CHAPTER 2 - CREDENTIALING OF MILITARY SERVICEMEMBERS
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.
SERVICEMEMBERS’ CREDENTIALING STATUS AND NEEDS
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.
CREDENTIALING THE SERVICEMEMBER: PROCESS AND ROLES
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
5VM |
Five Vector Model (Navy) |
American Council on Education |
|
ACES |
American Continuing Education System |
ACINET |
America's Career Infonet |
Community College of the Air Force |
|
Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (Army) |
|
DANTES |
Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support |
Defense Manpower Data Center |
|
JTA |
Job Tasks Analysis |
MOS |
Military Occupational Specialty (Army, Air Force, |
NAVMAC |
Navy Manpower Analysis Center |
OATELS |
Office of Apprenticeship Training, Employer and Labor Services |
Occupational Outlook Handbook |
|
Occupational Information Network |
|
POI |
Programs of Instruction |
SMART |
Sailor/Marine American Council on Education Registry Transcript |
SOC (Step 1) |
Standard Occupational Code |
SOC (Step 3) |
Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges |
Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges Army Degree |
|
Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges Marine Corps |
|
Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges Navy |
|
United States Military Apprenticeship Program |
|
TA |
Tuition Assistance |
Department of Veteran Affairs |
|
Voluntary Education Programs |
|
VMET |
Verification of Military Experience and Training |
WIA |
Workforce Investment Act |
