Thank you for the opportunity to testify today on Veterans’ Employment: Credentialing (Licensing, Certification, Accreditation, and Apprenticeship) Requirements.

Every year, skilled service members leaving the armed forces miss out on the chance to quickly move into good, high-paying, career-building jobs because they must undergo lengthy and expensive retraining in order to meet civilian licensure and certification requirements, often for the same type of jobs they held in the military. This time-consuming and costly waste of valuable human resources costs the veteran through forced underemployment, costs business because skilled workers are unavailable, and costs the economy due to delayed job creation and consumer spending, and unnecessary unemployment compensation insurance payments.

To ensure that our effort would prepare veterans for the economy of the 21st Century, we have partnered with companies on the cutting-edge of new technologies. The digital economy is rapidly changing the workplace and is now responsible for more than one third of the economic growth of the American economy. By 2006, almost half of all American workers will be employed by industries that produce information technology or are intensive users of it. Information technology jobs are also high-paying jobs - in 1997, employees of information technology companies earned an average wage 78% higher than workers generally. However, it is imperative that we remember that not every veteran is suited or interested in working in the information technology field. That is why we are also working in areas such as health care, commercial drivers licenses, manufacturing and other blue collar industries.

For the last two years, the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) has been working with the employment and training community, with employers and unions, and with federal and state licensing agencies to see if we can make the certification and licensing process work for rather than against veterans. Making armed services training translate to the private-sector work force contributes toward Secretary Herman’s goal of skills development and lifelong learning. I believe that helping veterans get civilian credentialing so they can put their skills, knowledge, and abilities to work in our growing economy must be a cornerstone of VETS’ programs to serve the needs of 21st century veterans.

When The American Legion published its groundbreaking August 19, 1997, study, entitled "Study of Civilian Licensure and Certification for Veterans," which was funded by VETS, it became clear to us that licensing and certification issues were having an ever-growing impact on a large number of veterans seeking quality employment in the civilian labor market.

The American Legion study found that approximately 38% of all separating service members have military occupational specialities that have civilian counterpart occupations requiring a certification or license. Thirty-six (36) occupations have Federal certifications or licenses associated with them. The two agencies issuing the majority of licenses are the Coast Guard, with 31 licenses for 20 different occupations, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with 11 license for 8 different occupations. Generally, licenses are worker credentials issued by federal, state and local governments that are required before employment in a particular field is permitted. Good example are doctors and lawyers. Certifications generally are worker credentials that are evidence of a holder’s expertise in a given field. Certifications can be issued by government bodies, individual businesses, business associations, and occupational associations.

Building on what we learned from that study, the Departments of Labor and Veterans Affairs decided to form a government-wide task force in 1998 to look at those occupations which require licensing from Federal agencies. DOL’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service has financed and overseen the resulting Interagency Task Force on Certification and Licensing of Transitioning Military Personnel (Task Force). Licensing and certification had become an integral part of VETS’ employment and training programs. Task Force members include representatives from the Department of Defense, all branches of the military, including the Coast Guard, and many other Departments and agencies. Members have learned what role the Federal government plays in the credentialing arena, how members can facilitate each other’s work and avoid duplication of effort, and raised the awareness of this licensing and certification issue at their agencies.

The Task Force has already had several positive outcomes. The Military Sealift Command (MSC) hires numerous employees each month in occupations that correspond with many Navy ratings. MSC now receives the names and addresses of separating military personnel with backgrounds and skills it needs. Information on jobs available with MSC is forwarded to those separating. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is in the process of studying the airframe and power plant (A&P) mechanics courses at all branches of the military and comparing them to the knowledge required for receipt of an FAA license. Once the gaps between military training and the requirements of the FAA are determined, the parties will decide how best to close those gaps. The Task Force’s goal is to have military personnel trained as A&P mechanics and be awarded their FAA licenses at the completion of their military training.

After remarks before the Task Force by an AFL-CIO representative, the AFL-CIO agreed that building and construction trade staff would work with members of the Task Force who work with military apprenticeship programs, concentrating their efforts on 4 or 5 building trades where skilled laborers are needed, to see how to ease the transition from the military apprenticeship experience to membership in the required unions and civilian employment.

Task Force staff is working with the Federal Highway Administration in the Department of Transportation to create a nation-wide program to allow active duty personnel trained in motor vehicle operations obtain commercial drivers licenses (CDL) upon completion of their training. Trucking companies and associations estimate that 80,000 new truck drivers are needed each year, but the cost of renting a truck needed for the CDL test has been an impediment to newly separated veterans. Enabling the military personnel to obtain their CDLs using the military vehicles that they are accustomed to driving will eliminate this barrier to employment.

