Terms
Actual on board (AOB): The number of CPC's currently assigned to a facility.
Projected Staffing: Future staffing number using numerous inputs, including number of trainees and pass rate, predicted retirements, inbound/outbounds, etc., over the training cycle.
Training Cycle: The estimated time it takes for someone to complete training, start to finish, based off
historical success rates.
Priority Placement Tool (PPT): Spreadsheet HR uses to generate facility priority lists.
Priority Placement List: Prioritized list generated by the PPT. Inputs are weighted and include facility level and type, current and projected staffing, and hard-to-staff.
Categories:
Facilities are placed in one of three categories:
- Category 1: AOB and projected staffing levels are above 90%.
- Category 2: AOB and projected staffing is above 85%.
- No category: AOB or projected staffing levels do not meet the above criteria.
Exempt: As of 3rd quarter 2017, "Exempt" status is no longer in use. The legacy definition follows. A facility may meet the criteria to be considered category 1 or 2, and still be ineligible to release anyone. This is referred to as "Cat 1/2 exempt". This occurs because of the requirement for a release not to drop AOB or projected staffing below the national average, and in an exempt facility, a selection causes that to happen.
Overview
This section outlines the NCEPT process.
- Dates for the NCEPT meeting and deadlines for ERR submission are posted.
- Shortly before the NCEPT meeting, the PPT is used to generate the finalized priority list.
- Eligible packages are forwarded to facility ATM's. If there are multiple requests to the facility, they "rank" their wish-list. This wish-list only factors in when more available applicants than available slots exist.
- Selections are filled from highest priority to lowest at facilities with vacancies. Once a person is selected, they are removed from any other consideration.
- TOL's will be sent within two weeks, and must be accepted or declined. There is no penalty for declining an offer. Release dates will then be set as follows:
- Cat 1: within 3 months, extendable to 6 at employee request.
- Cat 2: within 12 months.
Below is the 5/1/2023 statement regarding NCEPT:
The upcoming May 22 NCEPT panel will change how we conduct selections. As staffing has decreased in the NAS, there are many more facilities with vacancies to select ERRs, but they are picking from a much smaller pool of Possible Losses. Just one year ago, in May 2022, the PPT for that month had 299 Possible Losses (losses available from facilities at or above 85% Current and Projected Staffing, the threshold to release according to the most recent NRP) to fill 2596 Possible Gains to Target (vacancies). Fast forward to our most current staffing and we have 134 Possible Losses to fill 3519 vacancies. While the Union works with the agency on
Hiring and training, the NCEPT team is always looking to maximize movement from facilities that are healthy into those that need
Help.
For those unfamiliar, previous NCEPT panels were run with the selection following the Decision Lens (Facility Priority List) order. Each facility selected until they either ran out of available ERRs or met the selection target/threshold. However, with so few possible losses available, the top facilities on the decision lens fill up with a disproportionate share of the total selections. Continuing down the Decision Lens order, many facilities ended up without a selection because all of their available ERRs were from facilities that could no longer be released. This results in fewer total moves and a disproportionate distribution of ERR selections.
Recognizing that many facilities have staffing needs, and wanting to maximize the amount of possible ERRs selected from the Possible Losses, the Parties decided to change the process so that a facility only makes one (1) selection at a time before the panel continues down the decision lens order. This will cycle back to the top after all facilities have made their first available pick and continue until there are no more possible moves. For example, a facility will no longer make selections once they have reached 100% projected or there are no eligible ERRs to select. This will more evenly distribute the ERRs throughout the NAS, and also maximize the number of selections that can be made from the Possible Losses available.
Due to the ever-changing rules of the NCEPT, please visit the
NCEPT current rules thread, which contains further explanation of the most recent details.
The linked thread above has some good general information still, however now each panel has it's own rules. IE, there really are no rules. Each panel has its own thread where the information for that specific panel is discussed.
When is a facility eligible to release someone?
When they meet one of the category criteria.
How are available slots determined?
The criteria changes with nearly every panel. Visit the thread for the specific panel for its selection criteria.
What do I need to do to file/remove an ERR?
Article 42 section 5 of the
Slate Book lists the requirements. Submit your
ERR packages to the target facility's regional HR office. To remove an ERR on file (or find out which ERR's you have on file), call or email your regional HR. ERR's stay on file for 15 months.
Refer to
this post for pay grade codes.
What factors are considered?
Facility staffing, facility projected staffing, facility trainee-to-CPC ratio and desired facility staffing are the normal gating criteria. However, like everything else in NCEPT, the actual criteria or thresholds change very frequently.
For a selection, the receiving facility staffing is the primary factor. If they are eligible to make selections, and more than one person is available to transfer to a facility, the ATM ranking should be used to determine who is selected.
How long will I have to wait to be selected somewhere?
Indefinitely. There is nothing in place to guarantee you will
ever be eligible to transfer. Additionally, there is nothing to differentiate CPC's from each other when being considered for release. No merit based factors are considered at any point in this process. (EX: A newly certified CPC can jump a CPC with any amount of time or qualifications, based solely on the facilities where transfer requests are placed.)
What happens if someone turns down an offer?
Nothing. Once the NCEPT panel finishes, there are no future considerations, regardless of the acceptance/declination of offers. IE: no one else will be able to "replace" the outgoing slot of the person who declined an offer.
Because of this, TOLs which are declined have the potential to effectively block a facility release/selection, and it is highly encouraged for individuals to remove ERRs for facilities where an offer would be declined. If you need help with this, please visit the
ERR removal thread.
Are swaps affected?
Yes, swap eligibility is based on the facilities staffing relative to the national average. If either facility's AOB or projected is less than 5% lower than the national average, the swap will be denied.
Additionally, swaps are only considered
after the NCEPT ERR process is complete.
What is my pay when I transfer?
Transferring to a higher facility: 50% of the difference between your basic
Pay and the bottom of the CPC band of the
NEW facility is added to you basic pay upon transfer. The remaining 50% is added to your basic pay upon certification.
Transferring to a lower facility: Basic pay is retained, up to the maximum of the new facility's CPC band.
See the
Pay (FAQ) thread for more in depth information.
Do you have to attend the academy if you change career tracks (en route/terminal)?
From the 3120.4:
CPCs transferring from the En Route option to the Terminal option or from the Terminal option to the En Route option need not attend initial qualification training for the new option or facility type at the FAA
Academy. The specialist will be entered into the appropriate stage of field training as determined by the receiving facility ATM.
En Route
developmentals changing to a Terminal option, Terminal
developmentals changing to the En Route option, and Terminal developmentals changing to a different facility type must attend initial qualification training for the new option or facility type.
Additionally, there is no job jeopardy if you return.
Manager Ranking List
Every person who is eligible for consideration should be on the ATM's ranking list. This list is not publicly displayed anywhere. The community here has made the effort to make
FOIA requests after each panel in order to obtain copies of the list.
There have been instances where someone should have been included on the ranking list and was not, which may be grievable, so it's recommended to vet the list.
