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TESTIMONY
OF LIEUTENANT
GENERAL JACK W. KLIMP UNITED
STATES MARINE CORPS DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF FOR MANPOWER
AND RESERVE AFFAIRS BEFORE
THE SUBCOMMITTEE
ON BENEFITS OF
THE COMMITTEE
ON VETERANS AFFAIRS UNITED
STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ON 27
SEPTEMBER 2000 CONCERNING VETERANS’
EMPLOYMENT Mr. Chairman, and Distinguished Members of the
Subcommittee on Benefits, it is a pleasure to appear before you today
to express the Marine Corps’ strong support for America’s
veterans, and for the many initiatives in place to translate their
military skills and education experiences into credentials that help
ensure their later success in the civilian community. As directed by the Congress, your Marines are
ready today to protect the nation’s interest anywhere, at any time,
and under any conditions. That
is why our primary job is to train and make certain we are ready to
fight and win the nation’s first battles.
This unique calling requires that we maintain a young force.
Every year we recruit young men and women who want to be
Marines and who we believe have the potential to be truly exceptional.
We initially inculcate the Marine Corps’ values of Honor,
Courage, and Commitment at our Boot Camps.
Young Marines subsequently train and deploy, while learning
valuable skills. At the
end of the first term of enlistment, many of them return to the
civilian world, and we believe we send a better man or woman back to
society than we recruited. Every
year we return approximately 40,000 young men and women to our
society. We value their
service to the Corps and to the country, and believe we are doing much
to help ease their transition from the Marine Corps to a successful
civilian life. 21st Century Readiness Demands More of Marines The
nature of military service has changed dramatically in recent years.
The advent of new technologies and warfighting doctrines and
techniques requires us to recruit and train in different and more
intensive ways than before. There
is far more intellectual and judgmental rigor demanded of our Marines
today than ever before. The
nature of tomorrow’s battlefield will require enlisted Marines to
make strategic, operational, and in many cases moral choices which
were formerly only made by more senior officers.
This is why the Marine Corps insists on Professional Military
Education for all Marines and encourages the pursuit of Life Long
Learning in all ranks. The
skills Marines gain serve them well while on active duty and later,
when they return to civilian life.
We do this in support of our mission; that is, we train to the
mission. What we have
also done is to implement a number of programs that help our Marines
gain academic and technical recognition for their military experience
and training while concurrently offering extensive off-duty
educational opportunities. Recognizing Job Skills Supports Marines
The Marine Corps has not
come late to the table in recognizing that providing education and
training is the most valuable way we can both help the Marine Corps
develop Marines and help Marines transition into civilian life.
In fact, the current and past two Commandants have included
education and training as primary objectives.
We are experiencing increased participation in our lifelong
learning programs as a direct result of this leadership attention.
We strive to give Marines every opportunity to identify and
accomplish their life goals, whether towards degree completion or
future employment. We are
committed to assisting separating Marines in defining and emphasizing
those skills they have learned while on active duty.
Since 1977, we have worked in conjunction with the Department
of Labor (DoL) Office of Apprenticeship Training, Employer and Labor
Services (ATELS) to implement a nationally recognized apprenticeship
program, which leads to a Certificate of Completion of Apprenticeship
that recognizes the attainment of journeyman status.
This Apprenticeship Program documents active duty learning
experiences and schooling that contribute to achieving journeyman
status, improves performance through personal and professional
motivation, provides Marines with occupational skills with continuing
education opportunities, and gains civilian recognition for skills
acquired during a Marine’s period of active duty.
We began with just 27 occupations.
Because of increased leadership emphasis and interest in the
Apprenticeship Program we have dramatically increased our occupations
through cooperative effort with our sister services.
On April 7, 2000, the Marine Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard
joined to form the United Services Military Apprenticeship Program (USMAP).
The USMAP enabled us to expand from 27 to 107 occupations.
Occupations offered through USMAP cross into several civilian
industries – servicing, manufacturing, construction, and
transportation/utilities. They
include occupations such as Dental Laboratory Technician, Machinist,
Carpenter, and Recording Engineer.
The USMAP program has a strong partnership with the Office of
Apprenticeship Training, Employer and Labor Services of the Department
of Labor (DoL). USMAP is in final discussions with the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) to implement a charter designating USMAP as the
sponsor to award a Certificate of Eligibility to take the FAA exam for
power plant, airframes, and general license.
