Developmental education includes an array of in-resident, distance learning, and blended educational opportunities composed of formal, experiential, and Enlisted Professional Military Education (EPME) programs. The EPME experiences will align with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction (CJCSI) 1805.01C, Enlisted Professional Military Education Policy which defines joint learning areas, objectives, Enlisted Desired Leader Attributes (EDLA), and responsibilities of EPME and Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education (EJPME) institutions. It provides the framework for joint enlisted leader development and guides the development of agile and adaptive leaders with the requisite capabilities to support National Strategy and lead effectively in globally integrated military operations.

All Enlisted Air National Guard service members on State Active Duty are eligible for Enlisted Developmental Education.

Barnes Center for Enlisted Education - Air Force Enlisted Professional Military Education is created and provided through the Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education located on Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, and named after the service's fourth Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force.   

The principal instructional method for all Air Force enlisted PME is guided discussion, in which students share ideas, experiences, and work together to achieve various educational objectives. 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. Enlisted PME courses include fitness and drill and ceremony components as well as formal lectures and academic research projects.

Air Force enlisted PME courses have been approved for college credit in the leadership, management and military science discipline of the service's Community College of the Air Force Associate in Applied Science degree programs.

• Air Force Enlisted Heritage Research Institute (AFEHRI) - The AFEHRI’s mission is to support the Barnes Center's mission by educating and inspiring enlisted leaders on our enlisted history, heritage, and the resulting contribution to air and space power. The AFEHRI answers monthly information requests from as high as the Secretary of Defense down to the lowest ranking Airman. The AFEHRI is responsible for editing both the Aviation History and Air Force Heritage chapters of Air Force Handbook 1, Airman that all testing-eligible Airmen study for promotion. Support is provided to students in all facets of enlisted professional military education. It also provides secondary student support to the USAF First Sergeant Academy as well as to the Officer Training School, Air Command and Staff College, Air War College, Reserve Officer Training Corps, Junior ROTC, etc.
• Airman Leadership School (ALS) - The Airman Leadership School, ALS, is the first level of enlisted professional military education, EPME, Airmen experience. It is designed to be an entry level leadership enhancement course to prepare senior airmen for positions of greater responsibility by strengthening their ability to lead, follow, and manage while also gaining a broader understanding of the military profession and their role within the Air and Space Forces. Completion is required to assume the grade of staff sergeant. There are 68 active duty ALS schools and one Air National Guard school globally, managed by their respective major command. The Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education provides program management guidance and comprehensive curriculum materials to each of these schools. The Barnes Center fields a voluntary self-study version of the ALS program to facilitate EPME completion for ANG and Air Force Reserves Airmen when resident attendance is not possible.
• Noncommissioned Officer Academy (NCOA) - Noncommissioned Officer Academy is the second level of EPME and prepares noncommissioned officers (NCOs) for increased responsibilities by developing their leadership capabilities and expanding their understanding of the military profession to achieve national strategic objectives. The NCOA course is a resident Community College of the Air Force affiliated course that consists of 196 hours of classroom instruction delivered over 25 academic days. The overall goals of NCOA are to develop the leadership capabilities of NCOs with relevant and solution-focused leadership attributes to successfully lead teams, strengthen their organizations culture, solve problems collaboratively, and expand their understanding of the Air Force’s role in joint operations to achieve national strategic objectives. The NCOA meets these goals by providing the best academic program possible through the delivery of outcome-based objectives related to the curriculum areas of team leadership, joint warfighting, and strategic thinking.
• Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy (AFSNCOA)- Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy is the third level of enlisted PME. Its purpose is to educate and develop senior enlisted leaders and staff senior noncommissioned officers to enhance their strategic mindset and graduate prepared to lead the force in the employment of air and space power. Curriculum is focused on the senior enlisted leader’s organizational environment; national, military and air power strategy and integrated deterrence, and strategic competition. 
• Chief Master Sergeant Leadership Course (CLC)- The Chief Master Sergeant Leadership Course (CLC) is a 140-hour professional military education course taught at Maxwell Air Force Base-Gunter Annex, Alabama, and is the pinnacle of the Enlisted Airmanship Continuum. The course equips chief master sergeants with strategic insight to bridge operational execution and enterprise-level leadership, and empowers to inspire, lead and mentor Airmen for current and future challenges. Guided by the U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff’s 2024 vision for transformative change to sustain air superiority, the new CLC focuses on four pillars: national security; joint, interagency, intergovernmental, and multinational (JIIM) operations; organizational functions and domains; and command leadership. Through immersive training in mission command, joint operations and operational collaboration, chiefs sharpen critical thinking and enterprise-level decision making, enabling them to lead agile, resilient organizations capable of deterring and prevailing in high-end conflicts across all domains. The CLC fosters expertise in strategic leadership and JIIM operations, ensuring chiefs drive collaboration and apply command principles for mission success in a dynamic world.
• Enlisted Professional Military Education Instructor Course (EPMEIC)– The Enlisted Professional Military Education Instructor Course (EPMEIC) strives to produce enlisted Airmen and Guardians who can teach and lead effectively in and out of the classroom. The curriculum is designed to heighten students’ appreciation for and understanding of classroom fundamentals and essentials; technical skills associated with enlisted PME classrooms, and the typical day-to-day performance expected of enlisted PME professionals. EPMEIC teaches methodologies that are very specific to enlisted PME and is considered the “gateway” for an enlisted PME instructor.
• AF Enlisted Heritage Research Institute (AFEHRI) - The AFEHRI supports the Barnes Center for Enlisted Education mission by educating and inspiring enlisted leaders on our enlisted history, heritage, and the resulting contribution to air and space power. The AFEHRI provides support to students in all facets of enlisted Professional Military Education (PME). It also provides secondary student support to the USAF First Sergeant Academy, as well as to the Officer Training School (OTS), Air Command and Staff College (ACSC), Air War College (AWC), the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), the Junior ROTC (JROTC), etc.

