Return
to the "POINTER VIEW"April 26, 2002
Return
to the "POINTER VIEW"
April
26, 2002
Cool Web site helps soldiers certify skills for jobs
WASHINGTON (Army News Service) -- Soldiers who want to develop professional civilian skills while serving in the Army now have a COOL way to see what can be required for the career field they are interested in.
The Army Continuing Education Service launched a Credentialing Opportunities On-Line, or COOL, Web site April 15 that identifies the education, experience and testing requirements to earn certification or licenses for hundreds of civilian jobs.
COOL is located on the Web at www.armyeducation.army.mil/cool.
"We do not credential soldiers for civilian jobs," said Louie Chartier, post secondary education program manger, Army Education Division. "What this program does is educate soldiers about what is needed to get credentials for the job they want to pursue following the Army. The COOL Web site provides information that links military occupational specialties with similar civilian jobs.
"It tells the soldier what to study, what work experience is required, and what the educational requirements are," Chartier said.
About 71 percent of Army MOSs have civilian equivalents, according to ACES statistics.
The Web site allows soldiers to enter the analysis section by specific MOS, or, if interested in credentialing requirements outside their MOS, by job title.
For example, a 27D legal specialist will find Army MOS training and experience creditable with the National Association of Legal Assistants for legal writing, research and litigation for a paralegal job. However, the 27D soldier will also see the need for education credits in intellectual property, bankruptcy and consumer protection law, in addition to taking and passing the ABA paralegal certification exam.
Legal specialists also can be certified as legal secretaries, legal assistants, legal clerks and court reporters, according to COOL.
Costs for certification tests can be anywhere from $100 to $2,000, Chartier said. But the good news is soldiers can use the Montgomery GI Bill, she said. Authorized just last year, soldiers leaving the service with the Montgomery GI Bill can use up to $2,000 of that benefit per test.
Chartier said she encourages soldiers to use SmartForce for information technology preparation courses as equivalent civilian courses can be costly. SmartForce must initially be accessed through an Army Knowledge Online account or from a Department of Defense computer. The SmartForce courses are free to soldiers and Department of the Army civilians. The SmartForce Web site address is www.atrrs.army.mil/channels/eLearning/smartforce.
Former Secretary of the Army Louis Caldera implemented a number of initiatives to boost recruiting. One of those initiatives -- GI to Jobs -- lets soldiers earn civilian credentials related to their MOS. COOL is part of the GI to Jobs initiative.
Another part is the Partnership for Youth Success, better known as PaYS at www.armypays.com. This program guarantees recruits civilian jobs when they leave the Army. There are currently 19 civilian companies with PaYS agreements, including BellSouth, John Hopkins, Sears, DynCorp and Pepsi.