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Currently, the credentialing status of servicemembers at the time of transition can vary.
Some individuals may be in occupational specialties that do not have related civilian credentials.
Others may be in occupational specialties that are credentialed yet they may or may not have the
credential at the time of separation. This chapter discusses the various credentialing scenarios
that might apply to transitioning military personnel, the key needs of servicemembers in terms of
assistance with credentialing, and the process that can be used to facilitate credentialing.
Potential Credentialing Status at Time of Transition
There are five basic scenarios that describe the potential credentialing status of
transitioning servicemembers and veterans. Servicemembers may:
- Have civilian equivalents that do not require a license or certification.
Servicemembers seeking employment in this category do not necessarily need to
pursue credentialing.
- Leave the military with all the civilian credentials they need.
In recent years the DoD and military services have increasingly incorporated civilian
credentialing into their training programs. For example, Emergency Medical Technicians
in all services are required to obtain certification from the National Registry of
Emergency Medical Technicians. Similarly, some military occupations have directly
comparable civilian occupations, e.g., culinary specialists compare to chefs. Current
fiscal authority exists to use appropriated funds to pay for commercially contracted
training courses that include an examination leading to credentials. This authority
is limited, however, to instances where the examination logically relates to the training
and where it is included as part of the purchase price of the course “package”. The Navy
has contracted for such “package” courses to meet training requirements where appropriate
from cost, timing, and/or location considerations.
- Have a certification in the field but not a license.
For these individuals, the transition to the civilian workforce
may be relatively seamless because certification and licensure
requirements are often similar. These individuals will need to
obtain a license from the appropriate government agency.
- Leave the military with the education, training, or experience
necessary to become licensed or certified, but lack the civilian credential.
These individuals may have to follow an administrative process that typically
requires completing an application, documenting military training and experience,
and possibly taking an exam.
- Need to supplement their military education or training or obtain additional experience.
These individuals may experience periods of unemployment or underemployment until they are
able to get the education, training, or experience they need.
Key Types of Assistance Needed by Servicemembers to Facilitate Credentialing
Servicemembers need three key types of assistance in order to facilitate their ability to become credentialed:
1. Assistance identifying civilian credentials applicable to their Military Occupational Classifications (MOC).
This includes identification of:
- Civilian equivalent of MOC;
- Credentials relevant to MOC (i.e., certifications, licenses, apprenticeships); and
- Specific credentialing requirements.
2. Assistance in addressing gaps between military training and experience and
civilian credentialing requirements. This includes providing servicemembers with:
- A detailed description of education, training, experience and other gaps
between military training and experience and civilian credentialing
requirements; and
- Resources to enable them to fill gaps (could be financial or programmatic).
3. Assistance with obtaining the civilian credential from the civilian agency. This includes:
- Access to exams;
- Payment of exam fees; and
- Documentation of military education, training, and experience to provide to credentialing agency.
The results of this study show that the process of credentialing servicemembers
involves six key steps that are facilitated in different ways by the military services
and by civilian public and private sector organizations:
- Identification of certifications relevant to military occupational
specialties. Civilian occupations related to military occupational specialties
are identified with their relevant certifications. A crosswalk between military
occupations and the civilian Standard Occupational Classification-Occupational
Information Network (SOC-O*NET) system developed by DoD’s Defense Manpower Data
Center facilitates this process. This crosswalk is available through DOL’s O*NET
OnLine Crosswalk function.
- Comparability analysis identifies gaps between military education, training,
and experience and civilian credentialing requirements. The Army’s GI to Jobs
program and the U.S. Military Apprenticeship Program (USMAP) are examples of
programs developed to identify potential gaps.
- Servicemembers address knowledge, education, or experience gaps taking advantage
of various financial and programmatic resources available to them while in the service.
This includes educational resources that are offered to military servicemembers, such
as the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) programs offered by the Army, Navy,
Air Force, and Marines and the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF). It also
includes financial resources, such as tuition assistance and the Montgomery GI Bill.
- Servicemembers complete required exams. Completion of exams is facilitated
by the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) agreements with
selected civilian credentialing agencies that allow exams to be given by military
officials at or near military bases.
- Servicemembers provide documentation to credentialing agency.
The services offer a variety of methods of documenting military training
and experience, including the Army American Council on Education Registry
Transcripts (AARTS), the Sailor and Marine American Council on Education
Registry Transcripts (SMARTS), and the CCAF transcripts. All services
also provide transitioning military personnel with a DD Form 214 – Certificate
of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, which also documents military experiences.
- Servicemembers obtain credential.Servicemembers are increasingly being
encouraged to obtain credentials during their military service and some services
offer promotion incentives for servicemembers who do so.
Figure 3 provides a detailed description of these steps and the various ways that
the steps are facilitated by the military services and public and private sector organizations.
Additional information on each service’s unique initiatives is provided in Chapter 3.