Task Force staff is also meeting with human resource personnel at Federal departments and agencies to educate them about the work of the Task Force, determine any barriers that must be overcome to work at the different departments and agencies, encourage employment of veterans, and see how the Task Force and the departments can work together to market Federal employment to transitioning personnel.

Task Force members are assisting VETS in delivering an Internet-based certification and licensing website by supplying invaluable department and agency information on licenses they issue. VETS is creating a veteran-specific certification and licensing website linked to the extensive employment, training and labor market information websites created by the Department of Labor. I am very grateful for the cooperation my staff has received from the Employment and Training Administration, which has enabled us to avoid duplication of effort and wasteful spending.

VETS’ veterans-specific website will have three tiers: the first tier will include an analysis of the military training and experience received by personnel in the 25 most common military occupations of separating personnel and the requirements needed for the credential in the corresponding civilian occupation and the gaps, if any, between the two; the second tier will provide information on the requirements for credentials for the civilian counterpart of other military occupations, but without the gap analysis; and the third tier will provide credential contact information on a state by state basis for civilian counterparts of military occupations held by the fewest number of separating personnel. We intend to have the complete website operating in 2000.

The website will enable a user to type in his or her military occupational speciality, the civilian job he or she is interested in and the State in which he or she wishes to work. The user will be supplied with the information needed to determine if that civilian job in that State requires a credential, whether the user qualifies for that credential, where to obtain any skills or tests necessary to complete any gaps in the requirements, and the steps necessary to obtain the actual credential.

Although the Federal government does play a role in the certification and licensing arena, States and local governments and the private sector play a much larger role, issuing far more worker credentials affecting far more occupations and workers than the Federal government. We understood that to make a real impact for veterans, we needed to expand our work to the States, private industry and unions. In 1998, we began certification and licensing pilot programs in five States. A veteran employment representative position (coordinator) in each State works exclusively on certification and licensing. In Ohio, the coordinator is working on commercial drivers licenses (CDL), metalworking and stationary engineering occupations. The State has created a website for veterans interested in obtaining CDLs and a truck driver school has created a refresher course for veterans with truck driver backgrounds leading to a CDL. This is shortening the time necessary for the veterans to obtain their CDLs and is saving them thousands of dollars in tuition. As a result of promotional work by the State, Airborne Express has proposed hiring veterans with airframe and power plant mechanic backgrounds as laborers while the veterans obtain the training and pass the test for their A&P FAA certifications. Airborne has agreed to promote the veterans to A&P mechanics thereafter. The coordinator is in the process of setting up this program with Airborne Express

Colorado is working on certifications for electricians, plumbers and steam engineers, Maryland has selected the heath care field, and Georgia and South Carolina, law enforcement. The coordinators are gathering information, alerting State and local officials to the effort, and creating Technical Assistance Guides (TAG) for separating personnel and veterans, which will serve as step-by-step guides to obtaining the necessary credentials in their chosen fields.

The coordinators have attended Transition Assistance Workshops for transitioning military personnel to advise participants of the credentialing requirements and to let them know the coordinator is there to help them through the process. Coordinators are also going to job fairs and conferences to make both employers and separating service members aware of their efforts. Several of the States have created websites to make their information available, while others have added the information to existing job service websites. The ultimate goal of the pilot program is to get veterans jobs.

As you are all aware, certification is burgeoning in private industry. Employers in need of skilled labor believe recognized certifications can serve as a valuable tool, a way to save time, money and personnel in hiring while ensuring themselves of qualified employees. VETS will work with any business or union interested in furnishing employment and training opportunities to veterans.

We are already working with the Microsoft Corporation, which has created the Skills 2000 Military IT Career Initiative. This initiative provides a special Internet site for military personnel with an online application and assessment tool. Highly skilled personnel qualified for a Skills 2000 certification are referred to an employment company for possible placement in an information technology job. Those who need additional training are directed to the appropriate source for training. Loans are available. Upon completion of training and receipt of a Skills 2000 certificate, the veteran receives job placement assistance. The Skills 2000 certification is accepted by most of the American businesses using Microsoft applications. Jobs are available as programmers, system analysts, LAN administrators, and technical writers. The Microsoft program began at our Transition Assistance Program (TAP) workshops. It is now being pilot-tested for veterans at employment offices in Pennsylvania and Maryland. From February through June 1999, over 3000 military personnel participated in the initiative. 1226 of the participants had a high school diploma only. Over 1000 participants received training.

