I am pleased to announce that our Personnel Service Center is officially launching the Coast Guard’s first Enlisted Career Advisory Branch (EPM-4)! Consisting of four Enlisted Career Advisors (ECA), EPM-4 will begin offering career advising sessions to our Active Duty Enlisted workforce on 03 October 2022.

The ECAs of EPM-4 are dedicated to assisting members to navigate their individual career paths while aligning it to our service needs. Conveniently accessible, ECAs will provide year-round advisory guidance to our workforce while capitalizing on relationships with Assignment Officers (AO), Rating Force Master Chiefs, Rating Knowledge Managers, Command Senior Enlisted Leaders, and affinity groups, and the creation of Enlisted Career Guides, to educate members on career enhancing opportunities and tools available to mitigate personal challenges that sometimes complicate the achievement of professional desires. EPM-4 will ultimately serve as an advisory sounding board for our workforce and assist members in visualizing a pathway to their professional and personal goals. Our strength is in our workforce and when they are stronger personally and professionally, the Coast Guard is a stronger organization.

ECAs will complement, not replace, existing services that are currently available to our members. All Active Duty enlisted members are encouraged to utilize services provided by EPM-4 while continuing to seek guidance from their Chief Petty Officer Mess, participating in unit-level and CG-sponsored mentorship programs, and engaging with their respective AOs when considering future assignments or professional development opportunities.

The EPM-4 Scheduling Tool opens today! Active Duty enlisted members, E-4 thru E-6, and 12 months out (to the month) from their End of Enlistment (EOE) will receive an e-mail from EPM-4 connecting them to the EPM-4 Scheduling Tool and encouraging them to schedule a career advisory session with an ECA. Any Active Duty enlisted member may schedule a career advisory session with an ECA year-round, but priority will be given to those in the targeted paygrades and proximity to their EOE.

I am asking you to promote these services offered by EPM-4 and its ECAs. Members and commands can obtain more information regarding EPM-4 and access the EPM-4 Scheduling Tool by visiting the EPM-4 SharePoint Site at https://uscg.sharepoint-mil.us/sites/psc_spo/psc-epm/SitePages/EPM-4.aspx.

Questions regarding this initiative should be directed to CAPT Jonathan Carter at jonathan.a.carter@uscg.mil.

Brian K. Penoyer
Rear Admiral, USCG
Assistant Commandant for Human Resources

Also see: ALCGENL 171/22 - EPM-4, ENLISTED CAREER ADVISORY BRANCH, OPEN FOR BUSINESS