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STATEMENT
OF REAR ADMIRAL DAVID L. BREWER III U.
S. NAVY VICE
CHIEF OF NAVAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING BEFORE
THE OVERSIGHT
HEARING CREDENTIALING
(LICENSURE, CERTIFICATION, ACCREDITATION, AND
APPRENTICESHIP) REQUIREMENTS 9
SEPTEMBER 1999 Mr. Chairman, distinguished members of the subcommittee, I appreciate this opportunity to discuss the Navy's role in the professional certification process. This process clearly serves the interests of the Navy and our Sailors. Professional certification offers many in-service benefits to the Navy. The basic requirements for many certification programs require extensive personal commitment. Professional certification (1) promotes growth and professionalism within the job, (2) demonstrates competencies based on real-world requirements; (3) provides an excellent tool for Sailors to validate that jobs are being done independently and competently; (4) leads in recognizing and promoting professional ethics and values; and (5) provides Navy personnel an opportunity to demonstrate that they possess the initiative and determination required to advance. Certification
has the potential to be a positive recruiting tool as well.
If those entering the Navy feel their training and experience
will be documented and later accepted when they seek civilian
employment, then powerful incentive is provided.
Sailors could expect to be able to use skills learned during
military service when they reenter the civilian market.
Navy personnel receive the majority of their certifications
through the Department of Defense (DOD), Defense Activity for
Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES).
DANTES is the lead agency for DOD Certification efforts in
support of voluntary education programs. DANTES has Memoranda of Understanding with 32 nationally
recognized professional certification agencies offering approximately
160 different certification examinations.
These agencies make their examinations available to eligible
Navy personnel through military installation education centers and
ships located in over 560 centers throughout the world. Because military personnel eventually leave the military and enter the civilian labor market, the benefits of military training are critical to the continued productivity and competitiveness of the civilian labor force. Training and the transferability to civilian careers of skills gained in the military could become a significant inducement to enlistment. These benefits could become particularly valuable at separation since they have the potential to enhance the marketability of the individual in the civilian professional community. Documenting the high level of knowledge, experience, and credentials earned and translating it into civilian terms just makes good sense. Another certification program used extensively
by Sailors is the Navy’s National Apprenticeship Program (NNAP).
This program was established by written agreement between the
Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of the Navy in March 1976. The agreement permitted active duty personnel to complete
apprenticeships in civilian trades and began with just 13 approved
trades or occupations. Today
we carry 96 apprenticeable occupations that include trades in the
fields of construction, industrial/manufacturing, and service.
Growth of our program over the past 23 years speaks for its
effectiveness and acceptance throughout the Navy. We take pride in being the Department of Labor’s largest
apprenticeship sponsor, with an enrollment number of more than 42,000
active apprentices. Over
16,000 Navy members have completed the program and received
Certificates of Completion from the Department of Labor.
Our program develops highly skilled Navy-oriented journeymen
craftsmen who use their technical skills and knowledge while working
their regular Navy jobs. While
in this program, individuals must document their work experience and
evaluate the quality of work they are doing.
These Sailors acquire a new sense of pride in themselves and
their work through reviewing records of work performed and seeing
their accomplishments. They
can also see where improvements are needed and make adjustments
accordingly. This is a
strong morale building program and is viewed by the Sailor as
something the Navy is doing just for them.
Supervisors point out that recording work experience hours
helps the apprentice develop a sense of responsibility and gives him
or her a feeling of accountability for the efforts put into the job. The program promotes recognition of value of Navy training
and experience and provides a good tool for management.
Service members who have completed their apprenticeships feel
they have an advantage over their colleagues in advancement
opportunities. Many
senior enlisted personnel give full credit for their advancements to
their Apprenticeship Completion Certificates.
Many vocational oriented colleges and technical schools also
offer college credit for completion of apprenticeships.
Promotion of the NNAP has been the lead-in on the Navy
Recruiting Command’s World Wide Web home page and has proven to be
an effective recruiting tool. It
also positively impacts retention in that it normally takes more than
one enlistment to complete an apprenticeship.
