CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION

The 21st century brings unique challenges in sustaining a skilled civilian workforce. The demand for qualified workers in a diverse array of occupational areas continues to grow and the global nature of our economy has caused employers in the United States to face increasing competition from foreign countries in their efforts to fill some jobs. As a highly trained, skilled, disciplined, and dedicated group of men and women, transitioning servicemembers represent a unique labor pool that can contribute significantly to the nation’s ability to maintain its competitive edge in the world economy.

The Armed Forces spend approximately $8 billion per year for accession, basic skills and advanced training. Training obtained during an individual’s military service is intended to provide tangible benefits for the nation’s defense. A large portion of that training also provides skills that are directly related to civilian careers, making our nation’s military personnel a valuable asset to the civilian labor force upon transitioning from the military. Newly separated veterans, however, experience a higher initial unemployment rate than non-veterans. See Appendix A: Employment Situation of Veterans for the most recent data available on this subject.

Finding ways to facilitate servicemembers’ smooth transition to the civilian workforce is critical to our nation’s ability to successfully tap into this skilled labor pool and take full advantage of their many skills and highly developed work ethic. Aiding servicemembers in obtaining civilian credentials has increasingly been recognized as an important way of making this transition. Civilian credentials, such as licenses, certifications, and apprenticeships, maximize servicemembers’ capacity to demonstrate to civilian employers that their skills are on par with those of their civilian counterparts. As a result, these credentials can help to reduce periods of unemployment and underemployment that servicemembers might otherwise encounter when transitioning to the civilian workforce.

To this end, Section 599 of the Ronald W. Reagan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005 required the Secretaries of Defense and Labor to:

jointly carry out a study to determine ways to coordinate the standards applied by the Armed Forces for the training and certification of members of the Armed Forces in military occupational specialties with the standards that are applied to corresponding civilian occupations by occupational licensing or certification agencies of governments and occupational certification agencies in the private sector.

This report presents the results of this joint study.

STUDY OBJECTIVES, SCOPE, AND METHODOLOGY

The Departments of Labor and Defense convened a working group to examine methods by which credentialing of servicemembers has been or can be facilitated. This working group has identified numerous best practices within the Department of Defense (DoD), the military services within DoD, i.e., Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps, and the Department of Labor (DOL) along with opportunities for collaboration that will enhance servicemembers’ ability to become credentialed.

REPORT CONTENT AND ORGANIZATION

The remaining sections of this chapter of the report provide background information on civilian credentialing, examine its importance to transitioning servicemembers, identify the complexities surrounding civilian credentialing, and highlight some of the significant events that have taken place in recent years to facilitate credentialing of servicemembers. Chapter 2 describes the various credentialing scenarios that servicemembers may face when transitioning out of the military, identifies the key types of assistance they need to facilitate credentialing, and details a credentialing process that will meet these needs. Chapter 3 highlights initiatives that are underway in DoD, the military services, and in DOL to improve credentialing opportunities for Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines.

BACKGROUND ON CIVILIAN CREDENTIALING

Occupational credentialing is an official recognition of a process by which an individual meets a set of defined standards, generally through education, training, experience, and testing. It is intended to provide assurance that those credentialed professionals engaged in specific occupations meet acceptable standards of quality and will exhibit competency in performance on the job. The existence of such standards is considered to be in the best interest of consumers, other practitioners in that profession, individuals in allied professions, and the public. Credentialed individuals are able to bring about a higher level of performance and qualification throughout their chosen profession.

Industry and government organizations set and revise credentialing standards to ensure that individuals meet the educational and technical qualifications for their profession. The three primary types of occupational credentialing are licensure, certification, and apprenticeships:

• Licensure – Government agencies, primarily state agencies, but also federal and occasionally local agencies, grant licenses to individuals to practice a specific occupation, such as a medical doctor, a cosmetologist, or an air traffic control tower operator. Federal, state, or local laws and/or regulations define the standards that individuals must meet to become licensed. Licenses are typically required and issued by a government entity, i.e., individuals are not authorized to practice an occupation in a location without first obtaining the required license. Requirements for obtaining occupational licenses vary by jurisdiction, most often by state. Not all states license the same occupations and for those that do, the requirements can differ substantially. Some states will give special consideration to individuals who already hold a license in another state. For example the licensing board may:
  
  

  Important Distinction Between Licensure & Certifications Licenses are granted by government organizations to regulate the practice of a profession. They are a mandatory credential providing the individual with the right-to-practice. Certifications are granted by industry stakeholders to attest to an individual’s attainment of knowledge and skills. They are a voluntary credential providing the individual with the right-to-title, i.e., once an individual has acquired a certification, that individual is entitled to use the certification label as a title after his/her name.

