Certification Programs
More servicemembers are obtaining
certifications to prepare them for civiliam careers,
gaining the credentials they need without the
commitment to long-term degree programs.
by Cheryl Gerber, MAE Correspondent
Certification programs could become the largest segment of military education in the near future, given their pragmatic focus on subject matter that is directly applicable to the job market. Certification programs could become the largest segment of military education in the near future, given their pragmatic focus on subject matter that is directly applicable to the job market. Further boosting their value is the fact that military experience often translates directly into the courses of study offered by a growing number of certification programs.
“We personally believe that a certification is as important as a degree because it means the students have had hands-on experience and are capable of performing the job. One of the eventual goals of our branch is to have a certification for every Air Force career field,” said Technical Sergeant Brian Nelson, a noncommissioned officer in charge (NCOIC) of the Licensure and Certifications Branch of the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) at Maxwell Air Force base in Alabama. CCAF is one of the schools under Air University, also headquartered at Maxwell.
CCAF is an enlisted college, comprised of active duty, guard and reserve, that offers only Associates degrees. As soon as members graduate from basic training, they are automatically enrolled in CCAF. All of the college’s certification programs are cost free to members.
The college offers three Associates degrees for the purpose of achieving national certification: paralegal, physical trainer and ophthalmic technician or assistant. Yet upon completion of an AF course, the college offers 27 programs to achieve national certifications, including three granted by the CCAF.
One of the three granted by the CCAF, the airframe and power plant certification, prepares active duty members to interview and test with the FAA. “To test with the FAA, you have to be experienced first. You have to have at least 30 months of actual aircraft hands-on experience,” said Nelson. “We created a training program that guarantees students will get the interview with the FAA,” he said. The CCAF currently has 5,000 people enrolled in the program. The Joint Services Council created this certification and established a liaison with the FAA to assure that the CCAF would graduate skilled technicians who meet the FAA requirements.
Another one granted by the CCAF is the Operational Instructor Certification (OIC) which documents and verifies that students have actually experienced teaching. “They have to have 2,000 hours of teaching experience, plus two years of being assigned to a CCAF,” said Nelson. Since 1991, the CCAF has awarded more than 5,000 OIC’s, he said.
The third is a new program started in January 2008 entitled the Instructional System Development certification for both curriculum and quality improvement. “We saw a need for all types of product improvement within a company, including training, safety and process improvement, which led us to develop this certification program,” he said.
The CCAF is working on adding other certification programs in the area of space and avionics. “The Air Force sees that the space industry will have a need for mechanics in the future so we partnered with SpaceTEC of Cape Canaveral to create a national certification program for spacecraft to help all eligible service members to have a shot at those jobs,” he said.
Civilian educational institutions serving the military have also seen a growing interest in certification. “Certificate programs are relatively new for the college but at Thomas Edison, we have seen a rising trend in the military and their dependents enrolling,” said Dr. David Grossman, vice provost and dean, School of Professional and Continuing Studies, Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, N.J. The 40 year-old state college formed the professional and continuing education school only four years ago as a natural evolution of its focus on the adult student population.
“Students who already have their Baccalaureate degrees comprise a high degree of the professional and continuing education population. But all students can see the value and virtue of obtaining certification, either as a way to enter the job market or to validate their knowledge and skill sets in particular fields,” said Grossman.
In studying student population trends, Grossman found the top three military enrollments at Thomas Edison are in Information Technology, Personal Trainer and Project Management certifications. “Many tasks in the military are project-oriented so whether students return to a military career or to civilian life, the project management certification serves them well,” he said. “Certification also can provide a validation that the student can function effectively in either a military or a civilian environment.”
Like the AFCC, Thomas Edison State College captured the growing interest in certifications by launching new programs. In April 2007, the college launched certification in paralegal studies for those who are working in the military legal system or are considering a military law career. This year, in June, the college addressed the emerging field of healthcare management by introducing a nursing administration certification.
A brand new program starting in October 2008 is the workforce career coach facilitator certification, to guide those who are making the transition from military to civilian life or to identify within the military the kind of job position best suited for a person.
But Thomas Edison believes the combination of a Baccalaureate and Certification makes for the best education. “A BA program with writing and math develops critical thinking to solve problems, while a certification program hones specific skill sets and knowledge base effectively to perform in the chosen field of endeavor,” Grossman said. Some schools offer both certificates and certificate programs or certifications but are quick to point out the difference. “From a business standpoint, a certificate is a sign of attendance or achievement with no formal assessment at the end,” said Dennis King, director, Fort Hays State University Virtual College in Kansas.
“A certificate is good for building experience, learning a new area or applying something a student has already learned. We issue a few thousand certificates per year in many areas. Probably the largest is online grant writing and grant proposal training, for which there is an assessment at the end,” said King.
Other well-attended areas at Fort Hays that are not online include self-defense as well as justice and law enforcement. The university also offers Continuing Education Units (or credits—known as CEU’s) in, for example, basic computer skills. “With CEU’s, you don’t have to apply for admission and you don’t have to receive college credit so it’s good for people who are working full or part time to stay current in their field,” he said.
