The recent ClearanceJobs article highlighted various military education opportunities, including the Credentialing Opportunities Online (COOL) program. Now, let’s dive deeper into additional credentialing and certification options available through other key military education programs, such as SkillBridge, DANTES, the Transition Assistance Program (TAP), and the Defense Acquisition University (DAU).
SkillBridge
This program leads to certifications and practical experience in various civilian careers by allowing active-duty servicemembers the opportunity to work in the civilian world and in their chosen field during their last 180 days of military service. Just go to SkillBridge and enter the keyword of the career or location you are interested in, and it will return a list of vendors that are authorized to provide the training. Some of the popular choices range from Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) to Commercial Truck Driving to Healthcare and more.
DANTES
The Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) provides college exams and career planning for active-duty service members at no cost. By completing the college exams in your chosen field, you shorten the time to a certification that your field requires. You can then finish your certification using educational benefits from your GI Bill and be in your field working much faster than if you would have had to take all the classes instead of just the exams. Two popular certifications right now are Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) and if interested in business, the Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.
Transition Assistance Program (TAP)
Part of TAP is helping transitioning service members explore different paths to post-military civilian employment, including certifications and other career opportunities. Two popular certifications sponsored by TAP are Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and Society for Human Resource Management – Certified Professional (SHRM-CP). In general, TAP helps with the Military Occupation Codes Crosswalk (MOC) that includes:
- Examining your military and civilian experience and training records.
- Identifying civilian occupations/careers that correlate to your career goals and interests or identifying a career field.
- Identifying the skills, education, training, and credentials required for the identified occupation/career field.
- Finally, documenting the gap between your current skill set and what is required for the identified civilian occupation/career field.
As a result, you end up with a roadmap of what you need to do to qualify yourself for your chosen field, including any credentials or certification you may need.
Defense Acquisition University (DAU)
If you are interested in logistics as a post-military career, the DAU can help you get the training and certifications needed for such career areas as project management, contracting and systems engineering. They currently offer 79 different credentials in their Defense Acquisition Credentials program.
Any of these four programs, in addition to the credentialing online program, are well worth your time to help get the credentials or certifications needed to be competitive in the civilian marketplace. Not only will they save you money (most are provided at no cost to military members) and GI Bill entitlement (you have to take fewer classes if any), but it get you working in your chosen field quicker.