Figure 3. Process to Credentialing the Servicemember
|
Step
1 |
Typical Steps |
Relevant Military Programs or Initiatives |
Relevant Civilian Organizations or Initiatives |
Military and civilian institutions determine civilian licensure,
certification, or apprenticeships applicable to MOSs.
|
a) Match MOS/Naval Rating to equivalent
civilian occupation |
DMDC's
crosswalk
to
SOC/O*NET,
Army
COOL |
O*NET OnLine
Crosswalk
search |
b)
Obtain
description
of
general
civilian
requirements |
Army
COOL |
OOH and O*NET OnLine |
c)
Research
civilian
licensure
requirements |
Army COOL |
ACINet
-
Licensed
Occupations |
d)
Research
civilian
certification
requirements |
Army COOL |
ACINet
-
Certification
Finder |
e) Registered Apprenticeship |
USMAP |
OATELS |
f)
If
appropriate
to
the
military
mission,
have
civilian
organization
provide
training
leading
to
civilian
certification |
All
Services
(applies
to a
limited
number
of
occupational
specialties) |
|
g)
If
appropriate,
incorporate
civilian
credentialing
standards
into
military
training |
All
Services
(e.g.,
aviation,
medical,
etc.) |
|
|
Step 2 |
Military services conduct gap analysis with input from civilian credentialing bodies: analyze military training, education, and experience to determine if and how they meet civilian requirements.
|
a) Request military Programs of Instruction (POI)
and training materials from training commands |
The Army has completed an extensive comparability
analysis process of their MOSs. The Navy has completed an
extensive comparative analysis of ratings to certification
requirements using JTA in conjunction with NAVMAC occupational codes. |
There is no centralized access point to obtain
credentialing requirements for civilian occupations.
Contact must be made with each credentialing agency
to obtain this information. |
b) Review POIs and selected training materials |
c) Analyze skills obtained in military
against civilian training and certification requirements. |
d) Demonstrate how military meets license
requirements |
Army COOL |
ACINet - Licensed Occupations |
e) Demonstrate how military meets
certification requirements |
Army COOL; Navy 5VM |
ACINet - Certification Finder |
f) Registered Apprenticeship |
USMAP |
OATELS |
|
If steps 1 and 2 are not
conducted, the servicemember must independently do the research and
analysis that matches his/her military training, education, and work
experience to civilian licensure and certification requirements, as
established by licensing bodies, and/or nationally and professionally
recognized certification agencies. Then, the servicemember can proceed
with steps 3 - 6.
|
|
Step
3 |
Typical Steps |
Relevant Military Programs or Initiatives |
Relevant Civilian Organizations or Initiatives |
Servicemembers address gaps between military training, education, &
experience and civilian credentialing requirements.
|
a) Obtain additional training during current term
of service by going through DoD and Service-specific voluntary education systems |
DoD VOLED, Army’s Continuing Education System (ACES),
Navy College Program, Marine Corps Lifelong Learning Division,
and Air Force’s Voluntary Education Programs and Services |
|
b) Obtain appropriate post-secondary certificate,
degree, and/or certification exam |
Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC):
SOCAD, SOCNAV, SOCMAR; and Community College
of the Air Force (CCAF) |
Post-secondary educational institutions
and certification organizations |
c) Re-enlist, if necessary, to complete additional
training, education, or work experience necessary
for civilian requirements |
Service-specific re-enlistment offices |
|
d) Following separation from military,
obtain additional civilian education,
training, or work experience |
|
Workforce Investment
Act (WIA) programs, Post-secondary
academic |
e) If appropriate, enroll in
Apprenticeship program while in military |
USMAP |
OATELS |
f) Access financial resources
to assist in addressing gaps |
Service-specific TA programs,
Montgomery GI Bill, TA/VA Top-Up Program |
WIA and One-Stop Career Centers,
grants and financial aid from U.S. Department of Education,
ACINet Financial Aid Center |
Step 4 |
Typical Steps |
Relevant Military Programs or Initiatives |
Relevant Civilian Organizations or Initiatives |
Servicemembers complete required civilian licensure
and certification exams. (See note below.) |
a) Obtain access to civilian exams |
Service-specific Voluntary Education Systems' Test Centers, DANTES certification examinations, national testing centers National testing centers, e.g., College Board, Prometrics,
Sylvan Learning Centers |
National testing centers, e.g., College Board, Prometrics, Sylvan Learning Centers |
b) Access resources to pay for exams |
Montgomery GI Bill, DoD and Service-Specific Tuition Assistance
system |
|
c) If enrolled in Apprenticeship and additional requirements are necessary, transition to civilian Apprenticeship for completion |
USMAP |
OATELS |
NOTE: For Step 4, DANTES has established Memoranda of Understanding with civilian certification agencies to administer the agency's certification exams to servicemembers
at test centers operated by each Service through its respective
voluntary and continuing education system. |
Step 5 |
Servicemembers provide credentialing agency documentation of
military training, education, and experience. |
Education transcripts |
AARTS, SMART, or CCAF |
American Council on Education |
VMET |
All Services |
|
DD214 |
All Services |
|
Step 6 |
Servicemembers obtain the license or certification. |
Acronyms
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