"This report presents RAND Project AIR FORCE (PAF)'s assessment of the processes and policies in the U.S. Air Force nonrated technical training pipeline. In recent years the Air Force has faced persistent resource constraints while trying to deliver necessary training to its officer and enlisted forces. The Air Force asked PAF to identify opportunities for optimizing processes at all levels of the nonrated technical training pipeline and to recommend policy and process changes that could improve efficiency. PAF used a mixed-methods approach to address the research objective, combining the results of three primary research streams -- stakeholder discussions and process observations; analysis of training data and metrics; and development of a technical training pipeline model -- to identify inefficiencies in the technical training system. PAF identified numerous inefficiencies that fall into three broad areas: planning, flow of students, and resources. The report concludes with recommendations for improvements to training processes and outlines the benefits that can be obtained from proactive modeling and the development and tracking of effective metrics. This report will be of interest to those involved in technical training for military personnel."--Publisher's description