Air Force Global College – The Air Force Global College is home to the College of Online PME, the Community College of the Air Force, and the Civilian Leadership Development School.

• Community College of the Air Force - The college is one of several federally chartered degree-granting institutions; however, it is the only two-year institution exclusively serving enlisted personnel. The college awards the Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree upon completing program of instruction within the applicable discipline designed for an Air Force specialty. Administrators, faculty, classrooms, laboratories, academic advisors and students are located throughout the world. What is often perceived as nontraditional about the college is its organization and administration that provides instruction at numerous locations because of the geographic dispersion of the students pursuing their Air Force occupations. Civilian collegiate institutions provide the course work to satisfy CCAF’s General Education Requirement (GER) of the degree programs and may also provide supplemental courses to satisfy Technical Elective, Program Elective, and Leadership, Management and Military Studies (LMMS) requirements not completed at CCAF schools. Although this broad geographical separation is unusual, the college is organized into a single, highly effective educational system.
• Global College of PME (PME)- The Enlisted PME provides distance learning opportunities to officers who are unable to attend courses in person. These courses offer the opportunity to learn how to effectively lead, follow, and manage in today’s Air and Space Forces as they prepare for greater leadership roles in their future. EPME Distance Learning Programs (DLP) include Airman Leadership School (ALS DLP), Non-Commissioned Officer Academy (NCOA DLP), and the Senior Non-Commissioned Officer Academy (SNCOA DLP)

Air Force Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (AFCOOL) - Air Force COOL is a program administered by CCAF, which provides a pathway for enlisted DAF members to earn industry recognized professional certifications, licenses to enhance their active-duty work, and to prepare them as they transition to the civilian job market.

Air University Associate to Baccalaureate Completion (AU-ABC) - Associate to Baccalaureate Cooperative (AU-ABC) directs DAF members with associate in applied science degrees from the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) to a collection of accredited colleges and universities to consider when completing a four-year degree. The program maximizes the application of military career education and training, and provides a multitude of online academic and support services for the enlisted member.

Ira C. Eaker Center for Leadership Development - The Eaker Center supports the Air Force mission by developing leaders and educating warfighters in the Air Force and across the Department of Defense (DoD), ultimately contributing to the lethality and deterrent power of our force. Professional continuing education and technical training are critical components for preparing Airmen and DoD personnel to meet the challenges of a volatile and dynamic world environment. Eaker Center courses are designed to establish, improve, and institutionalize enduring functional competencies, as well as develop individual leadership and management skills. The Eaker Center serves as the Air Force’s premier institution for developing leaders and educating warfighters.

• Commanders Professional Development School - The Commanders’ Professional Development School is responsible for conducting CSAF-mandated Wing, Deputy Wing, and Group Commander pre-command training; Wing and Deputy Wing Commander spouse training, Command Chief and Group Senior Enlisted Leader training, Leader Development training for squadron leaders, First Sergeant training, and incident management training through professional continuing education for the Air Force.
• First Sergeant Academy (FSA) - The FSA is a leadership development and technical training course designed to train, educate, and develop select senior noncommissioned officers to serve as United States Air Force first sergeants.  First sergeants advise commanders on the readiness, health, morale, welfare, and quality of life of Airmen and families to ensure a mission-ready force.

General Education Mobile (GEM) – General Education Mobile (GEM) is a partnership between CCAF and partnering regionally accredited civilian schools to provide general education courses that meet CCAF requirements in an online format: anytime, anywhere availability.

DAFI 36-2685 – Total Force Enlisted Developmental Education
https://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/af_a1/publication/dafi36-2685/dafi36-2685.pdf

Air Education Training and Command
https://www.aetc.af.mil/

Air Force Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (AF COOL)
https://afvec.us.af.mil/afvec/af-cool/welcome

Air Force Virtual Education Center (AFVEC)
https://afvec.us.af.mil/afvec/public/welcome