Vocational & Trade Schools

Resources & Advice for Making the Transition from Active Duty to a Trade

When it's time to close the chapter on the military portion of your life and start a new chapter in the civilian world, taking that next step requires some thought as far as what you want to do for a civilian career. Depending on your military training, you may want to continue doing that same job or decide now is the time to go in a different direction and do something you have never done before. Learn how to make that jump and provides a path where you can choose to use your military skills and GI Bill® to train for a job in the vocational and trades arena.

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs (VA). More information about educational benefits offered by the VA is available at the official U.S. government website at http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.

Steps to a Vocational Career After Military Service

You've made your decision to get out of the military and transition into the civilian world. The next question most service members ask themselves when faced with this situation is “What do I want to do next with my life?” Most people either choose to go to college or train in one of the vocational trades; some will go the entrepreneur route and start their own business. Learning a vocation or trade is a great way to provide a needed service while at the same time work in a rewarding and satisfying career.

The Importance of Career Counseling

When getting out of the military and transitioning into the civilian workplace, many servicemembers try to go it alone when they don't have to. There are several free sources of career counseling available.

Transition Assistance Program

Available to servicemembers within six months before getting out or up to one year after, this three-day workshop provides personalized counseling and helps explore career paths that may be right for you. Services include:

• Career Choice
  Aids in the understanding of best career options based on interests and skills
  
• Benefits Coaching
  Counsels servicemembers on how to make the most of GI Bill benefits
  
• Personalized Support
  Helps identify academic requirements that may need to be met and can help remove any barriers that could impede or prevent veteran from attaining civilian career goals

While most of the information and training follows a specific path in the Transition Goals, Plans and Success (GPS) core curriculum, see how each military branch puts their own twist to the generic version in the links below:

• Army
• Navy
• Marines
• Air Force
• Coast Guard

The ultimate goal of Transition GPS is to ensure the departing servicemember meets the DoD's career readiness standards, regardless of military branch of service, so each one is prepared and ready career-wise to enter the civilian job market and successfully find a challenging and rewarding career. Anything less is considered a failure on the part of the DoD by their own accord.

Career Scope

This is a counseling service provided by the VA that helps identify areas of interest and aptitude assessment. Based on the outcome in these two areas, a list of career recommendations is provided to the individual that would be a good match for them and the necessary training to bridge the current gap and get a job in each of the identified careers. Career Scope can be used not only by servicemembers and veterans, but also dependents eligible to receive VA education benefits. This would be the case of a spouse or dependent child being a recipient of a Post 9/11 GI Bill Transfer of Benefits. Timing as to when to use the service is the same as it is with TAP.

Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment

VR&E is a personalized counseling and support system that helps veterans and servicemembers with training, resume development, job seeking skills, job coaching, and if disabled, employment accommodations. Departing servicemembers who decide to start their own business instead of working for someone else, can find help doing that also.

Onward to Opportunity

Part of the Veterans Career Transition Program, this organization provides comprehensive training, certification and employment assistance in 30 industry-recognized career tracks and direct access to over 400 employers that favor hiring veterans. The program starts with a skills and interest assessment to identify a possible training plan. From there it offers both classroom and web-based training in three career areas: customer service excellence, information technology and business management. Once training is completed, they help coach the individual into specific job opportunities matching their skills, interests and recently completed training in one of the three areas.

COOL

Credentialing Opportunities Online helps military personnel find information on civilian certifications and licenses that relate to their military training, experience and MOS. In many cases, credentials can bridge the gap when vying for a civilian job. Not only does hiring an individual having a specific credential save an employer money by not having to pay for the training, it also saves time by getting the new employee into the job sooner. Most branches of the military each have their own credentialing site, except the Coast Guard. Those personnel can use either the Navy COOL site or the Career Onestop to find credentials matching their military job:

• Army
• Navy
• Marines
• Air Force
• Career Onestop

In many cases an individual will qualify for some type of credential and not even be aware of it, so it is worth looking into, especially if that credential is key to getting a specific job. If choosing between two otherwise equal applicants, an employer would most likely choose the one having the required credential over the one with none.

Vocational Careers to Consider and How to Get There

Many vocational careers match up well with training and experience gained from serving in the military. Some of the skills required are of a general nature and learned by almost everyone serving, while other skills may pertain to a specific military job. Here is a list of ten careers showing the military branch and job title, civilian job match, further education and how to get it, and three skills beneficial for that civilian career and the matching military skills. Note that these are just a few ideas to get you started, and there are dozens of other jobs that can be translated from the military to the civilian workplace.

Financial Aid & Scholarships for Veterans

Even though the GI Bill can help offset the cost of going to school to learn a vocation or trade, sometimes it is still not enough to pay all of the education-related costs of going to school today. However, between using the GI Bill and applying for financial aid in the form of scholarships, out-of-pocket costs can be kept to a minimum or in some cases zero.

Post 9/11 GI Bill

Non-College Degree Program
Pays the instate tuition rate at vocational/technical training schools. Also pays the veteran for the monthly housing allowance (MHA) based on the zip code of the school and up to $83 per month for books and supplies.