  > Recognize licenses granted by other states as equivalent, called "reciprocity", may require an exam and/or fee;
  
  > Issue a license based on the individual having met similar requirements out-of-state, called "endorsement" or "license by credentials"; or
  
  > Credit equivalent out-of-state training, education, and examinations toward the requirements for licensure in that state.

• Certification – Occupational certification can be broadly grouped into two areas: (1) certifications granted by organizations or professional associations, e.g., Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or Certified Nuclear Medicine Technologist (CNMT), and (2) vendor or product-related certifications, e.g., Certified Novell Engineer (CNE) or Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE). Each certifying organization sets its own standards for certification. For many occupations, more than one organization may offer certifications. Certification requirements generally include one or more of the following: education, training, work experience, and examination. Certification is not usually required by law to practice an occupation except in cases where a licensing body or board for a particular occupation in a state includes certification as part of the licensing requirements. However, certifications generally make an individual more employable as some employers require certification of its employees, or may consider certification when making hiring or promotion decisions.

• Apprenticeships – Registered Apprenticeship is a training system, combining on-the-job learning and related instruction in which workers learn the practical and theoretical aspects of a skilled occupation. The process of apprenticeship program registration with federal and state government agencies is standards-based, designed to ensure that working apprentices, program sponsors, and the general public can gain a clear understanding of the training content and the measures that are in place to ensure ongoing quality. Employers, employer associations, and joint labor-management organizations, known collectively as apprenticeship sponsors, provide apprentices with instruction that reflects industry needs. Apprentices receive paid on-the-job training, academic instruction, and a nationally recognized Certificate of Completion of Apprenticeship, that equip them with the portable skill sets needed to advance in their chosen field. Currently, departing military veterans may receive credit for their military occupational experience and benefit from “direct entry” into a private industry registered apprenticeship program without the necessity of competition. The result is workers with industry-driven training and employers with a competitive edge.

Educational or academic degrees, while a recognized type of credential and often included in requirements for licensing and certification or in the process of apprenticeship, are not strictly an occupational credential and are not included as such in this report.

IMPORTANCE OF CREDENTIALING TO TRANSITIONING SERVICEMEMBERS

The civilian workforce increasingly relies upon credentialing as a way to regulate entry into an occupation and to promote accountability for performance and public safety. Furthermore, the value of credentialing to the military is also being increasingly recognized. Credentialing offers professional growth and development opportunities for individuals in the service and has been used by the military services for both recruiting and retention. Civilian credentialing can be viewed as an opportunity for servicemembers transitioning to the civilian workforce to demonstrate to employers the comparability and value of their military education, training, and experience. However, not all civilian credentialing agencies formally recognize military education, training, and experience, thus making it difficult for some servicemembers to obtain civilian credentials.

This issue affects a significant number of transitioning personnel. Each year, over 180,000 servicemembers transition from military to civilian life. A 1998 study¹ found that more than one-third of separating enlisted personnel served in military occupations that have civilian equivalents with credentialing requirements, i.e., licensure and certification. While these figures have not been updated in recent years, a number of factors suggest that this proportion is likely to have increased dramatically since that time.

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of new certification programs. DOL’s America’s Career InfoNet web site (www.acinet.org), contains a Certification Finder database, which, while not a comprehensive source of all certifications available, currently contains information on over 3,000 different certifications. From the military perspective, Army analysis shows that, as of January 2005, 92% of Army military occupational specialties (MOSs) have civilian job equivalents that are subject to licensure or certification and 95% of the over 400,000 enlisted Soldiers serve in these MOSs. With regard to apprenticeship, the Coast Guard currently has 21 ratings (occupational specialties), the Navy has 69 ratings, and the Marine Corps has 195 occupational specialties that are available for participation for apprenticeship.

