as detailed by CG-R policy or the member will not receive orders.  For questions regarding Reserve attendance at “C” Schools or the CGR-TMS process, please contact the FORCECOM Reserve Training Manager, LT Jennifer Votinov.  

7. ETRs are not required for cutter pre-arrival training and will be removed by ETQC schedulers.  Members with PCS orders to positions with pre-arrival training requirements per the CG-751 approved Master Training Lists (MTLs) will have pre-arrival training automatically scheduled by ETQC in accordance with Chapter 3.B.1 of Reference (d).  Members receiving orders to a unit requiring the Boarding Officer competency will be contacted by the Program Manager and required to submit an ETR IAW Reference (a).

8. Units may request ETQC modify dates or remove ETRs that have either been erroneously submitted or are no longer needed by contacting the assigned scheduler.

6.  Boarding Officer Courses:  Commands should review Reference (a) for specific policy and ETR submission procedures to prioritize FY23 active duty training quotas for Basic Boarding Officer Course (BBOC) and Boarding Officer Practical Course (BOPC).  For further guidance regarding these courses, please visit ETQC’s Boarding Officer CGPortal at https://cg.portal.uscg.mil/units/forcecom/ETQC/BoardingOfficer/SitePages/Home.aspx .

7.  Training held at the Maritime Law Enforcement Academy (MLEA) must comply with the cancellation and substitution policies set by the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC). Commands should be aware of these polices to maximize training quota usage.  These policies are:

1. FLETC requires a minimum of 18 students (or 75% of the maximum class size) to hold a course.  If a course has less than 18 students (or is below 75% of the maximum class size) 30 days prior to the course beginning, FLETC will cancel the course.

2. Substitutions cannot occur within 1 week of the course convening.

3. Substitutions within 30 days of the course convening must be gender neutral.

4. All courses are capped (no additions) 30 days prior to the course commencing.

8.  To ensure early coordination of travel by the member and unit supervisors, ETQC will issue orders 6-8 weeks prior to the session convening date.  It is imperative members arrange travel as soon as possible to minimize travel and lodging costs.

9.  It is the unit’s responsibility to regularly monitor the Airport Terminal for class “C” school orders in DA.

10. Members attending “C” school, as well as ETS Funds Approvers and Authorizing Officials, shall read Reference (e) and follow the message guidance.  (All updated POET Crosswalks have been posted at Advisories - Home (uscg.mil) .)

11. “C” school cancellation requests shall be sent via “Command Email”, formerly Admin OIX, to ETQC within 10 days of the member receiving orders.  The approved template can be found on the ETQC CGPortal site by navigating to https://cg.portal.uscg.mil/units/forcecom/ETQC/TO/SitePages/Home.aspx and selecting the appropriate “Message Template”.  Units should submit changes to training needs as early as possible to ensure ample time to identify replacement students.  Lack of planning or untimely communication from a unit to ETQC often leads to the loss of a quota and a valuable training opportunity for another member.  (SPECIAL NOTICE:  Improved cancellation, substitution, and waiver request process coming Q1 of FY23).

12. Cancellations or waivers for pre-arrival training should be requested via “Command Email”, formerly Admin OIX, must be endorsed by the first O-6/GS-15 in the submitting unit’s chain of command, and be approved by the appropriate Program Manager (indicated on the MTL) before ETQC can take any action. The approved template can be found on the ETQC CGPortal site by navigating to https://cg.portal.uscg.mil/units/forcecom/ETQC/TO/SitePages/Home.aspx and selecting the appropriate “Message Template”.  (SPECIAL NOTICE:  Improved cancellation, substitution, and waiver request process coming Q1 of FY23).

13. Information on verifying training enrollment status is available on YouTube, How to Track Training Requests.

1. UTOs can verify training enrollment status of unit personnel in DA via the following path:  Training Admin->Enrollment->Student Training Summary.

2. Members can verify their own training enrollment status in DA via the following path:  Employee->Tasks->My Member Info->Create Report (Scroll to Training Summary).

14. Commands and UTOs are highly encouraged to contact ETQC schedulers with any questions or issues.  The list of ETQC schedulers and their assigned courses is available on the ETQC CGPortal site under Contact Us or ETQC Scheduler Phone List .

15. It is our collective responsibility to ensure training quotas are best utilized and the associated funds are expended in a prudent and responsible manner.  ETQC staff is available to answer any questions throughout the year.

16. ETQC requests the widest dissemination of this message, including distributing to subordinate Commands, Personnel & Administration (P&A) offices, Authorizing Officials, and UTOs.

17. ETQC Quota Management Customer Service Phone Number:  (757) 366-6583.

18. Questions regarding this advisory can be answered by CWO Jennifer Wilhite at Jennifer.C.Wilhite@uscg.mil or (757) 756-5337.