Helping veterans get school credit for military time served
Posted February 1, 2012 10:49 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – With the Afghan mission over, many men and women have come back home and are finding it hard to start a career. But there is some relief and motivation for those who have fought for their country.
BCIT and the Royal Canadian Legion have teamed up to create a program that gives school credit to those who have served time in the military. Inga Kruse with the Legion tells us it’s hard for veterans to start from scratch.
“They come back and their friends have finished school or moved on to education, started different careers in the private sector and they very often feel that they have come back and have starting with nothing,” she explains.
She tells us finding employment can also tough because few employers can understand what was achieved in service. “Their experience, their training, their capabilities… there aren’t equivalent titles, jobs and general understanding in education credits for what those mean.”
The new program to aid vets is called the Legion Military Skills Conversion Program. Real-life military experience is converted into education credits, giving students a leg-up in trying to start a new career in law enforcement or even as an entrepreneur.
“Maybe you’ve got a really good future as a business leader because… you know how to run a team of 60 people in a very high-stress organization,” suggests Kruse.
As part of the program, scholarships and other support is available.