Navy veterans with Journeyman certification are well prepared
for transition into the civilian workforce.
Through our program, they have credentials that recognize the
training and skills they obtained while on active duty.
Credibility of the Navy apprenticeship program is well accepted
because of our requirement that each apprenticeship trade exceeds or
meets the standards set by the Department of Labor programs in the
private sector. We
promote our impeccable reputation throughout both the military
services and the private sector.
The Navy’s National Apprenticeship Program strives to help
the active duty Sailor prepare for transition into civilian life.
We can only serve our active apprentices to the extent of our
knowledge. We must
continue to develop partnerships with industry leaders in the private
sector who can share their knowledge and help us prepare our
apprentices for a quality job when they leave the military.
The Navy is an active member of The Joint Services
Apprenticeship Steering Committee.
Members of this committee are from all branches of the military
service; Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training, Department of Labor;
independent contractors from the private sector; labor unions;
Department of Labor Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS);
Transition Assistance Management Program (TAMP); and other interested
parties. Subcommittees
review military ratings, military occupational specialties, and
civilian occupations to identify and standardize common elements,
language, etc., to link military Work Processes Schedules with private
industry. Roundtable
discussions of this group contribute additional positive ways to share
technology and knowledge in our ongoing effort to serve our customers.
The Navy is also a member of the Interagency Task Force on
Certification and Licensing of Transitioning Military Personnel.
The Department of Labor/Veterans’ Employment and Training
Service (DOL/VETS) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) formed
this Task Force through a joint effort.
The agencies and organizations on the Task Force represent many
federal agencies and all the relevant entities providing services to
military personnel regarding training, education, and credentialing.
The Task Force directly involves Navy with several significant
projects in progress as follows:
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) awards credentials to
individuals based on documented aviation maintenance training received
while in the military in the areas of Airframes and Powerplants.
Discussion between NNAP and FAA personnel has been ongoing to
allow Sailors completing the Airframes and/or Powerplants registered
apprenticeship programs to take the FAA certification examinations
automatically. Additionally,
Navy is participating in a DOD Joint Services Working Group that is
working with the FAA to streamline the process for earning these
Airframe and Powerplant certificates.
The purpose for streamlining the process is to better prepare
our Sailors for future positions in civilian aviation and to provide
broader training to our personnel.
In pursuing this initiative, we have identified a few
challenges to certification that we are actively working to resolve.
These challenges include the costs associated with taking the
examinations and the distance between testing facilities and military
installations. In many
cases, personnel must travel in excess of three to six hours to reach
a testing facility. A
request has been submitted to have FAA certify DANTES as a Computer
Testing Designee with the capability to administer tests free of
charge to military personnel.
As a pilot program, NNAP provided Work Process Schedules on
five construction trades for review by the AFL-CIO affiliated Building
and Construction Trades Union Advisory Committee.
They will recommend changes that may promote acceptance of the
DOL registered apprenticeship completion certificate by civilian labor
unions. This effort is
being coordinated with the Occupational Information Network (ONET) and
the National Skill Standards Board with the goal of allowing veterans
smoother transition into private industry.
Navy and Marine Corps are forming a joint registered
apprenticeship program this month that will add flexibility and
eliminate work duplication. Sharing
of information will result in better representation of what the
service member does and will help to correlate military experience
with private industry.
Navy and Marine Corps are developing the Sailor/Marine American
Council on Education Registry Transcript (SMART), which will be
implemented during Fiscal Year 2000.
This transcript will provide Sailors and Marines with an
academically recognized document of all military training and
education. The transcript
will be translated into college credit recommendations certified by
the American Council on Education.
Transcripts may be obtained on demand while on active duty as
well as after leaving military service.
In conclusion, the professional certification process has
significant benefits for the Navy and our Sailors.
Professional certification develops highly skilled Navy
technicians, serves as potentially valuable recruiting and retention
incentives, and provides an excellent mechanism for transitioning
Sailors to civilian careers. Mr. Chairman, members of the sub-committee, thank you for inviting me to speak to you today. I am ready to answer any questions you may have. Back to Witness List |