TESTIMONY
OF REAR
ADMIRAL DAVID L. BREWER III U.S.
NAVY NAVAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING BEFORE
THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON BENEFITS SECOND OVERSIGHT HEARING ON
VETERANS’ EMPLOYMENT: CREDENTIALING (LICENSURE, CERTIFICATION, ACCREDITATION, AND
APPRENTICESHIP) REQUIREMENTS 27
SEPTEMBER 2000
Mr.
Chairman, distinguished members of the subcommittee, I appreciate this
opportunity to appear before you at this second oversight hearing on
Veterans’ Employment: Credentialing
(Licensure, Certification, Accreditation, and Apprenticeship)
Requirements to discuss the initiatives the Navy has undertaken since
last year in the professional certification process.
This process clearly serves the interests of the Navy and our
Sailors.
Professional certification offers many in-service benefits to
the Navy. The basic
requirements for many of these programs require extensive personal
commitment. Professional
certification: (1) promotes individual growth and professionalism
within the job; (2) demonstrates competencies based on real-world
requirements; (3) provides an excellent tool for Sailors to validate
that jobs are being done independently and competently; (4) leads to
the recognition and promotion of professional ethics and values; and,
(5) provides Sailors an opportunity to demonstrate that they possess
the initiative and determination required to advance.
Certification continues to have the potential to be a dynamic
recruiting tool, as well. If potential recruits considering the Navy feel that their
Navy training and experience will be documented and empower them once
they complete their Navy tenure and seek employment in the civilian
job market, then this program becomes a powerful recruiting incentive. Participating Sailors expect to be able to use skills gained
during military service when they reenter the civilian market.
Promotion of the United Services Military Apprenticeship
Program (USMAP) has been the lead-in on the Navy Recruiting
Command’s World Wide Web home page and has proven to be an effective
tool for recruiting and an incentive for reenlisting.
Because military personnel eventually leave the military and
usually enter the civilian labor market at a viable and employable
age, the benefits of military training are critical to the continued
productivity and competitiveness of our civilian labor force.
This training and its transferability to a civilian career
become a significant inducement to enlistment.
These benefits are particularly valuable at separation since
they enhance the marketability of the military member in the civilian
professional community. Therefore,
documenting the high level of knowledge, experience, and credentials
earned during a Sailor's tenure in the Navy and translating it into
civilian terms just makes good sense.
Navy personnel receive the majority of their certifications
through the Department of Defense (DOD), Defense Activity for
Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES). DANTES is the lead agency for DOD Certification efforts in
support of voluntary education programs.
DANTES has Memoranda of Understanding with 35 nationally
recognized professional certification agencies, offering approximately
180 different certification examinations.
Three new exams were added this year:
National Strength and Conditioning Association Exam, National
Certified Crane Operators Exam, and Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) Airman Knowledge Test. During
this past year, DANTES administered over 21,000 certification
examinations servicewide. Over 6,000 of these exams were directly funded by DANTES and
administered at no cost to the military participant; 400 of these
exams were administered to Sailors.
These agencies make their examinations available to eligible
Navy personnel aboard ships and on military installations throughout
the world. Including ships and all the services’ education centers,
life long learning centers, and Navy College Offices, there are about
580 testing facilities available throughout the world.
Another certification program used extensively by Sailors is
the United Services Military Apprenticeship Program (USMAP).
USMAP is currently an all sea services program that combines
the assets of the Navy’s National Apprenticeship Program (NNAP),
established in 1976, with those of the Marine Corps' National
Apprenticeship Program (MCNAP), established in 1977, and the Coast
Guard, having no previous apprenticeship program.
USMAP was established by written agreement between the
Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of the Navy, and the Chief of Staff,
United States Coast Guard in April, 2000.
This agreement establishes National Apprenticeship Standards
for the USMAP and certifies that USMAP is registered with and
incorporates the basic standards recommended by the U.S. Department of
Labor (DOL), Office of Apprenticeship Training, Employer and Labor
Services, Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training (ATELS).
The DOL is the umbrella-regulating agency for all matters
relating to registered apprenticeship programs in the United States.
In a cooperative effort, USMAP and ATELS are working to ensure
that private sector industries recognize the standards employed by
USMAP, thereby increasing the ease with which transitions may be made
from military service to private sector employment by members of the
armed forces. Acceptance
of registered military apprentices and skilled craft workers by
private industry will enhance employment opportunities for military
veterans, motivate military personnel to advance their training while
on active duty, and provide a source of skilled personnel to the
private sector. The
agreement permits active duty personnel of the Navy, Marine Corps, and
Coast Guard to complete apprenticeships in 107 apprenticeable civilian
trades or occupations. These
include trades in the fields of construction,
industrial/manufacturing, and service.
Growth of the previous NNAP and MCNAP programs over the past 24
years speaks for its effectiveness and acceptance throughout the
military and civilian world. We
take pride in being the Department of Labor’s largest apprenticeship
sponsor, with an enrollment of more than 35,000 active apprentices.