Service members receive this Certificate of Eligibility as
authorization to take the FAA Airman Knowledge Exam, in conjunction
with receiving a USMAP certificate of completion of apprenticeship
while on active duty. In addition, USMAP has been coordinating with Defense
Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) to propose
that DANTES supply and administer the FAA license exams for airframe,
power plant, and general aviation at no cost to the service member.
That said, we are proud that USMAP is the largest
apprenticeship program sponsor registered with the United States
Department of Labor with over 28,000 active participants.
Because of leadership’s effort to increase support of Marines
our enrollments have increased 45 percent from 2,242 in FY99 to 9,147
in FY00. In fact, 600
Marine Corps apprentices have completed the program since its
inception. Enlisted
personnel also gain additional validation and recognition for the
military training already received as a result of the Apprenticeship
Completion Certificates. I
would add that our partnership with the Navy and Coast Guard in USMAP
enables automation of the program, increasing its availability and
accessibility to Marines wherever they are stationed, and greatly
expanding the number of Marines registered for, and successfully
completing the program. We
are confident that these efforts will result in better job skills that
Marines can use while on active duty and take with them into civilian
life. In
addition to USMAP, licensing and certification opportunities for
active duty Marines are available through the DANTES National
Certification Program. DANTES
has agreements with 35 nationally recognized certification
associations, which allow their certification examinations to be
administered at our base Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS)
Lifelong Learning Centers. Currently, there are certification exams available in six
fields; Automotive Service, Food Protection, Surgical Technologist,
Computing, Fiber Optics Installer, and Certified Technical Trainer. DANTES is currently working with various licensure agencies
to provide funding for the remaining 29 certification examinations.
We provide information on this valuable program to Marines in a
number of ways. In
addition to printed information, such as DANTES Certified Professional
brochures, test examiners at our MCCS Lifelong Learning Centers
provide important information and counseling.
The program is promoted in our base newspapers, and Marines are
encouraged to learn more from the DANTES web site as well.
The Marine Corps has been working together with
our Sister Services and other agencies to improve these services and
programs in other ways. The
Marine Corps participated in the Interagency Task Force on
Certification and Licensing of Transitioning Military personnel, led
by the Departments of Labor and Veterans’ Affairs, which identified
existing credentialing opportunities and determined the most effective
methods for assisting service members. The task force has been a catalyst for a number of other
actions such as: expanded
aviation licensure opportunities for service members; increased
opportunities for Federal Government positions; and establishment of a
joint military apprenticeship work group to address the transition
from military to civilian employment in apprenticeable occupations. Although
many Marine Corps service schools and the Aviation Occupational
Specialties have already been evaluated by the American Council on
Education (ACE) for academic credit, the majority of MOSs have not
been evaluated because of the lack of a standardized assessment tool.
We plan to address this by working to have the USMAP
certificate reviewed by ACE and recommend academic credit for military
skills. We hope to get
the USMAP certificate added to the SMART transcript. This will enable the SMART transcript to provide the academic
and credentialing data on one document for each service member. Military
Skills -- College Credit Another
important new partnership between the Navy and Marine Corps is the
Sailor/Marine Council on Education Registry Transcript (SMART)
program. SMART
transcripts document military education and training and enables their
validation by the American Council on Education (ACE).
Academic credit recommendations may then be submitted directly
to a college or university for college credit.
ACE produces the most widely accepted reference for college
credit recommendations for service schools and service experience.
The program’s technology is being developed by
the Naval Education and Training Professional Development and
Technology Center (NETPDTC), and we have been verifying Marines’
SMART record data since fall, 1999.
SMART is fully operational, and 59,686 transcripts have been
issued to Marines as of September 1.
On average, 1,702 transcripts are issued per week.
The combined Navy-Marine Corps year-to-date total is 3,460,400.
Sending young men and women into civilian life armed with
recognition for their active duty experiences and training is one of
the best ways we can thank them for their service, by giving them the
tools to succeed and thrive in the civilian world.
A second benefit is that Marines will translate their
appreciation for our efforts into positive recollections of the Corps
to their families, friends and acquaintances.
This, we believe, will assist our future recruiting efforts. The Importance of Transition Services The
National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 1991 recognized the
importance of a successful transition from military to civilian life
by establishing the Transition Assistance Management Program (TAMP) to
support the transition of all eligible separating or retiring service
members and their families. To
properly document the separating member’s experience and training
skills, the Department of Defense (DoD) developed the Verification of
Military Experience and Training (VMET) document, DD Form 2586.
