SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The 178th Wing hosted its first retraining career fair Saturday at Springfield-Beckley Air National Guard Base to give airmen an opportunity to explore new career fields while helping wing leadership address retention, end strength and manning challenges across the installation.
Airmen from units across the wing attended the event, which provided a centralized location for members to learn about available retraining options outside their current career fields. Participating squadrons used the fair to highlight positions experiencing persistent staffing shortfalls.
The event was designed to retain experienced Airmen by offering professional growth opportunities without requiring them to leave the organization.
“Springfield is having their first ever retraining career fair,” said Master Sgt. Brianna Smith, 178th Wing retention manager. “This gives units the opportunity to say, ‘We have these jobs we want to fill with our current members,’ and gives current members the chance to expand their careers and try something different.”
Smith said retention, end strength and effective manning are closely connected and must be addressed together.
“End strength and effective manning are hot-button topics,” Smith said. “To get there, we have to retain our people and make sure they find fulfillment, so they want to stay.”
Smith added that retraining Airmen already serving in the wing can help fill hard-to-staff positions while maintaining continuity and experience.
“If there are positions that have been difficult to fill and are affecting effective manning, why not fill them with current members who are already qualified and want to be here?” Smith said.
The 125th Intelligence Squadron was among the units participating in the fair, using the opportunity to educate Airmen about its mission and upcoming changes.
“We’re providing an opportunity to educate the wing about other career options that exist across the installation,” said Capt. Jacob Hellickson, operations officer for the 125th Intelligence Squadron. “Many people may have wanted to retrain for a long time but have never had a centralized location, time or resources to do that.”
Hellickson said the event also aligned with ongoing force structure adjustments and incentive programs across the Air National Guard.
“There are a lot of bonuses and changes happening around force structure,” he said. “Aligning those incentives with future opportunities is exactly what we’re trying to do.”
For the intelligence squadron, the fair served as a chance to showcase future mission growth.
“The group is educating the rest of the wing on what we do and the mission changes coming over the next 24 to 48 months,” Hellickson said. “We’re looking for Airmen who want to be part of that change.”
He emphasized that the event promoted collaboration across units, not competition.
“Having everyone in one room supporting each other and advocating for all of our capabilities is what we should be doing at the wing level,” Hellickson said.
Organizers said the retraining career fair gave Airmen greater visibility of career opportunities within the wing and helped leadership leverage existing talent, strengthening the 178th Wing’s readiness and long-term sustainability.