Certification program a success for Robins maintenance Published Nov. 6, 2014 By Brian Shreve Robins Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- It's open season again for the Professional Maintenance Certificate Program, an initiative that encourages personnel to aim even higher while creating a more well-rounded workforce. The Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex Business Operations Maintenance Training and Management office has begun the latest cycle and will be accepting applications until Jan. 6. General schedule and federal-wage system personnel in Air Force Materiel Command depot maintenance can apply. Civil service employees outside of maintenance may be eligible if they meet certain requirements such as training, formal or developmental education and minimum years of maintenance experience, said Michelle Aldana, PMxC program manager. The PMxCP was created as part of the Defense Department's goal of developing enterprise logisticians, and is a way to formally recognize skills and expertise across different areas of maintenance. Once applicants have submitted their packages, they will be reviewed by a PMxCP team comprised of members from all AFMC bases. Since the program's launch in November 2012, Robins has had success in the number of workers approved. Altogether, 79 PMxCP certificates had been awarded here at the close of the last open season, which ended in June. Last season alone, 103 certificates were obtained throughout AFMC, 32 of them at Robins - the most of any base. There are five levels of certification. Breaking down the numbers further, Robins has had 46 level-one PMxCs approved, 27 level twos and four level threes since the program's inception. "It's a really great program in which everyone should invest their time," said Aldana. "It's a beneficial guide, and if you follow the plan over the course of your career, you're really going to get ahead in your field and become a more developed employee learning about all sides of maintenance." When the last open season wrapped up, Joshua Mixon, Financial Management budget analyst, was one of 13 maintenance workers to be approved for a level-two certification, only six months after becoming the first financial management employee to receive a PMxCP 501 series, level-one certificate. Each level of certification involves a different milestone, the second requiring a bachelor's degree. In order to obtain the next certificate, Mixon plans to attend Air Command and Staff College as a professional military education is required. Mixon - who came to work at Robins nearly seven years ago - said learning different areas of maintenance for certification has helped him become a more mobile, valuable asset to the Air Force. He also said that the practical training he received surpasses that of a regular college education. "This has given me a great overview of what makes up maintenance because I get to rotate through all the individual components," he said. "I think it qualifies a person more than a degree because these certifications prove someone has put in the time and can actually do the job." Editor's note: For more information or instructions on how to apply, contact Aldana at michelle.aldana@us.af.mil.