About the VETeach Program
Earlier this year, in coordination with Operation College Promise, the four-year "VETeach Pilot Program" was signed into law by the governor of New Jersey to address the shortage of teachers and the high rate of veteran unemployment. The VETeach program allows student veterans to accelerate earning their teaching degree through a twenty-four-month teacher preparation program, making them eligible for certification and employment a year earlier than normal. As noted by Colonel Matthew Amidon USMC (Ret.), "When our veterans and military families transition home, they want to continue their service and VETeach provides that opportunity in a key sector where there is a need for talent, dedication to team and organization, and leadership." Institutions apply and four institutions are selected for participation in the program.
Operation College Promise (OCP) is a national policy, research, and training program that "supports the transition of military-affiliated students to, through and beyond their postsecondary advancement." Founded by Wendy Ann Lang in 2008 to centralize veterans' transition information for the members of the New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities, OCP spearheaded one of the first non-profits to support Post-9/11 veterans and the higher education institutions and employers serving them.
When asked in an interview what she would recommend to other institutions wanting to do something similar Lang said, "Be innovative. Look around for high-demand careers that need filling and consider how your campus and your veterans service office can provide efficient and innovative opportunities for your student veteran population to prepare to fill them. Also establish good relationships with partners inside and outside of the institution that have a stake in your success."
In the case of VETeach, education program leaders and policymakers at various levels throughout the state agreed that shortening the time to a degree with appropriate transfer of credit, could result in saving benefits for student veterans. These savings could be used for another degree, which is something particularly valuable in the teaching profession. The characteristics inherent in other fields may make them attractive candidates for other high-demand fields, as well.
In a national survey, education was found to be just one of the high-demand fields that veterans are attracted to, preceded by business, STEM, and health professions majors per their fact sheet "NVEST - Student Veterans of America®." It may be a surprise to some higher education leaders that student veterans are often motivated to pursue careers that are different from their military occupations. Veterans often choose majors that enable them to switch careers and that increase their competitiveness in the job market, making both quick access to and completion of these popular majors distinguishing features to them.
Create Programs That Addressing Veteran Unemployment
Employment after graduation and marketability of the degree are top of mind for all students however, these outcomes are particularly critical for student veterans given that underemployment has become a troubling reality for the youngest of them. The experience of unemployment as an opportunity cost of military service is a relatively new phenomenon. In contrast to earlier groups, statistics show that veteran cohorts of the post-9/11 and Gulf War Era conflicts have experienced higher underemployment rates when compared to non-veterans, according to the "Guide to Leading Policies, Practices and Resources: Supporting the Employment of Veterans & Military Families."
Veterans' personal perceptions also bear this out. A longitudinal study of post-9/11 veterans who separated since 2016 conducted by The Veterans Metrics Initiative: Linking Program Components to Post-Military Well-Being (TVMI) and the Veterans Engaging in Transition Studies (VETS) found that veterans reported that six and a half years after leaving the military, 60% said they felt underemployed as it related to their leadership experience (53%), their skills (46%) or their education (38%).
Create Programs That Address Workforce Development
Veteran unemployment and underemployment have created an urgency and opportunity for higher education to be creative in ways perhaps not imagined in earlier periods, like that recently led by OCP. Every higher ed institution can answer the call to expand its partnerships and create connections that aid students while they are a member of the institution and beyond. Afterall, successfully-employed graduates build the institution's ecosystem and connections to other veterans and employers long after graduation. In response to a growing interest in workforce development outcomes, the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) advise institutions looking for ways to be innovative with their degree programs to identity those entities that are essential for success within your ecosystem, to determine who is needed to take the lead as well as those necessary to participate at various points throughout the lifecycle of your project. CAEL offers a practical guide for workforce development that helps organizations get started.
To summarize OCP's latest project, Lang says "The New Jersey VETeach initiative deployed a blend of legislative and institutional strategies maximizing education benefits and streamlining career pathways toward sustainable employment in education. In doing so, we reduce the potential for unnecessary debt and help meet critical societal needs in high-demand fields intrinsic to sustaining our global posture. VETeach is not intended to be a conclusion but rather, a step toward encouraging dialogue on additional initiatives that bolster employment access, economic opportunity, and long-term stability for veterans and their families."
Regarding her biggest lesson, Lang said that she "wishes they had created VETeach earlier." That may be the best encouragement for higher education institutions surveying their landscapes and wondering about next steps. Lang's advice is not to reinvent the wheel and offers that Operation College Promise stands ready to assist any school interested in pursuing similar measures.
