Interested in the Air Force Credentialing Opportunities On-Line, or Air Force COOL, program? Follow these steps:
- Log on to the Air Force Virtual Education Center's Air Force COOL website, https://afvec.langley.af.mil/afvec/Public/COOL.
- Find your AFSC and see what credentials are available for you. When you find one that looks promising, click on it to make it your education goal.
- Apply for funding through the virtual education center website in a similar process to applying for tuition assistance. You also must submit the necessary supporting documents to the Air Force COOL program office to prove you can qualify for the certification.
- The COOL office then verifies your information and gets in touch with the testing agency to set up and schedule the exams and make payments.
- Apply early. Some testing agencies can approve an airman within a few days, but some take weeks or even months to verify the airman has the necessary experience and training.
Testing agencies might review airmen's college transcripts to see if they've done the necessary coursework, or their resumes, said Jason Smith, director of credentialing programs at the Community College of the Air Force. Some certifications might require fingerprints. Others require a notarized statement verifying airmen have done a job for a certain amount of time. For example, a maintenance airman who wants to apply for an airframe and powerplant, or A&P, license through COOL must first interview with the Federal Aviation Administration and then get a signed form verifying their qualifications.
"Some [testing] agencies have to do background checks," Smith said. "It's kind of like when you get your security clearance. They have to be able to go through and make sure that the individual is truly authorized to test. There are several agencies that really go and look back into a member's background to make sure their education requirements are all met, that they have good moral character, and no criminal histories, and things like that."
- Keep your documents. Airmen who think they might one day apply for a certification should never throw away their Career Field Education and Training Plans, which are training qualification documents. Those old training documents can come in handy when an airman tries to prove to a credentialing agency that he has the necessary experience to qualify.
- Study hard. Airmen who fail their certification exam aren't eligible to take a retest through COOL and won't be able to choose another certificate. You've only got one shot at this, so make it count.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
