No Result
View All Result
Reserve & National Guard
SUBSCRIBE FREE
No Result
View All Result
Reserve & National Guard
SUBSCRIBE FREE
Reserve & National Guard

Technical, trade school certifications make service members ‘more valuable’ 

Ben Greene
by Ben Greene
September 1, 2022
technical education

Life on a Navy ship convinced Carey Martell, a licensed practical nurse in the Navy Reserve, that technical education and promotions are interconnected.

Sailors train as firefighters, plumbers and medics because, once at sea, they can’t call professionals to come aboard.

“Trades are the jobs we really need,” said Martell, a petty officer first class in Orlando.

Moreover, education in trade or technical fields increase their chances of promotion as sailors or civilians, according to Martell.

Jeff Walker, an assistant professor in nursing at Herzing University agreed. He was in the Marine Corps Reserve for a year, then served four years on active duty with the Navy. He learned to rewire an entire Navy vessel, including generators and turbines.

Nevertheless, none of his hard-earned Navy training counted as academic credit after he left the service. Now, he encourages students to combine military experience and education whenever possible.

“It makes you more valuable if you’ve got certification plus experience,” he said. “You have proof that you can show to an employer that you know what you’re doing.”

Daenel Vaughn-Tucker was an ammunition specialist in the Army when she separated in 1996.

“There aren’t many calls for an ammunition specialist when you get out in the civilian world,” she said.

So she earned an associate in education from a community college followed by two more degrees. She now works as the director of library services and social media coordinator at Central Louisiana Technical Community College (CLTCC).

“The military encourages you to better yourself,” she said. “When you’re in the military, you’re trained. That’s what they do. But if you don’t have those credentials behind your name, there’s always that fear” of life after military service, she explained.

CLTCC’s Lamar Salter campus has a close relationship with JRTC and Fort Polk in Leesville, Louisiana, so soldiers can expand their skills and become more eligible for promotions. For example, Lt. Col. John-Paul E. Depreo, the 46th Engineer Battalion Commander, approved his welders for a semester of welding classes, according to CLTCC Campus Dean Geralyn A. Janice.

“The battalion commander wanted them to increase their proficiency, which also contributes to the services they provide the Army,” she said.

RELATED: National Guard expands ‘generous’ state education benefits

Martell plans to add academic credentials to her Navy experience by completing a bachelor’s degree in nursing at Herzing University.

“Immediate skills definitely help the Navy because a person is more experienced and educated in the skill set,” she said. “Getting trades and education [and] community service helps you rank better against your peers when we do our evaluations every year.”

Further, she said the additional education will increase her chances at promotion in the Navy – or later when she hopes to work for the Veterans Administration.

Herzing counted her know-how as a Navy LPN toward her bachelor’s degree. That accelerates her path toward graduation and the promotions possible through her achievements, said Jarvis Racine, Herzing’s vice president of strategic partnerships, workforce development and government affairs.

“The military provides a lot of opportunity for learning so we really want to make sure we’re maximizing that,” Racine said. “What we’ve done is create a pathway for them to validate their skills and begin working at a higher level.”

Likewise, Vaughn-Tucker believes a technical education is especially useful for reservists and guardsmen who enjoy their M.O.S. or aren’t academically inclined.

“Being able to get certification in that job helps them out because when they get ready to separate from the military, they have that credential,” she said. “It gives them a skill set where they can provide a living for themselves and their family. You still have a life ahead of you.”

Read comments
Tags: Central Louisiana Technical Community CollegeCLTCCHerzing UniversityMarine Corps ReserveNavy Reservetechnical educationtrade school
Ben Greene

Ben Greene

Ben Greene tells the stories of life, the narratives of beauty and brokenness, thanks to 20 years of practice under others' watchful eyes. On Greene's first day as a journalist, a man jumped to his death at a rock quarry. That's when Greene learned where to park without upsetting first responders. Cops aren't as likely to talk when they're angry about where you parked, a wiser reporter said to Greene. Years later, he was miles from his car hours before a President's inauguration, That day, Americans shared their hopes and hurts at Metro stops near Washington D.C. He worked full-time for The Associated Press with the same delight as writing for slow towns beside slower rivers. He thrives in small-town Massachusetts, mostly because of the local donut shop, library and two beaches. As always, he's stirred by stories of people embracing risk and sacrifice to grow toward a purpose beyond their power or pleasure.

Related Posts

OPINION: Individual Ready Reserve offers chance to ‘take a knee’

by Emily Solberg
3 weeks ago
0
Individual Ready Reserve

The Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) is a little-known option that could help with retention, according to one reservist and military...

Read more

New veterans head to Congress, including January 6-er

by Military.com
4 weeks ago
0
New veterans

New veterans will begin roaming the halls of Congress next week, contributing to one of the biggest classes of lawmakers...

Read more

Veteran’s dog-treat company honors fallen K-9s, supports canine causes

by Kari Williams
4 weeks ago
0
Canine

Jessica Harris began giving back to her canine companions through K9 Salute after she retired from the Washington National Guard.

Read more

The education benefits no one talks about

by Nikki Davidson
1 month ago
0
education benefits

While aware that enlisting would come with education benefits, one guardsman didn't think much about them at first.

Read more

The Hooligans’ Way: Air National Guard’s 119th Wing receives Air Force’s ‘outstanding unit’ award 23 times

by Bianca Strzalkowski
1 month ago
0
Hooligan

North Dakota airmen have produced the outstanding unit of the year 23 times. The 119th Wing attributes success to the...

Read more

NCNG’s first Black female pilot says goodbye

by AmeriForce Exclusive
1 month ago
0
NCNG

Capt. Lindsey Jefferies Jones looks back on her 17-year Army career as she bids farewell to the North Carolina National...

Read more

Ads

Let's get social

The RNG Drill

News delivered directly to your inbox

Let's connect!

ABOUT US

  • OUR STORY
  • OUR TEAM
  • OUR WRITERS

MAGAZINE

  • GET PRINT
  • GET DIGITAL
  • GET THE NEWSLETTER

GET RESOURCES

  • VETERANS TOOLKIT

ADVERTISE

  • GET OUR MEDIA KIT
  • PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT

SUBMISSIONS

  • PITCH US
  • SUBMIT YOUR STORY

Never miss out on the latest stories.

© 2021 Reserve & National Guard by AmeriForce. Privacy Policy | Terms | Site by Swiss Commerce

Thank you for your interest in The Reserve & National Guard Magazine!

Thank you for your interest in The Reserve & National Guard Magazine!

No Result
View All Result
  • NEWS
  • YOUR CAREER
    • UNIT TRAINING
    • DEPLOYMENT
    • PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
    • RECRUITING & RETENTION
    • ENTREPRENEUR
    • TRANSITION
  • EDUCATION
  • MILITARY LIFE
    • MILITARY SPOUSES
    • MILITARY KIDS
    • PARENTING
  • OFF DUTY
    • ENTERTAINMENT
    • TRAVEL
  • HEALTH
    • FITNESS
    • MEDICINE
    • MENTAL HEALTH
  • OPINION
  • HISTORY
  • MONEY
    • PERSONAL FINANCE
    • BENEFITS
  • GET THE MAGAZINE
    • PRINT MAGAZINES
    • DIGITAL MAGAZINES
    • GET THE NEWSLETTER
  • RESOURCES
    • VETERANS TOOLKIT
  • ABOUT US
    • MEET OUR TEAM
    • OUR AUTHORS
    • ADVERTISE WITH US
    • SUBMIT YOUR STORY
    • PITCH US
    • CONTACT

© 2022 Reserve & National Guard by AmeriForce. Site by SCBW