The purpose of this program is to increase and expedite attainment of state occupational licenses by veterans and transitioning service members (TSM). The project aims to accomplish this by identifying gaps between military education and training in specific military occupations as compared to the education required for related licensed civilian occupations. Where these identified gaps represent portions of multiple required courses the project will develop a bridge curriculum, as open educational resources, to address those gaps such that veterans can enter and complete a program of study required to obtain a state license needed to achieve their career objectives. Furthermore, the project seeks to identify instances in which civilian education programs can waive required courses by awarding credit for military training or giving veterans and TSM advanced standing within an existing training program.
This program will provide funding for new projects that build on an earlier demonstration project funded by DOL, with participation by six states, focused on veteran's occupational licensure, and certification. The final report, Veterans' Licensing and Certification Demonstration: A Summary of State Experiences, Preliminary Findings, and Cost Estimates, published in September 2015, identified a number of challenges and potential strategies.
Successful applicants will build on the foundation of the issues, challenges, and strategies identified in the previous demonstration to support the development and wide dissemination of appropriate accelerated educational and licensing programs.
Shared Competencies in Military and Civilian Occupations
Many civilian occupations use competencies that veterans and TSM may have developed during military training and education. For this project, the Department has identified the following in-demand licensed civilian occupational areas that correspond closely with military training and occupations:
- Healthcare occupations;
- Protective service occupations, including police and firefighters;
- Licensed mechanical/constructions occupations, such as electricians and plumbers; and
- Licensed transportation occupations.
Barriers to licensure for veterans and TSM:
A number of factors can affect the ability of veterans and TSM to attain civilian credentials for occupations such as those listed above on a timely basis. The demonstration study identified three types of barriers commonly encountered by veterans and TSM:
- Credit. Veterans and TSM who have military training and experience that is equivalent to that of licensed civilians often find that civilian licensing boards are not accustomed to recognizing the military documentation of their training and experience.
- Remaining gaps. Veterans and TSM that experience gaps between their military training and experience and civilian licensing requirements may have to participate in duplicative training to attain relevant licensure or certification.
- Other barriers. Administrative rules and processes within civilian licensing and credentialing systems may create hurdles for veterans and TSM to obtain licensure or certification unrelated to their ability to competently provide professional services to the public.
Equivalency Challenges The veterans' licensing demonstration project found that, to address equivalency challenges, states can assess the equivalency of military training courses and use official documentation to permit veterans with fully or partially equivalent training and experience to sit for civilian licensure examinations or license veterans by endorsement (officially recognize military training and experience to meet civilian requirements).
Bridge Programs Bridge programs were the most prevalent strategy that states in the earlier demonstration pursued, in some cases developing new programs and, in others, identifying existing accelerated programs and making them more accessible to veterans. When there is partial overlap between the skillset used in a military occupation and the skillset needed for a similar civilian occupation, states can provide shortened training opportunities for veterans that focus on filling specific gaps.