The Army is creating more promotion opportunties for AIT PSG and a AIT PSG Badge. Agree or disaagree. I agree, right diretion for the NCO.

In a recent published Army Times Article:
27 July 2014


The Army is looking to strengthen the ranks of its Advanced Individual Training platoon sergeants by beefing up training and boosting promotion potential, making the job an awesome career move for a noncommissioned officer looking to advance in the ranks.

The Army has, over the last year, f lagged the job as a career-boost­ing, “broadening assignment,” put­ting it alongside drill sergeant, recruiter and observer-controller.

Promotion boards are receiving instructions that specifically out­line the job’s merits, and the as­signment is included on your enlisted record brief (these are basically green flashing lights to the board that say “Go, promote this soldier!”).

The Army also has a special badge in the works that would appear in your official photo, another way to impress a board and make master sergeant, officials say. The badge is set to be proposed in 2015 and is being pitched as retroactive to all previous AIT platoon sergeants.

Starting Oct. 5 the AIT Platoon Sergeant Course at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, is expanding from two to six weeks to make it better resemble drill sergeant training. Its main goal is and will remain graduating “masters of forma­tions,” troops who can lead masses of troops, officials say.

The AIT platoon sergeant is largely a job for non-combat MOSs, which train outside of the combat arms ’model, which combines Basic Combat Training and AIT, using drill sergeants throughout.

“The noncommissioned officer who served as an AIT platoon sergeant has an advantage over absolutely every one of his peers who have not served,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Dennis Woods, senior enlisted adviser for IMT. “As we go back to a more competitive promo­tions system, it’s these little nuances that will make the difference.”

The Army trains 600 AIT platoon sergeants on an annual basis to serve a coveted mentoring role with new soldiers. AIT platoon sergeants train and guide company sized units of new troops as they learn the technical skills for their first assignment in the Army.

AIT platoon sergeants say that, beyond career advancement, the job’s main rewards are the leader­ship experience and impact on future noncommissioned officers that come with it. AIT platoon sergeants are often grouped with soldiers of their military occupational specialty.

“If you love soldiers, if you love teaching, mentoring and training soldiers, you want to be an AIT platoon sergeant,” said Sgt. First Class Jerome Rogers, chief instructor for the AIT Platoon Sergeant Course.

In years past, there were AIT drill sergeants filling these jobs, but the Army moved to AIT platoon ser­geants in 2007. Army leadership wanted new soldiers to be trained, not by the shouting drill sergeant, but NCOs who could better acclimate soldiers to how the chain of command operates in the opera­tional Army.

However, two problems emerged that the Army is just now tackling: The job gained a reputation for hard work with long hours and no incentives, and the two-week prep course was too basic. Officials say the course was not relevant, not challenging and not adequately preparing AIT platoon sergeants, especially for handling the large formations they’d see on the job.

http://www.armytime.com