Courtesy Photo | Sgt. 1st Class William Mote, reserve-component career counselor, XVII Airborne Corps,...... read more read more
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During wars from the prior generation, Soldiers who deployed overseas returned home to the United States in a matter of a few days. For Soldiers leaving military service at that time, transition from active duty was a different experience than it is today. Soldiers were provided their final paycheck and given their belongings. Then, a counselor would read them a script from a piece of paper in a matter of minutes that explained their options in the civilian sector.
It wasn't until 1991 that the Army developed a formalized transition program called the Army Career and Alumni Program, better known as ACAP. The program made a few transition courses and briefings optional for transitioning Soldiers looking to find success in the civilian sector after active duty.
ACAP was in existence for 20 years, when in 2011, President Obama signed into law the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Hire Our Heroes Act. The VOW Act mandated Preseparation Counseling, Department of Labor Employment Workshop (DOLEW), and Veterans Affairs Briefings I & II. The Department of Defense followed these mandates with Career Readiness Standards (CRS), which included several services and courses required for transitioning Soldiers to participate in before leaving active duty.
This change to the policy of ACAP drastically changed the program and the Chief of Staff of the Army announced the new Soldier for Life initiative. The initiative linked transition with efforts to better the lives of transitioning Soldiers in civilian communities and encourage the mentality that "Once a Soldier, Always a Soldier, Soldier for Life."
ACAP rebranded to the Soldier for Life - Transition Assistance Program (SFL-TAP) in 2014. SFL-TAP’s mission is to prepare Soldiers for transition and supports the Soldier for Life (SFL) initiative, which helps to bridge the gap between the Army and civilian industry, as well as educate companies on the value of hiring Army veterans. While the programs have slightly different focuses, they both work closely together for the care of the Soldier.
SFL-TAP encourages transitioning Soldiers to attend SFL-TAP 18 months prior to transition or 24 months prior to retirement. The Army encourages Commanders to ensure their Soldiers are attending SFL-TAP and support them through the process. SFL-TAP is a Commander's program and a Soldier's responsibility.
SFL-TAP also has career tracks based on a Soldier's desired civilian goals, including entrepreneurship, technical training, higher education, and pursuing a civilian career path.
For transitioning Soldiers located remotely or without direct access to a SFL-TAP Center, the Army created the first of its kind Virtual Center. The VC is a 24/7 three-dimensional software program that recreates the experience of a SFL-TAP Center on an installation virtually. Soldiers are able to use a microphone headset and a keyboard-controlled avatar to move through virtual lecture halls with live SFL-TAP presentations and instructors. Soldiers are able to virtually interact with other Soldiers in the classes, talk through a microphone, listen to the presentation live, and type questions into a chat box. The VC also allows for Soldiers to actively participate through the ability to raise their customizable avatar's hand and answer questions.
The VC also has counselors available 24/7 by phone to complete transition requirements and offer transition support.
In 2016, SFL-TAP began a Transition Pilot Program at six installations worldwide, including Fort Bragg, Fort Hood, Fort Drum, Fort Campbell, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and USAG Bavaria. The Pilot looks to adjust the “one size fits all” approach to transition, where all transitioning Soldiers must complete the same CRS requirements, regardless of their training, education, or experiences.
The Pilot assigns Active Component Soldiers a category using a multi-variate model based on a Soldier's education, age, rank, separation reasoning, military occupation, and other demographic data. The category determines which CRS are mandatory and which CRS Soldiers may choose to complete.
The modern SFL-TAP has expanded even more. In 2017, Army transition leaders worldwide met in Louisville, Kentucky to discuss the future of the program and efforts to better connect transitioning Soldiers with careers in the civilian sector. The future of the program involves encouraging installation SFL-TAP Centers to make regional connections with local and national companies to connect them to transitioning Soldiers looking for employment.
In addition, the Army's Career Skills Program (CSP) is expanding to allow for transitioning Soldiers to use Permissive Temporary Duty (PTDY) to travel to another installation. Soldiers will have the opportunity to temporarily travel to a specific installation, if accepted and approved, for the duration of an internship, apprenticeship, or other career skills training with an approved civilian company during their final 180 days before their transition date. Companies looking to participate are strongly encouraged to hire the Soldiers who complete the program and train them to pass any certifications.
To learn more about the program and to get involved, visit www.sfl-tap.army.mil or find us on Facebook (@ArmySFLTAP), Twitter (@SFLTAP), and LinkedIn Groups (Soldier for Life - Transition Assistance Program Connection Group).
| Date Taken: | 08.23.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 08.23.2017 08:27 |
| Story ID: | 245701 |
| Location: | FORT KNOX, KY, US |
| Web Views: | 863 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Not the Old ACAP: What Modern Army Transition is Like Today with SFL-TAP, by Jenny Hale, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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