MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Beginning fiscal year 2012, a non-resident Corporals Course will be available to Marines who are unable to attend a resident course.
“Our noncommissioned officers have long been known as the backbone of the Marine Corps,” said Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. James T. Conway in All Marine Message 26/10. “It is our duty to ensure we provide these Marines every educational opportunity, yet there is a gap in the professional military education continuum for our corporals.”
As it stands right now, there is no current prerequisite for corporals to complete corporals course to be promoted to sergeant.
Per Marine Administrative Message 391/07, lance corporals have the requirement of completing the Leading Marines Marine Corps Institute course to be promoted, and sergeants are required to complete a resident Sergeants Course or the non-resident sergeants course MCI.
“It’s an excellent opportunity for Marines who are deployed for long periods of time or offices that are short staffed,” said Cpl. Anne Laha, limited duty noncommissioned officer for Installation Personnel Administration Center. “Corporals Course gives you knowledge you may otherwise not seek out. It is an excellent tool for noncommissioned leadership.”
Training and Education command is creating the distance education edition of the Corporals Course.
Once it is active, composite score bonus points will be awarded for completion of either the command-sponsored or non-resident course, however not for both.
“Even though this is a great tool, it can’t replace the actual classroom and handson time you get at a resident course with the different leadership styles instructors bring,” said Sgt. Carlos Pena, outbound noncommissioned officer-in-charge at IPAC.
Although this new course is slated to be an equivalent to the already proven Corporals Course, commanders must seek every opportunity to conduct the commandsponsored resident Corporals Course.
“I think it will be harder for the nonresident course takers to learn things such as drill, but overall the general knowledge will be on par with what’s taught,” said Laha.
For information on the non-resident Corporals Course, refer to ALMAR 026/10. Lesson plans, student handouts and guidance to conduct a resident course are located on the TECOM Web site.