Enlisting for jobs after military service
From CareerBuilder.com
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While the military is a lifetime career for many service personnel, some join to gain education and training for work outside the armed forces.
Bob Qualls, a retired U.S. Army colonel and program manager for Partnership for Youth Success, recently answered questions from CareerBuilder.com on job hunting after military service.
Q: What options are available to soldiers once they have completed their tour of duty?
A: There are two programs the U.S. Army offers its soldiers to aid career placement once they have honorably completed their time in service. One is called ACAP, Army Career and Alumni Program, which is available to all soldiers as part of transition assistance.
The other is PaYS, Partnership for Youth Success, which is offered to soldiers who choose this option as part of their enlistment package.
Q: What services does ACAP offer?
A: ACAP helps soldiers before they complete their service to prepare them for transition. Before the soldier has completed a tour of duty, ACAP helps the soldier identify how to prepare for certain jobs with information regarding education requirements, credential development and more.
It offers online resources including details regarding certification for certain jobs, like mechanic, for example. It offers job search preparation resources such as classes for writing resumes and interviewing tips and techniques.
ACAP also enables soldiers to participate in job fairs with potential employers. And a jobs Web site is available in which employers list open positions and soldiers can search by job or company preference.
Q: How does PaYS work?
A: PaYS was established in 2000 as a program to assist soldiers with job placement once their tour of duty was honorably completed. At the time of enlistment, a recruit is given information to choose a company with which to have an interview at the end of his or her tour of duty.
They choose the company based upon the job they would like to attain and the region where they would like to work when they transition from the military. The recruit is guaranteed an interview with this company upon completion of honorable service.
Q: What kind of companies and jobs are available to PaYS participants?
A: We want to make sure we are offering our soldiers a variety of career paths with growth potential and with quality companies. So we have agreements with a variety of companies and public agencies, including Sears, Roebuck; State Farm Insurance; Deere & Co.; Caterpillar; Southwest Airlines; Walgreens; Bally Total Fitness; the Boston Fire Department; the state of Wisconsin; and many others nationwide.
Q: Does PaYS help soldiers prepare for these jobs like ACAP does?
A: Yes. The PaYS program includes a printed statement of understanding, which the recruit gets upon PaYS registration. This document publishes a job description and itemizes qualifications required to attain the job after completion of duty.
For example, if a soldier wants to become a diesel mechanic after completing service, the statement will provide an overview of that job along with all of the training, testing and certification requirements of the job. Then the soldier can use our education center to take the required tests while still on active duty. This way he or she is prepared for the job immediately upon completion of service.
Q: Does the Army help soldiers pay for the certification tests?
A: Yes. Under the GI Bill [of Rights], soldiers on active duty are reimbursed by the Army for all test costs. These tests can be quite expensive. For example, we have soldiers who want to become airplane mechanics. The certification exam can cost about $750. We reimburse them for that cost and help them get an interview with a reputable company.
Q: What do the participating companies gain from PaYS participation?
A: A veteran brings proven skills, discipline, leadership, teamwork, personal responsibility and a demonstrated ability to work in a hierarchy and to be trained to accomplish clearly defined goals and missions. And he or she has been through an extensive background search and has been proven to be drug-free for the entirety of his or her enlistment.
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