Civilian occupational credentials are recognized as important for servicemembers – particularly upon their transition to the civilian workforce – for several reasons:

• Federal, state, or local law may require that an individual possess specific credentials to legally perform some jobs.
• Employers may choose to hire only employees who have certain credentials, or to pay those employees more.
• Credentials may improve an employee's prospects for promotion.
• Credentialed servicemembers demonstrate to prospective civilian employers that their skills are on par with their civilian peers.

In addition, credentials can contribute to military career development, and may be accepted for self-development requirements and in performance evaluations during an individual’s military career.

¹Congressional Commission on Servicemembers and Veterans Transition Assistance, “Barriers to Veterans’ Employment Presented by Civilian Licensure and Certification” June 4, 1998.

DYNAMICS AND CHALLENGES OF THE CREDENTIALING PROCESS

The complexity of the civilian credentialing process presents many challenges for both military and civilian individuals seeking to obtain a credential. As discussed below, the system of civilian credentialing is very decentralized, making it difficult for individuals to navigate through the system to determine what credentials to pursue. The multi-faceted nature of credentialing complicates the ability to facilitate credentialing of servicemembers. It is often difficult to identify the appropriate civilian partners with which to work, and, as discussed below, some civilian credentials may not have nationwide recognition or applicability. These complexities are being taken into consideration by DOL and DoD as new initiatives are developed to assist individuals in becoming credentialed.

Multitude of Participants

As shown in Figure 1, the civilian credentialing system is very decentralized. There is no single entity responsible for all of the aspects of credentialing. Most certifications are created by private industry or occupational associations, of which there are over a thousand. Occupational licensure is a governmental function but may occur at multiple levels. Some occupations are licensed at the national level by a federal agency, such as the Federal Aviation Administration. Most licensing occurs at the state level, but requirements may vary somewhat among the states. Further, some occupations are licensed in some states but not others. Registered apprenticeship programs are recognized by DOL’s Office of Training, Employer and Labor Services (OATELS) and their State Apprenticeship Agency/Council partners. In addition, credentials often have academic and training requirements, so educational institutions and training developers play a role in credentialing as well.

Figure 1: Complexities of the Professional Credentialing System

Lack of Accreditation of Certification Agencies and Uniform Standards

One means to ensure quality certifications is through accreditation of those programs. Accrediting agencies develop evaluation criteria and conduct evaluations to assess whether or not those criteria are met. Institutions and/or programs that request an agency's evaluation and that meet an agency's criteria are then "accredited" by that agency.

Accreditation of educational programs and institutions is a good example of how this process can work to ensure quality. In higher education, the role of accreditation is extensive: 19 institutional organizations accredit approximately 6,300 institutions and more than 60 programmatic organizations (e.g., law, medicine, business, etc.) accredit approximately 17,500 programs². One reason for the comprehensiveness of this system is that educational institutions must be accredited in order for their student enrollees to be eligible to receive federal financial aid.

The accreditation of certification programs is not as prevalent as is accreditation of educational institutions. In the workforce arena, while there are several major bodies that accredit certification programs, only a relatively small number of certification agencies or programs have chosen to go through the accreditation process. Moreover, individuals seeking certification are often unaware of the existence of these accreditation organizations.

²Judith S. Eaton, President Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), CHEA Letter from the President, “The Value of Accreditation: Four Pivotal Roles”, May, 2003.

Two major entities that accredit organizations that offer certifications are the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), the accreditation body of the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA). ANSI administers two accreditation programs for personnel certification agencies. One accreditation is based on the new International Standard ISO/IEC 17024 and the other is based on the Conference for Food Protection Accreditation Standards for certification agencies that certify food protection managers. Both programs are based on an internationally recognized process for accrediting organizations and it has been used by ANSI for many years. This process involves both a review of a paper application and the performance of an audit (on-site visit) to validate information provided by each applicant. The use of an onsite audit for accreditation of personnel certification agencies is unique to ANSI. ANSI’s accreditation process appears to be a useful quality assurance mechanism. Fewer than 15 certifying organizations have obtained ANSI accreditation to date. The cost of accreditation can be prohibitive for some credentialing organizations.

