NCO Enhancement Seminar – better than they were before Published March 6, 2006 By Master Sgt. Darlene Foote 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan., (AMCNS) -- Nineteen McConnell staff sergeants recently graduated the Noncommisioned Officer Professional Enhancement seminar. The four-day course is designed to close the gap between Airman Leadership School and the NCO Academy when it comes to professional military education. According to Senior Master Sgt. Ronald Kenney, career advisor for the 22nd Air Refueling Wing, there can be as many as 12 years between Professional Military Education courses. “A lot of things change over the years and we want our NCOs to be adequately prepared and educated to supervise and advise their subordinates,” said Sergeant Kenney. Some of the topics covered in the seminar include the enlisted force structure, ethics and core values, team building, mentoring/counseling and much more. “Our goal is to get our young NCOs back to the mindset that they left their last Airman Leadership School course with – an update on today’s Air Force professional values and guidelines,” he said. However, the seminar is a somewhat condensed version of the standard PME courses. “Because we have such limited time to get this information to our students, we have removed all of the fluff. As a result, the course is all meat,” said Sergeant Kenney. The seminars are offered about every two months and lessons are instructed by senior NCOs who volunteer. “This is a wonderful opportunity for senior NCOs to step up and mentor junior NCOs and share their experiences with them,” said Sergeant Kenney. Sergeant Kenney believes that when supervisors send their NCOs to the Professional Enhancement seminar it is a win-win opportunity for the individual, as well as the unit. “Four days is a very small investment to allow your Airmen to attend this course. I guarantee results … I promise they will come back to you better equipped as leaders.”