Over 17,000 Navy members have completed the program and
received Certificates of Completion from the Department of Labor since
1994. Consolidation of
the Navy and the Marine Corps Apprenticeship Programs and addition of
the Coast Guard under a single information system provides expanded
opportunities for all services, provides better customer service, and
reduces the administrative burden that was a barrier to program
expansion. Additionally, the USMAP provides increased numbers of
apprenticeable occupation fields, enables partnered service
administrators to produce timely statistical reports, and positions
the program to become a DOD-standard for joint services.
We feel this will better serve our servicemembers on and off of
active duty. Joint
partnerships are the key to readiness and quality of life.
This joint endeavor should continue to establish professional
recognition for military skills for our apprentices and provide them
with added credentials once they leave the service seeking employment.
The USMAP was an outgrowth of the Joint Military Apprenticeship
(JMA) Work Group. The JMA
Work Group consists of representatives from all five military branches
and is sponsored by the DOL (ATELS).
The convening of the Work Group is attributable to the efforts
of the Interagency Task Force on Certification and Licensing of
Transitioning Military Personnel and the Congressional Commission on
Servicemembers and Veterans Transition Assistance.
One of the first efforts of the Work Group was to explore the
feasibility of merging the efforts of the services to create a
nationally recognized Department of Defense apprenticeship program.
The Army and Air Force are participating members of the Work
Group.
Our apprenticeship program develops highly skilled
Navy-oriented journeymen craftsmen who use their technical skills and
knowledge while working their regular Navy jobs. While in this program, individuals must document their work
experience and evaluate the quality of work they are doing.
These Sailors acquire a new sense of pride in themselves and
their work by reviewing the past week’s logs and seeing their
accomplishments. At that
time they can also see where improvements are needed and make
adjustments accordingly. This
program is a strong morale builder and is viewed by the Sailor as
something the Navy is doing just for them.
Supervisors point out that logging of the work experience hours
helps the apprentice develop a sense of responsibility and gives them
a feeling of accountability for the efforts they put into the job.
The program promotes the recognition of the value of Navy
training and experience and provides a good training tool for
management.
Feedback from many senior enlisted personnel gives full credit
for their promotions to their Apprenticeship Completion Certificates.
The program appears to be a tiebreaker for anyone appearing before a
promotion board. It is
also a positive retention tool in that it normally requires more than
one enlistment to complete an apprenticeship.
I initiated a proposal this year for a Center of Naval Analysis
comparative (Navy-wide vs Navy USMAP participants) study of
advancement, recruiting, and retention successes/statistics as they
pertain to apprenticeship program.
Credibility of the USMAP is well accepted because of our
requirement that each apprenticeship trade meet or exceed the
standards set by the Department of Labor programs in the private
sector. The USMAP also
strives to help our active duty members prepare for their transition
into civilian life. Thus,
we continue to develop partnering relationships with industry leaders
in the private sector who can share their knowledge and help us
prepare our apprentices for a quality job when they leave the
military. At a meeting
this year with 11 Presidents of the AFL-CIO Building and Construction
Trades Department, USMAP representatives had an opportunity to brief
them on the benefits of hiring our transitioning apprentices.
These presidents agreed in theory, to test, and if found
qualified, to consider our personnel for advanced placement in their
respective trades, up to and including Journeymen. Additionally, the
USMAP and DOL/VETS, as a result of a recent meeting, are pursuing a
pilot memorandum of agreement with an AFL-CIO Building and
Construction Trade Union that represents a trade having potential for
hiring military Journeymen in significant numbers.
The Navy is also participating in a DOD Joint Services Working
Group that is working with the Department of Defense (DOD), Department
of Transportation (DOT), and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
to streamline the Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic (A&P)
certification process. The
military services are developing a program that meets the Title 14,
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), part 65 requirements for A&P
mechanic certification. This
initiative is being accomplished in conjunction with recognition from
the FAA of training provided to military aircraft mechanics, in
addition to their military aircraft “hands-on” maintenance
experience. Documented
completion of 128 task areas leads to issuance of a Certificate of
Eligibility by the respective military service recommending testing of
the program completer. Upon
presenting this certificate to the FAA, they will issue an
authorization that will allow testing for A&P certification by
DANTES. DANTES and the
FAA signed a Memorandum of Agreement for the purpose of this testing
in June, 2000. The FAA
maintains control of the test question banks, test forms, test
delivery, and scoring, and DANTES is responsible for the security of
delivered tests. This testing is at no charge to the military person.
The Navy and Marine Corps have developed the Sailor/Marine
American Council on Education Registry Transcript (SMART).
SMART provides Sailors and Marines with an academically
recognized document of all military training and education, including
work experience gained via USMAP.
The transcript translates Navy and Marine Corps training and
work experience into college credit recommendations certified by the
American Council on Education. Transcripts
are issued on demand to Sailors and Marines while on active duty, as
well as after they leave military service. Many vocational colleges and technical schools offer college
credit for completion of apprenticeships. In conclusion, the professional certification process has significant benefits for the Navy and our Sailors. Professional certification develops highly skilled Navy technicians, serves as potentially valuable recruiting and retention incentives, and provides an excellent mechanism for transitioning Sailors to civilian careers. Mr. Chairman, members of the sub-committee, thank you for inviting me to speak to you today. Your Navy looks forward to your continued support of this empowering program. I am ready to answer any questions you may have. Back to Witness List |