I'm new to this forum so I'm not sure where to start. Here goes. I have worked in "civillian" labs on and off since 98', but now I am needing to "set roots" down in my career. For the last 2 years I have been working in a dead end job at a scale service company. I was laid off on Monday, and like the topic states I'm in panic mode. My question to you guys is this. Is it possible to get my foot in the DoD door without having gone to a TMDE or PMEL school? All of my experiance is from OJT and what I learned from my MoS in the Army. Any imput would help tremendously.
Yes. Contact a contract lab and inquire if they have any "trainee" positions. They may pay less however... if you start to actively go after some form of Metrology degree wether it be an associates or some other acceptable form of education (inquire with the employer) you should be able to get a job in a DoD lab.
Here's a snippet from the request for proposals Q and A recently posted in regards to Robins. Note where it states already satisified the educational requirements. Those are what you want to know about. The ojt required is 15 months but there may be a minimum task qualification also.
"PWS 1.11.2.1 Contractor employees who, install, test, modify, repair, align, calibrate and certify base reference standards, working standards and common TMDE shall have graduated from a DOD accredited basic PMEL School or have an Associate's Degree in Metrology. In addition contractor employees must be experienced to the Journeyman level as defined in AFI 36-2201 Vol. 3 paragraph 1.6.2.
If an individual has other DOD training or electronics training would you not accept them on the contract? If an individual has graduated from a DOD PMEL school or has an Associate Degree in but not experienced to the journeyman level, are they considered in the 10% ref. in para. 1.11.2.2?
A: No. Other DoD or electrical training cannot be substituted for DoD training from an accredited basic PMEL school or Associate's Degree in Metrology. Yes. A DoD PMEL graduate or an Associate Degreed person not experienced to the journeyman level would fall in the 10% category.
PWS 1.11.2.2 The contractor may have 10% of their technician workforce in a trainee status for students enrolled and pursuing an Associate's Degree Program in Metrology in order to gain work experience.
Is the 10% the maximum allowable number or is it only tied to individuals pursing an Associate's Degree in Metrology?
A: Up to 10% of technicians may be individuals who are not fully qualified in accordance with the criteria stated in paragraph 1.11.2.1. These technicians must have already satisfied the educational requirements or be enrolled and pursuing an Associate's degree in Metrology.
"
That is publicly available information located here
https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=d118fa8f94ac63db8fd93aa8d3ce94dd&tab=core&_cview=1&cck=1&au=&ck
or search www.fbo.gov for FA8501-08-R-0030
Thanks for the info. Tremendous help.
If you have a good amount of experience some labs may be willing to overlook the lack of formal training. What area of the country do you happen to live in?
I live in Oklahoma, BUT I'm not against relocating.
If you're still looking, you might want to try usajobs.gov. There are a number of PMEL jobs listed as "Electronic Measurement Equipment Mechanic" or WG-2602. I know that there are several open positions up at Otis ANG on Cape Cod; getting on the standing register through usajobs.gov may result in an offer to you.