Issue 1/06 – 25 January 2006
New CEOTP opens doors for serving personnel, recruits
From Director Military Human Resource Requirements (DMHRR)
If you qualify for service as a Regular Force officer except for the university degree, the new Continuing Education Officer Training Plan (CEOTP) may be for you.
 Qualifying persons—Regular Force non-commissioned members (NCMs), members of the Primary Reserve who are eligible for Component Transfer to the Regular Force, and civilians—who don't have university degrees make up a portion of the Canadian population that was being missed in previous officer recruiting programs. This group includes high school graduates eligible for university admission, persons with part of a degree completed, and community college and Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel graduates.
If you see yourself here, you may be eligible to apply for the CEOTP.
All applicants—Regular Force NCMs, officers and NCMs in the Primary Reserve, and civilians—must have at least a high school diploma in an academic program leading to acceptance at a Canadian university in an initial degree program that meets Canadian Forces (CF) requirements.
Regular Force NCM candidates must:
- apply for the CEOTP;
- be of substantive corporal rank or above; and
- be recommended for commissioning by their commanding officer and chain of command.
Primary Reserve officer and NCM applicants must also Component Transfer to the Regular Force upon acceptance into the CEOTP.
Civilian applicants must be eligible for enrolment in the Regular Force.
The new CEOTP retains the CF’s commitment to the degreed officer corps concept, but with one important difference – officer candidates used to be required to hold a university degree before they could be commissioned. In October 2005, however, Assistant Deputy Minister (Human Resources – Military) Vice-Admiral Greg Jarvis announced the creation of the new officer production plan that allows officer candidates to be commissioned and to train in and be employed in their military occupations while they earn their degrees.
The key stipulation under the new CEOTP is that you must participate in a program that will lead to a degree within your initial engagement in the CF. The result is the same as under the former plan – only the process is different.
The plan’s flexibility makes things simpler when it comes to meeting the needs of officer occupations that are chronically short of personnel. A CEOTP officer can be trained and working in an occupation in a relatively short time. Once a CEOTP officer is employed, the CF will help him or her earn a degree by providing time and support for part-time study, educational reimbursement, and, if necessary, a period of full-time subsidized education at a university.
Getting a degree is a shared responsibility between the CF and personnel, and there are safeguards built into the plan to ensure that both fulfill their respective responsibilities.
The Canadian Defence Academy (CDA) has assumed the role of academic advisor for the CEOTP, with general oversight of all academic aspects of the plan. If you are a candidate, the CDA will help you create an individual learning plan to ensure that you earn your degree within your initial engagement, and will act as your academic advisor during your studies to help keep you on track.
The CEOTP provides an important new tool for Force Expansion because it widens the pool of potential recruits. As well, it opens a door for serving non-commissioned members whose lack of a university degree has until now prevented them from making the career move they may be otherwise qualified to make.
For more information about the new CEOTP:
 Consult Canadian Forces General Message (CANFORGEN)
156/05.
Read Assistant Deputy Minister (Human Resources – Military) [ADM(HR-Mil)] Instruction 09/05 (Internet) or ADM(HR-Mil) Instruction 09/05 (Intranet) on CEOTP.
Consult ADM(HR-Mil) Instruction 07/05 (Internet) or ADM(HR-Mil) Instruction 07/05 (Intranet) on Component Transfer.
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