“While most veterans say the military prepared them for active duty, only about half say they were well prepared for the transition to civilian life.” (Parker et al., 2019, para.4). As career professionals, it is important to be multiculturally competent, which includes understanding the unique process that service personnel go through when they have completed their service and are reintegrating into the civilian workforce.
The U.S. Department of Defense created the Transition Assistance Program to provide resources and assistance to military members; “Every year, approximately 200,000 men and women leave U.S. military service and return to life as civilians, a process known as the military to civilian transition” (U.S. Department of Labor, n.d., para. 1).
The Transition Assistance Program
The U.S. Department of Defense Transition Assistance Program is mandatory for all transitioning service members (SMs). This program includes four separate sections, and each portion must be completed by specific dates. Throughout this process service members are completing and collecting Career Readiness Standards (CRS) that are meant to provide tangible resources and information to assist them during the transition into the civilian workforce. Currently, the CRS that all SMs must complete is a gap analysis and a budget. Based on the track the individual selects, they will be required to obtain additional CRS. Most of the information provided to the SMs is condensed into a week of full-day classes. The overall goal of the TAP program is for the SMs to leave with a job offer or an acceptance letter to a college or a training program.
A Breakdown of the Transition Assistance Program:
How Career Professionals Can Help
A typical career development relationship takes place over months, maybe years, while the TAP process provides the veteran with a plethora of information condensed into a 40-hour week. Due to the condensed timeline, veterans may leave the military overwhelmed by the amount of information and without a full grasp of what they want their life to look like in the future or what value they can bring to future employers. This is when veterans may reach out to you, the career professional, for help! Here are some things that you can do to better serve and assist this population, as well as direct resources to aid your work:
By taking these six steps you can help your clients who are veterans to feel heard, empowered, confident, and hopeful about their future civilian career and life.
Resources
Parker, K., Igielnik, R., Barroso, A., & Cilluffo, A. (2019). The American veteran experience and the post 9/11 generation. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2019/09/10/readjusting-to-civilian-life/
U.S. Department of Labor. (n.d.). Transition assistance program. Retrieved on Oct. 21, 2022 from https://www.dol.gov/agencies/vets/programs/tap
Alex Nguyen is a Nationally Certified Counselor. She is a Personal & Professional Development Advisor for the United States Marine Corps Community Services. In her current role she assists transitioning service members through the transition readiness program and provides one on one career counseling. Before this she worked at SC Vocational Rehabilitation as a General Caseload Counselor and a Transition Job Coach. She began her career in the School of Business Career Services office at Virginia Commonwealth University. She obtained her B.S. in Psychology from Radford University and her M.Ed in Counselor Education with a Focus in College Student Development from Virginia Commonwealth University. She can be reached at nguyam14@gmail.com.
Veteran Venita Thomas on Friday 12/02/2022 at 07:50 AM
The article is very entertaining, helpful, and interesting point of view for those who have an association and connection to those of us who served our country. However, not very many articles have address the differences, division, and unaddressed challenges and issues for those who are women, African-American, and with or without disabilities. Some of the biggest challenges of Veteran will face is through the veteran administration and it's entities such as the VA Medical Center, as well as when it's the veterans earned honor and legal right to receive disability support on every avenue of approach. Transition programs are very new for those who are reentering, or reintegrating back into civilian life. Additionally, those who are caregivers must learn how to adjust their own existence when it comes to serving a veteran. Again, and interesting and helpful article and a resource for anyone who works with those of us who served our country and want to have a seamless as possible transition into a civilian lifestyle that would not only recognize veterans with the statement thank you for your service, but realize it was also a sacrifice. Thank you, Veteran Venita Thomas,. M..A. Ed ., PRSS,,. Chief Servant Officer, Greater Cincinnati Veteran Women's Alliance Service