Separating service members frequently experience delays in post-service employment even though they have applicable military education, training and experience that can qualify them for licenses or provide academic credit toward degree requirements.
"The growing confidence on the part of veterans and employers means veteran employment is moving in the right direction, but gaps remain in veteran retention programs among employers, translating military skills to civilian ones, and credentialing. Increased emphasis in these areas will not only help veterans find employment, but also will help employers retain the veteran talent they work hard to recruit."1
Key message
Separating service members leave the military with documented training and experience that can prepare them for civilian employment; however, this documentation is not always used by state entities to qualify them for licenses required for their occupation or to provide them academic credit for degree completion. Reported unemployment rates of separating service members that are higher than national averages have brought attention to the supporting issues of expedited licensure and increased academic credit recognition, which may alleviate this problem.
Discussion points
The Department of Defense is enhancing its existing processes to assist service members with their professional development and their transition to civilian jobs; however, this assistance will not by itself overcome some of the inherent disconnect in converting military training and experience.
- The military services provide service members opportunities while on active duty to determine certifications they may need when they transition to civilian occupations.
- The DoD and the military services provide each service member a transcript of his or her experience and training; however, these transcripts are not always adequate for civilian institutions to assess for possible academic credit and by licensing boards to assess for license requirements.
Additionally, the American Council on Education has established college credit recommendations for learning experiences, which are published in the ACE Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services. This document provides the mechanism but not a requirement for academic institutions to accept military training and experience.
Through statute and regulation, states can establish requirements for licensure boards to do the following:
- Qualify separating service members to obtain credit toward occupational licenses based on their military education, training and experience, which is essentially equivalent to licensing requirements
- Allow separating service members remaining in that state to transfer a current license from another state through endorsement or temporary licensing
- Allow de-activating Reserve Component service members to practice in the state of origin for a temporary period with a license that would have otherwise expired while they were on active duty.
Likewise, states can establish requirements for academic institutions to grant separating service members credit toward degree and certificate requirements for education, training and experience gained in the military.
1 Monster Military Veteran Talent Index Report, "Veterans Talent Index: Insights and Analysis from Veterans, Recruiters and Hiring Managers," 8th Edition, July 2015.
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Best Practices
For legislative best practices on the licensure and academic credits discussed above, view Licensure and Academic Credit for Separating Service Member Best Practices (PDF).
