The Noncommissioned Officer Academy (NCOA) is the second level of enlisted PME and prepares Technical Sergeants to be professional, war-fighting Airmen and Space Professionals who can manage and lead units in the employment of Air and Space power.
EPME courses include fitness and drill and ceremony components as well as formal lectures and academic research projects. Air Force EPME courses have been approved for college credit in the Leadership, Management & Military Science discipline of the service's Community College of the Air Force Associate in Applied Science degree programs.
Air Force Enlisted Professional Military Education (EPME) is created and provided through the Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education, named after the service's fourth Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, Thomas N. Barnes, the first African-American to attain the highest enlisted position in any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces.
The Barnes Center is also home to the Air Force Enlisted Heritage Research Institute (EHRI). EHRI is dedicated to preserving the rich and dramatic heritage and tradition of the enlisted corps of the US Air Force dating back to the US Army Aeronautical Division, Army Air Service, Army Air Corps, and Army Air Forces.
Formative evaluations are an integral part of the curriculum and serve as feedback tools for the student and instructor. Summative objective and performance evaluations are used to determine whether the educational requirements outlined in the course are met.
Airman Leadership School (ALS) is an education program held at base level to prepare Senior Airmen for positions of greater responsibility. The course teaches leadership skills required of supervisors and reporting officials throughout the Air and Space Forces.
ALS enhances the development of Senior Airmen by strengthening their ability to lead, follow, and manage while they gain a broader understanding of the military profession. ALS is attended by Senior Airmen (E-4) and required for promotion to Staff Sergeant (E-5).