The most popular certifications Fort Hays offers are the Cisco Certification, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Certification and Addictions Counseling Certification. Most military students at Fort Hays enroll in either four-year Bachelor’s degree programs or two-year Master’s degree programs, but King also has seen military students take a growing interest in business programs. “We have seen a slow rise in military students enrolling in certification programs for business information systems, business and leadership or advanced business at the graduate level,” he said.
However, certifications have not replaced Bachelors programs. “Our top programs for military personnel are the Bachelors of General Studies, which allow numerous areas of concentration, the Bachelor’s of Science in Information Networking and Telecommunications and the Fort Hays’ Bachelors of Business Administration (BBA) in Management. The BBA management is not surprising. Most organizations report the programs as the most popular degree available online. In fact, it is Fort Hays State University’s fastest growing degree,” he said.
The Naval School of Health Sciences is well-versed in the value of certification programs. The school offers historically-valued certification programs in the medical field that include drug and alcohol counselor, X-ray technicians and pharmacy technicians. Students who attend the school must be currently enlisted, fall within the E5-E9 enlisted pay grades and they pay no tuition since it is built into the program.
“Certification programs protect the consumer by giving the public assurance that the people they are dealing with are competent in an area of expertise,” said Ted Judson, assistant department head and certification officer at the Navy Drug and Alcohol Counselor School within the Naval School of Heath Sciences. The school evaluates which applicants are best suited for the program in order to assure the highest degree of success. “When we’re looking at somebody coming into the counseling field, we want a person with maturity, good judgment and stability in personal affairs,” Judson said.
The Navy Certification Board certifies Navy and Marine Corps Drug and Alcohol Counselors while the American Council on Education (ACE) grants college credits for the military school. “Each of the people who completes our school earns 17 college credits through ACE,” said Judson.
The school requires 10 1/2 (10.5) weeks or 400 hours with 57 different lessons at varying lengths of time (one hour to 10 hours). Once this is complete, students then enter a one-year internship. “They do internships with clinical supervision at one of 47 clinical centers around the world,” he said.
Graduates tend to perform above average on the international certification exam. “The average is 68 percent and we are 99 percent,” Judson said. Certifications depend on how the parent organization is structured. For example, the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC and RC) issue the exam for international drug and alcohol counselor certification. “The IC and RC create the standards for certification but the Navy Drug and Alcohol Counselor School performs the actual certification for the Navy and Marine Corps,” Judson explained. “The IC and RC represent 37,000 certified counselors around the world,” he added.
Like Fort Hays, other educational organizations have responded to the slowly rising number of students who want to translate their military experience into a business career. The University Alliance, a division of Bisk Education Inc. (of Tampa, Florida) that partners with universities to offer online educational programs, earlier this year launched a Master’s Certificate program in Supply Chain Management that can relate military experience to a career. The three-level course in the Master’s certificate program include the beginning course called Functional Perspectives in Supply Chain Management, the intermediate level, Tactical Implementation of Supply Chain Management and the advanced course called Strategic Best Practices of Supply Chain Management. The program is offered online through the University of San Francisco, a University Allliance member which issues the certificate.
“Implementing transportation solutions in the military directly related to supply chain planning in the corporate world,” said Matt Cole, program faculty, Supply Chain Management programs, University Alliance division of Bisk Education. “It’s all about understanding and being able to overcome constraints as well as planning and organization at a high level,” he said. “It’s not just about the need to move a truck from point A to point B. It’s about understanding how the moving of that truck relates to the overall mission. Supply chain management is multi-functional and spans multiple disciplines and by understanding each part of the supply chain, you can effectively achieve your goal,” said Cole.
Cole was in command in 2002 as an Army transportation officer who also approved tuition reimbursement. As part of the job, he reviewed all forms of education. “I was looking at not just a Bachelor’s degree but any kind of training that would help soldiers advance their education in their current roles. So for example, if a transportation mechanic wanted to get a certificate in how to rebuild or repair an engine or a refrigeration unit, then I would always approve the tuition reimbursement. But it can be difficult to get that approval if it is not under the purview of their current job,” he said.
Cole and others have noted that military tuition reimbursement does not always go smoothly. “As far as I am concerned, most further education for soldiers should be approved. But this is not always what happens. It depends on the interpretation of Army regulations and is approved or denied based on interpretation,” he observed.
Logistics is one of the key pillars of supply chain management and Cole cut his teeth on it when he was stationed abroad with the Army. “As a transportation officer, I was responsible for moving people and equipment anywhere in the world within 72 hours including Saudi Arabia, eastern Turkey, Israel and Kuwait,” he said.
Cole was also a brigade officer in charge of all the equipment and personnel in the brigade—equivalent to $400 million worth of equipment, 3,000 people and 1,500 vehicles. “Part of my responsibility was to assure that vehicle maintenance resulted in 95% readiness and part of that was about spare part inventory. I aggregated all of the demands from the multiple subunits and created a safety stock model. In the process of doing so, I was able to reduce the inventory by $200,000 because I only stocked the right amount of what was needed,” he said.
A large part of supply chain management is having the right item in the right place at the right time. Clearly, Cole’s military experience directly translates into supply chain management planning and implementation. Today he not only teaches supply chain management; he also works in the field. ♦