WASHINGTON, D.C. — Around 200,000 military servicemembers transition to civilian life every year in the U.S. and figuring out how to transfer skills learned in the military to the civilian workforce can be challenging.
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A new watchdog report with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found the Department of Defense (DOD) hasn’t been assessing whether key programs have been effective for the servicemembers and veterans they serve.
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The report looked at two programs: Credentialing Opportunities Online (COOL) and the United States Military Apprenticeship Program (USMAP).
“For both of these programs, DOD is really just trying to give servicemembers that leg up once they leave the military,” said Dawn Locke, Acting Director of Education, Workforce, and Income Security for GAO.
Military and Veteran Support: DOD Has Taken Steps to Help Servicemembers Transfer Skills to Civilian Employment but Has Limited Evidence to Determine Program Effectiveness https://t.co/Gx44S8CtFx
— U.S. GAO (@USGAO) February 17, 2022
According to the report: “While DOD has standardized its Credentialing Programs’ performance measures across the services, it has not fully assessed the effectiveness of the programs, resulting in an evidence gap.”
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“Not just how many go through the program, or the number obtaining credentials or completing apprenticeships, but did the servicemembers get a job and did that job have a sustainable wage for example?” said Locke.
The report calls for the Secretary of Defense to gather evidence on the effectiveness of its programs.
“It’s important DOD helps ensure that these incredible skills and experiences that they gain while in the military do not go unnoticed when it’s time for them to enter the civilian workforce,” said Locke.
In response to the report, the DOD said it agreed with the findings and established department-wide policies to standardize data collection for the credentialing programs.
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