On-the-job Training/Apprenticeships
For trades requiring completion of OJT or an apprenticeship, pays MHA based on a sliding scale according to percent of program completed. The first six months, the MHA is paid at 100%. For each additional six-month period, the amount of MHA drops 20%; if the program lasts longer than two years, it remains at 20% for the duration of the program. The drop in MHA is offset by an increase in wages from the employer so the amount the veteran in training receives remains almost constant. OJT and apprenticeships also get up to $83 per month for books and supplies.

Montgomery GI Bill

Non-College Degree Program
This GI Bill pays the monthly rate up to $1,928 per month to attend vocational training. The student is responsible to pay their own tuition, books and other education-related expenses out of this amount.

On-the-Job Training/ Apprenticeships
For these programs, it pays up to $1,446 per month for the first six months; $1,060.40 for the next six months; $674.80 for the remainder of the training.

Licensing and Certification Reimbursement

Under either GI Bill, the cost of taking certain tests can be reimbursed back to the student paying the cost of the exams by submitting VA Form 22-0803 to a local VA Regional Office. The amount of reimbursement varies according to the test, but cannot exceed $2,000 per test. The basic difference between the GI Bills is how they charge entitlement for reimbursement.

Under the Post 9/11 GI Bill, entitlement is charged at a minimum of 1 month per test (as long as the cost per test is under $1902.61). Over that amount and an additional month will be charged.

Under the MGIB, entitlement is charged based on the actual cost of reimbursement. Being the current rate is $1,928, if reimbursement was for $964, one-half month of entitlement would be charged.

Scholarships

See our other guides for more information.

Making College Affordable for Veterans

Veterans differ from traditional college students in that many have families to support while they are going to school. By making college affordable, it helps provide the family with more disposable income that improves their quality of life.

Maximizing GI Bill Benefits

Even though the Post 9/11 GI Bill is one of the most generous GI Bills since its inception back in 1944, sometimes it is still not enough to cover all the expenses of going to school. However, the Yellow Ribbon Program – a feature of the Post 9/11 GI Bill that schools can choose to be a part of – can help reduce the gap between what a school charges and what the New GI Bill pays.

Vocational School Scholarships

By using scholarships to pay for vocational school, more Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits can be allocated to family members having received a Transfer of Benefits while the sponsor was serving, thus reducing their post-secondary education costs.

Expert Advice – Ron Kness

Ron retired with 36 years of military service. His assignment as supervisor of military personnel services (including the education benefits section) provided him with a wealth of knowledge, training and experience with the GI Bills and post-secondary education in general. His last assignment was the 34th Infantry (Red Bull) Division Command Sergeant Major/E-9.

Ron is also a product of vocational education. He used the GI Bill to complete and graduate from the Detroit Lakes Vocational Technical Institute's Automotive Mechanics course.

Below are some commonly asked questions in regards to vocational training and the GI Bill.

What is the difference between a vocation and a trade?

They are actually the same thing in many ways as a trade can be a vocation. A trade is a skill set that usually involves the use of hands to work the trade. A vocation is a person's main occupation which of course can be a trade, however, it could also be of a technical, business or professional nature.

How long does it take to complete a vocational course?

Some courses can be completed in a matter of months, whereas others can take as long as two years. The ones that are considered two-year courses are actually two 9-month periods of instruction.

How does a vocational school course differ from a college or university?

In most cases, a vocational course is shorter in length although that is not always the case. Many vocational or trade courses are the same length as what it takes to get an Associate's degree – two years.

The other major difference is a vocational course is more centered on the area of study. For example, in most vocational courses there is a period of instruction followed by a hands-on application of what was learned during that instruction. Most college courses are more about instruction and less hands-on and they are not as focused on one area, thus they cover a broader range of subjects of which many do not directly apply to chosen area of study.

What types of programs are included in a vocational course of study?

While not inclusive, this will give you an idea of the range of topics that can be studied at a vocational/technical school:

• Beauty and cosmetology
• Criminal justice
• Culinary arts
• Dental hygienist
• Hospitality/event planning
• Firefighting
• Funeral services
• Graphic design
• Information technology
• Electrical maintenance technology
• Massage therapy
• Medical assisting
• Medical coding and billing
• Nursing (LPN)
• Paralegal studies
• Paramedics
• Pharmacy technician
• Physical therapy assistant
• Plumbing
• Ultrasound technician
• Veterinary technician
• Automotive mechanics or technology
• Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC)

Does it make a difference which GI Bill I use to go to a vocational school?

Yes, it can. The main differences are the amount of payment and use of entitlement. Under the Montgomery GI Bill, entitlement is charged at the rate of one month for each $1,928 paid out (which is the rate per month of school). Under the Post 9/11 GI Bill, tuition at the in-state rate is paid directly to the school and the student gets a monthly housing allowance based on the zip code of the school and $83 per month for books and supplies. However, the entitlement charged is equal to the term of the course and is independent of how much is paid out. So, in other words, entitlement is charged at the same rate regardless if going to a vocational school at the cheaper tuition rate or a four-year school at a more expensive tuition rate – one month charged for each month of school.