First Sergeant Academy curriculum

SMSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 23:08:07 -0400

For those of you that have gone through the new curriculum what do you think of it? When I went through the Academy was 3 weeks long with no CBT prior. Do you feel bettet prepared for First Sergeant duty after graduation?

Response by CW4 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 13 at 2015 2:20 AM

CW4 Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 02:20:16 -0400

On the Army side of the house, each installation was responsible for training new 1SG's and CDR's prior to taking responsibility and command over their first unit. I was in-charge of developing and providing the field level maintenance curriculum for each class and from what I could tell that the course was beneficial. In my opinion, no class will truly prepare for the rigors of being a 1SG. I earned some 1SG time as a young SFC prior to going Warrant Officer and I leaned on diamond wearing 1SG's and Sergeant Majors for any additional guidance and direction if I needed it. I do believe that a standardnized 1SG course would be the way to go for all branches of service.

Response by 1SG Michael Blount made Jul 13 at 2015 7:36 AM

1SG Michael Blount — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 07:36:29 -0400

The Army's version sucks. It's all about drill & ceremony and has no relationship to the leadership and other skills required for the job. It's a typical Army response - fixing something that wasn't broken.

Response by 1stSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 14 at 2015 10:29 PM

1stSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 22:29:16 -0400

I enjoyed it. You got to all the reading and discussion topics prior to showing up and that prepared me for better understanding and more meaningful dialog. Plus the cadre were very knowledgable and professional. I enjoyed it.

Response by 1stSgt James Corbett made Jul 16 at 2015 7:29 AM

1stSgt James Corbett — Thu, 16 Jul 2015 07:29:42 -0400

FSA was restructured in 2013 to incorporate distance learning, thus reducing the classroom time one week. While the curriculum was essentially shifted to online self study for a month prior to compensate for the lost week at Maxwell AFB, many elements are missing. At that time, guard and reserve had no financial compensation for the lost week of classroom training yet expected to learn the same material for free.
As for the course work, there is s n abundance of things to learn as a shirt. My go to resource was often the Military Commanders and the Law book. In my case, the first sergeant council did not provide any training of worthwhile feedback. I challenged it along with requesting more from of command chief. Each experience is unique and has a different personality to go with it. Our job is people. They are our true assets. Maintain readiness and deployability. The FSA doesn't prepare you for 18 hour days, but offers an insight on the demands and rewards of the position.