Veterans’ Employment: DoD Efforts to Facilitate Credentialing

1. Veterans’ Employment:DoD Efforts to Facilitate Credentialing February 22, 2012

2. TASK FORCE STRUCTURE Task Force Members include Departments of VA, DoL, DOD, OMB, OPM, White House Staff, and DoED Each Group has DoD/VA co-leaders Information Technology Federal Employment

3. Education & Training Group Initiatives Facilitating credentials for separating Service members and Veterans Credentialing agencies recognize military training and experience Develop common standards for Service credentialing programs Encourage certification agencies to proactively apply for VA approval Explore expansion of DoL apprenticeship programs Access to POIs Standardized transcripts Conduct training gap analysis of MOCs Determine indicators of the value of credentials

4. Credentialing Agencies Recognize Military Training and Experience (States) • Issue: Many occupations require state licensure, but Service members’ training and experience is not always used by state entities toward those licenses • Goal: States can improve the probability of Veterans finding jobs by accelerating the licensing process through statute/regulation which: • Requires licensure boards to accept military training and experience toward requirements that are comparable • Allows separating Service members remaining in that state to transfer a current license from another state through endorsement or temporary licensing • Allows separating Service members to practice in the state of origin for a temporary period with a license extended while on active duty though meeting certain conditions. • Actions: DoD has identified “best practice” legislation addressing these positive state actions and is providing to state legislators • Currently six states have adopted all or part of the “best practice” legislation and potential sponsors have been identified in 23 states for the 2012 legislative session.

5. Credentialing Agencies Recognize Military Training and Experience (National) • Issue: Civilian credentialing agencies are not always adequately equipped to assess the equivalency of military training and experience. • Goals: • Improve the ability of credentialing organizations to assess the extent to which an individual Service member’s training and experience meet civilian credentialing requirements by improving standardized documentation • Establish a process for recognizing certification agencies that consider/accept military training and experience and establish a central listing of these agencies in order to make it easier for Service members to make decisions about which credentials to pursue • Actions: • Identify key types of information needed by civilian credentialing agencies to assess comparability of military training and experience • Determine credentialing agency policies, and procedures for assessing equivalency of training • Develop summary of results about the steps and level of effort required to get programs approved or accredited

6. Service Member Transcripts • Issue: • Civilian credentialing agencies have different and specific requirements related to: (1) education and training or (2) work experience. • Most credentialing agencies are accustomed to assessing training and experience gained through traditional forms and may not be well equipped • Goal: Make it easier for credentialing agencies to assess military training and experience. • Standardize the information contained on military transcripts • Ensure transcript information is meaningful to civilian credentialing bodies • Actions: Service members get two transcripts: Departmental and Service • Documenting Service policies for transcripts and gathering sample transcripts • Working with state licensing and national certification agencies to identify key information needed to assess comparability of military training and experience

7. Increasing Access to Service Programs of Instruction • Issue: Civilian credentialing agencies often lack of access to information that would allow them to understand the scope of military training courses. • Goal: Facilitate the review and pre-approval or accreditation of military training courses by civilian credentialing agencies so that the military training program can be explicitly listed as an option for establishing eligibility for the credential • Actions: • Develop summary of results and talk to service training points of contact about the steps and level of effort required to get programs approved or accredited and to make POIs available in a centralized location. • Develop a plan for implementing recommendations and a schedule for implementing the plan, including a plan for making POIs available to credentialing agencies.

8. Increasing Number of VA Approved Certification Agencies • Issue: • Veterans can be reimbursed for the cost of taking approved licensing and credentialing tests. • Most certification agencies wait until a Veteran applies before they apply to the State Approving Agency for approval of a license or certification • Some Veterans may not apply because the licenses or certifications are not currently approved for VA benefits. • Goal: Provide Veterans more options to apply their VA benefits for a license or certification • Actions: • VA, with DoL, will identify and build a central listing of existing approved licensing and certifications • VA will work through the State Approving Agencies to encourage those not currently approved for VA benefits to apply for approval

9. Explore Expansion of DoL Apprenticeship Programs • Issue: If practicable, standardize Services policies in regards to implementing apprenticeship programs. • Goals: • Create more opportunities for Services to develop highly-skilled journey workers who incidentally qualify for employment in a recognized civilian trade after expiration of their enlistment or upon retirement by expanding the number of Services participating in the U.S. Military Apprenticeship and Training Program.   • Promote a wider recognition within trade unions and civilian employers of the value of military training and experience by increasing the number of new trades approved by Department of Labor • Actions: • Review current Service apprenticeship policies and programs. • Assess the extent to which military occupations in the Army and Air Force are applicable to the apprenticeship program. • Develop recommendations for changes to existing Service apprenticeship programs and establishing new Service apprenticeship programs.

10. Develop Common Standards for Service Credentialing Programs • Issue: Credentialing information provided to Service members is inconsistent and Service member awareness of these resources appears limited. • Some Services have mapped their MOCs to civilian jobs and credentials; however, the extent of mapping, the currency of the data, and the level of information provided vary. • Goal: • Develop a standard for the credentialing information provided to SMs • Identify methods to increase SM awareness of credentialing resources • Actions: • Assess each Service’s current credentialing program to identify ‘best practices’ and methods of dissemination. • Determine cost per service of implementing a credentialing program with various options

11. Conduct Training Gap Analysis of Selected Military Occupational Codes • Issue: A key barrier to credentialing of SMs and Veterans is perceived/real gaps between military training and experience and credentialing requirements. • Goal: Accelerated credentialing through either modifying existing training or providing a roadmap showing gaps and solutions • Actions: • Identified the top 10 military occupations in each Service in terms of the number of individuals and cross-walked to 17 civilian occupations. • Identified corresponding credentials and assessing match between competencies gained in military occupations with requirements for credentials • Determine how SMs can fill any gaps that would present barriers to civilian employment. • Modifying current military training; developing supplemental package; identification of gaps and individual funding sources (TA, GI Bill) to fill them

12. Military – Civilian Occupation Crosswalk

13. Military – Civilian Occupation Crosswalk

14. Determine Indicators of the Value of Credentials • Issue: The number of workforce credentials (>4000) can be confusing for SMs and Veterans seeking to identify those that will help them enhance their qualifications, obtain jobs, and progress in their careers. • Goal: Provide SMs and Veterans various indicators of the value of credentials. • Actions: • Identify initial set of quality/value indicators and post icons in CareerOneStop (COS) Certification Finder • Accreditation by either American National Standards Institute or National Commission on Certifying Agencies • Industry-recognized by a third party-such as National Association of Manufacturers endorsement of certain stackable credentials, and Healthcare Professions Network Recognition • Others to be identified • Launch (and publicize) online discussion board to obtain business input • Research online job postings (Monster, Career Builder, Jobs for the Future Credentials that Count, etc.) for evidence of preferred credentials • Disseminate the results to SMs and Veterans through DOL electronic tools (such as COS Certification Finder) and the Service credentialing tools.

15. Education & Training Group Initiatives Facilitating credentials for separating Service members and Veterans Credentialing agencies recognize military training and experience Develop common standards for Service credentialing programs Encourage certification agencies to proactively apply for VA approval Explore expansion of DoL apprenticeship programs Access to POIs Standardized transcripts Conduct training gap analysis of MOCs Determine indicators of the value of credentials