Each separating service member is supplied with a VMET document
180 days before their separation.
The content of the VMET is determined by the member’s
military work experience and training.
Descriptions of military occupations held and courses attended
are defined; with college credits that the American Council on
Education (ACE) has recommended for those courses also included.
In another initiative, the Marine Corps Transition Program
provided seed money to develop the SMART program.
SMART, focused on obtaining academic credit, is intended to
complement VMET, which is employment-oriented.
Both are designed to help the separated service member obtain
employment. That
said, the VMET is designed to work in conjunction with other
transition services and as a tool for obtaining employment upon
separation. It can be
used to develop a professional resume, to assist in completing job
applications, and to help a prospective employer assess job skills and
abilities of a veteran job applicant.
To support this effort, the VMET document “translates” the
military language describing experience and training into civilian
vernacular. The VMET can,
in some instances, be used to obtain certain licenses and
certifications. In
recognition of the need to make transition assistance programs more
accessible and usable to separating Marines, the Marine Corps is
working with our sister services and the Defense Manpower Data Center
to reengineer the document and make it more comprehensively helpful.
Our goal is an Internet-based VMET, with 24/7 access. Transition
to civilian life is also assisted in less formal ways.
The Marine Forces Reserve is putting the adage: “Once a
Marine, always a Marine,” to work, developing a tangible program to
help transitioning Marines find employment in the civilian community.
The ‘Marine for Life Program’ proposes to create a Website
that links the Marine Corps up to industry leaders who value military
service. The database,
which should be ready for its first test drive sometime this month
(September), will identify prior-service Marines to serve as civilian
employment contacts for Marines who are leaving active duty.
It is intended that Marines receiving this support will become
entrenched in the community, business, etc., and will want to help
other Marines do the same. This
is a lifetime connection, not just a one-time deal. If one job doesn’t work out, resources are readily
available to try another. Life Long Learning Model As
discussed earlier, changes in the nature of the force and in the
nature of how the Marine Corps expects to fight our nation’s battles
in the 21st Century have caused us to focus a considerable effort on
educating and training Marines. In
1999, we created a new quality of life organization for the Marine
Corps, Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS).
MCCS merged our libraries and Voluntary Education programs into
a vital Lifelong Learning resource for Marines and their families.
Voluntary Education (VOLED) programs have historically focused
on off duty academic programs delivered in base/station education
centers by colleges in a traditional classroom setting.
VOLED programs frequently have not collocated with libraries,
learning resource centers, or training facilities making it necessary
for a Marine to visit several locations to address all of his or her
learning requirements. With
the merge of Library programs and Voluntary Education programs, we
have taken the first step to serving our Marines with an integrated
one-stop shopping concept for lifelong learning.
Options have been identified to maximize resources, eliminate
duplication, and improve patron access to services.
Internet access, including commercial online options for
periodicals and newspapers, through the Integrated Library System (ILS)
in our installation libraries assists education program participants
in conducting research. Standardization
of education service agreements will ensure libraries are receiving
resource support from our academic institutions.
Our Vision 2005 goal is to establish a
consolidated center for all learning; professional and academic.
Marines will have one destination for enrollment in a college
program, access to research tools such as books, periodicals, the
Internet, basic skills enhancement, and nonresident courses for
professional or academic requirements.
Our lifelong learning centers will also deliver programs
through technology via the Marine Corps Satellite Education Network (MCSEN),
Internet, and CD ROM. Conclusion The
Marine Corps is deeply committed to the intellectual and academic
development of Marines. There
are two major benefits; the Corps gains a more effective active duty
Marine and our society gains a more productive citizen upon that
Marine’s return to civilian life.
Our philosophy in this regard is simple:
first, we gain a more intellectually able and effective force,
better equipped mentally and morally to accomplish the mission;
second, we return a veteran to society equipped to succeed as a
civilian as he or she has succeeded as a Marine.
Our goal is to take that training and experience needed to
accomplish the Marine Corps mission and create ways to recognize its
applicability to comparable jobs in the civilian sector.
Via this measure, service to country becomes even more valuable
to our young men and women in uniform.
It is a value that benefits both the Nation and its veterans.
Subject to any questions you may have, Mr.
Chairman, this concludes my remarks. Back to Witness List |