All About The DAWIA

The Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) was enacted in 1990, following an internal review of the Department of Defense, commissioned by President Reagan, after the review indicated a great deal of mismanagement in the Department of Defense. Thus, the purpose of the bill was to ensure that future employees of the DoD were well equipped with the knowledge and the management skills to tackle future problems effectively. The requirements and details within the certification requirements are tedious and time consuming, yet they provide an important purpose. The Department of Defense is constantly under the microscope of the public and the press, and therefore mismanagement can soon become a public relations nightmare. Therefore, the difficulty of obtaining this certification is imperative to prevent these kinds of situations.

The benefits of getting DAWIA certified essentially are the fact that people with the certification are able to work in new fields and do more work in higher acquisition positions within the DoD. An additional benefit for people is that by taking the courses required for the certification, it is also possible to receive college credit for those courses and the time spent working on them. Essentially, obtaining this certification opens the door to new opportunities in the career field, and provides people with further knowledge and skills needed in public management.

Sources:

https://www.dau.mil/faq/Pages/Certifications-Programs.aspx

https://www.dau.mil/training/career-development/logistics/blog/DAWIA-Certification-Requirements