NCCA was created in 1987 by NOCA as a commission whose mission is to help ensure the health, welfare, and safety of the public through the accreditation of a variety of certification programs or organizations that assess professional competence. NCCA uses a peer review process to: establish accreditation standards, evaluate compliance with these standards, recognize organizations or programs which demonstrate compliance, and serve as a resource on quality certification. NCCA accredited organizations certify individuals in a wide range of professions and occupations. Among NOCA's 300 or so members, as of the year 2000, fewer than 50 had obtained accreditation through NCCA.

In addition to ANSI and NCCA, which provide accreditation across occupational areas, there are also specialty boards, such as the Council on Engineering and Scientific Specialty Boards (CESB), that accredit certifications for specific industries and occupations. These accreditation organizations likely serve an important role in their given industries, but are not widely known to consumers or individuals seeking to determine which certifications are considered to be of good quality.

The legislation that authorized payment of credentialing exam fees through the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) contained basic standards that credentialing organizations must meet in order for their certifications to be approved for payment. The Department of Veterans Affairs has responsibility for determining which certifications meet these standards. This oversight provides some level of review of the quality of licenses and certifications, but it is not considered an in-depth accreditation process.

While many certification programs are quite rigorous and their development has included elements such as job analysis, review by subject matter experts, and test validation, this is not always the case. There is concern that certain entities might issue ‘certifications’ to those who merely apply and submit a fee. (This issue is similar to the concern within education about ‘diploma mills’ that may grant degrees for ‘life experience’ without proper testing or verification.) Without a more formalized accreditation process, it is difficult for any individual seeking a credential to determine whether that credential has value.

Another way to determine the utility of specific certifications is to assess the value assigned to them by business and industry. The best indication of the quality and utility of certifications is whether they are recognized by major industry associations and widely accepted for hiring and promotion purposes by firms within that industry.

Lack of Centralized Information on Certification Requirements

Due to the decentralized nature of the civilian credentialing system, there is no single, centralized source of information on civilian credentialing requirements. Given that there are thousands of credentials, this makes it difficult for the military to compare its education, training, and experience for a given occupational specialty to the civilian credentialing requirements. DOL has attempted to fill this information gap by developing web-accessible databases with contact information for certification and licensure organizations. However, these databases do not include detailed information on actual requirements. The cost of updating and maintaining this type of information, which changes frequently, would be prohibitive.

DOL does have an effort underway to form an electronic clearinghouse of existing industry recognized skill standards, competency models, and competency-based curriculum to augment existing resources on occupational certifications and licensure. The goal is to create a site that will provide industry a means to publicize their emerging skill needs and where businesses, both small and large, educators, and even individuals can go to ascertain the emerging skill demands in the U.S. workplace.

SIGNIFICANT EFFORTS AND EVENTS

In recent years, various efforts have been expended on ways to address the issue of credentialing for our veterans transitioning to civilian employment. See Appendix B: Bibliography of Recent Documents for a list of relevant documentation on this subject. Similarly, numerous events have taken place in recent years that serve to facilitate the credentialing of servicemembers and veterans. These include initiatives targeted directly towards this purpose as well as other initiatives that, while not specifically designed to improve credentialing opportunities, serve to do so because of their relationship to credentialing. Figure 2 lists these significant events going back to 1972.

Figure 2. Timeline of Significant Efforts and Events

¹ Consortium of colleges and universities, under the umbrella organization of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, agree to provide degree programs for Soldiers and Sailors.
² Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Educational Support, (www.dantes.doded.mil).
³ eLearning program allows Soldiers to take Information Technology (IT) and systems training courses free of charge — courses used by Soldiers in preparation for IT industry certification.
⁴ Captains of industry agree to the hiring of transitioning Army personnel. (See APPENDIX C: PaYS Partnership Tables for recent data showing program success/production after five years.)
⁵ Eligible servicemembers and veterans can use the Montgomery G.I. Bill to pay for up to $2,000 in fees for civilian occupational licensing and certification exams taken on or after March 1, 2001.
⁶ Public Law 106-50 established the PCAB -- placed as an Advisory Board group within the federally charted Veterans Corporation.
⁷ Replaced UMET web site.
⁸ As of 03/2005, four other locations opened: Tinker, AFB; Ft. Eustice; Luke, AFB; and Mobile, AL (USCG).