VETS is also partnering with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and employers to help veterans. CWA staff related to us the experience of U.S. West, which had interviewed over 5,000 applicants for job openings and found less than 30 qualified workers. U.S. West had come to the CWA for help. We told CWA about VETS’ TAP workshops, an available pool of skilled employees. VETS suggested a CWA certification system be created for these transitioning service members. In response, CWA created the Military to Work project with the help of a grant from VETS. Transitioning military personnel who have backgrounds in communications or are interested in the field are screened through an online tool created by CWA and Cisco Systems (incidentally, a non-union company). This screening tool provides CWA with the ability to assess and evaluate current skills, determine training paths if necessary, and provide assistance in job placement. Qualified personnel can be referred directly to job openings provided by the telecommunications companies who have partnered with CWA on this project, including Lucent Technologies, AT&T, PacBell and others. Since studies show that women lag behind in interest and jobs in information technology, the Women’s Research and Education Institute will use a grant from VETS to test different methods to include women veterans as participants in this program.

VETS is also working to help separating military personnel who have served in combat arms. Last month, VETS gave a grant to the PowerComm Foundation in Boston. This grant will allow newly separated veterans, older veterans and a few homeless veterans to receive training at an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) training center. Program participants will graduate with nationally recognized IBEW certification in fields such as electrician, telecommunications installer and journeyman lineman.

VETS and the Department of Labor recognize the concern the Department of Defense (DOD) has in recruiting. Numerous meetings have been held with Army and Navy personnel to discuss how the Department of Labor can assist DOD in recruiting. The Employment Service in South Carolina is actively working with the Army to recruit young job seekers, and this idea may expand to Employment Service offices in additional States. The Army and Navy are actively working with Job Corps to seek ways to expand the presence of the military at Job Corps sites, four of which already have Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps operations.

Clearly, the need for a certification or license before entering employment can be used as a recruiting tool. Persons interested in effected fields should be encouraged to enlist in the military, where they can obtain the training and experience needed for their chosen civilian occupation while serving their country. The Army Recruiting Command at Fort Knox is developing a pilot recruitment program that will provide an incentive for young people to join the Army and provide a talented pool of employees to large corporations upon completion of their military duties. The Army’s program includes a Department of Labor certification that the recruit has completed his or her tour of duty and received the training and experience the corporation desires. Tri Con, the parent company of Pepsi, has expressed interest in the Army’s plan, as has the Ford Motor Company.

While partnering with the military services’ recruitment efforts, we must not forget the 200,000 to 250,000 personnel who separate from active duty each year. These men and women must find secure jobs in the civilian sector. We can all help them prepare for their careers after military service. We believe that our certification and licensing efforts can and should be used as a retention tool; that certification and licensing requirements can lead to extended stays in the military. For example, it takes approximately 6 to 8 years to obtain all the training required to learn the 128 disciplines covered by the FAA’s A&P license. Airframe and power plant mechanics who learn that they will not be able to obtain good civilian employment without an FAA license will see the necessity to remain in the service at least long enough to obtain all the necessary training and experience to pass the FAA test. Others who learn about the prerequisites for civilian employment in their chosen fields may remain in the military while they obtain the training or education needed to meet such requirements.

I have also had meetings with CompTIA, the Computing Technologies Industries Association. CompTIA has 7, 500 members who are businesses involved in the informational technology field. They are developing a vendor-neutral certification which will evidence expertise in computer-related specialities. I have spoken to them and to Microsoft representatives about formation of BRAVE: Business Response - Alliance for Veterans Employment, a voluntary, industry-driven partnership that would promote the hiring of veterans, especially in industries experiencing a shortage of skilled workers, using our certification and licensing projects as models.

The Department is gratified that the Congressional Commission on Servicemembers and Veterans Transition Assistance (Transition Commission) recognized the impact of certification and licensing on transitioning military personnel. In addition to the work described above, progress has been made on educating the civilian community about the skills, knowledge and ability of recently separated veterans. ETA is in the process of replacing the Dictionary of Occupational Titles with O*Net, a new classification code for civilian occupations. A crosswalk has been done which indicates what military occupational specialities are similar to those in the civilian sector.

The Military Resume Writer, created and funded jointly by VETS and ETA, enables military personnel and veterans to translate their military backgrounds into civilian language. The user of the Military Resume Writer enters his or her military occupation by description or number on this online tool. The Military Resume Writer then describes in language that a civilian can understand, the training, experience and "soft skills" that military personnel with such a military occupation will have obtained during their military service. The Military Resume Writer is scheduled to be linked to America’s Talent Bank (ATB), so that veterans’ resumes will be forwarded to employers searching ATB. VETS will continue to work with the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, and our fellow agencies at the Department of Labor, including ETA’s Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training, to ensure that the Federal government is doing all it can do to facilitate progress in this certification and licensing effort.