Revamped TAP aims to help transitioning vets

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jarrod Grammel
  • 23d Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  As part of President Barack Obama's plan to reduce veteran unemployment, Moody Air Force Base, Ga., implemented the first of a new, revamped Transition Assistance Program Nov. 26.

The new program, which is mandatory, uses an in-depth Individual Transition Plan and a focus on teaching veterans how to translate military training and skills into industry-accepted credentials.

"The goal of TAP is to reduce unemployment and ensure that service members leave with a sense of confidence," said Mickey Lane, 23d Force Support Squadron TAP manager. "When they leave TAP, they will know what jobs they are qualified for and how to get the job. They will leave here ready."

In November 2011, Obama signed the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 with the goal of tackling veteran unemployment, which is noticeably higher than the national average.

While the national unemployment rate recently dipped below 8 percent, veterans aged 18 to 24 have an unemployment rate of 32 percent. Veterans of all ages have an unemployment rate of 12.5 percent.

"The driving force behind this program is the need to improve the high unemployment rate of veterans," Lane said. "One out of every eight veterans is out of work. The Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and the Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service, looked at how to remedy this. They came up with the new TAP."

The new program is a major overhaul of the 20-year-old TAP. The previous three-day program was voluntary and only half of all separating service members attended. The revamped program is now five full days and mandatory for all service members.

One of the major improvements to the program is the ITP. Before the course begins, service members choose one of four ITP career paths: education, entrepreneurial, technical or employment.

If service members chose the education, technical or entrepreneurial path, they have the option to attend an additional two days of training specific to their path.

"We get you focused on what you need to do before you leave that gate for the last time," Lane said. "The new program is very thorough."

The program also includes hands-on training. While in the class, every student will write a resume and conduct a job search based on their qualifications. If they find a job they are interested in, they will apply for it while in the class.

One of the participants of the first improved TAP on Moody was a retiring master sergeant. He worked in the 23d FSS and said that TAP is only one of many great programs the Airman and Family Readiness Center offers for service members and families. He said his plan is to continue his education.

"I plan to go to school, and I already have my plan of what school and degree I want," said Master Sgt. Mark Gore, 23d FSS services specialist. "They are teaching us how to look at what schools offer and find a good match. If I was uncertain, I would know how to look for what suits me best and find something I am passionate about."

Gore also mentioned how programs like TAP have helped increase awareness of veterans and made them more sought out for employment and schools.

One reason for this may be the Returning Heroes Tax Credit given to businesses for each out-of-work veteran they hire.

"I think there is a bigger focus on veterans now," he said. "They are putting us in the limelight, and I think, now, schools and employers want more veterans."

With more than 1 million service members projected to leave the military between 2011 and 2016, the new TAP highlights a continued effort to care for these veterans and give them tools to be successful once they leave service.