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Veterans find work and educational opportunities in the state and removing barriers contingent on their state of origin, a pathway to state residency is then formed.
Challenge 7. Veterans are unable to apply relevant military training and education toward
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Transitioning Veterans voiced having faced challenges when seeking work after their military service came to an end. Finding it difficult to translate their military education, training and experience to the civilian workforce. The terminology, job titles, and duties in the military are often different from those in the civilian world. Veterans shared a struggle to effectively showcase their qualifications and experiences on resumes or in interviews. Veterans also lack civilian work experience translatable on paper; most join the military at a young age and spend a significant part of their early adulthood serving. Veteran’s expressed difficulty seeking
employment as employers often prioritized candidates with specific industry experience or a track record in the civilian job market, putting Veterans at a disadvantage.
Education and training are the backbone of the military leader development process. One retired officer interviewed shared, “when you hire a Veteran, you hire a leader.” What most businesses and employers are unfamiliar with is that there is targeted training and professional military education for each rank and position. A Veteran with just four years of service has spent at least one year in the classroom attaining proficiencies and qualifications. By giving credit for these skills and facilitating an easy transition to the workforce, the state will retain more
Veterans and spouses which will inevitably improve its economic position.
Recommendation
A. Give credit for relevant military training and education and make a codebook for what accounts as transferable for not only the Veteran, but for the spouse and military affiliates.
Governor Bill Lee, in the 2023 State of the State said, “No other state in the country comes close to Tennessee’s legacy, resources and potential to be a leader in nuclear energy.”
(Supply and Demand Report, n.d., p. 80). He is proposing $50 million in a Nuclear Fast Track fund to recruit companies to the state that will establish a nuclear development and
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manufacturing ecosystem. Tennessee should leverage Veteran engineering talent to fill this demand.
Tennessee policymakers should pursue legislation to give credit for relevant military training and education like other states and make their own codebook for what they account as
transferable for not only the Veteran, but for the spouse and military affiliates. They should also seek to remove barriers and accelerate pathways for Veterans to retain these valuable citizens in the state. Legislation would provide a foundation for programs to retain and attract transitioning Veterans. A good example can be found in the Florida 2022 Statutes, Title XXXII - Regulation of Professions and Occupations, Chapter 493: Private Investigative, Private Security, And
Repossession Services, paragraph 493.61035, Credit for relevant military training and education (2022 Florida Statutes, n.d.). The statute emphasizes the importance of recognizing and utilizing the relevant military training and education of honorably discharged Veterans when applying for licensure. The Florida Department is mandated to establish a comprehensive method that
includes granting credit, to the maximum extent feasible, for military training and education that aligns with licensure requirements. Additionally, the Department must identify any overlaps and gaps between licensure requirements with Veterans' military training or education and inform Veterans about these areas. They are further required to assist Veterans in finding suitable programs providing necessary training and education to meet licensure requirements. The Department is directed to submit an annual report to key government officials, which includes vital statistics and information such as the number of Veteran applicants, approved and denied license applications, processing times, efforts to assist Veterans in program identification,
common overlaps and gaps, and recommendations to enhance the Department's ability to support Veterans during their transition from military service and pursuit of regulated professions or
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occupations. By gathering this type of data, we can illuminate our state’s activities related to Veteran licensure and then create the appropriate laws, policies, procedures, and remedies.
In the George Bush Institute report entitled Veteran Licensing and Credentialing What’s Next: Ensuring Economic Opportunity(Policy Recommendation Veteran Licensing and Credentialing, 2023) Colonel Matthew Amidon makes four primary recommendations which could serve as an outline for Tennessee’s action plan:
• Governors should lead assessments of the current state of Veteran and military family support systems.
• State education leaders should accelerate educational pathways, particularly into licensed professions.
• State legislatures should remove onerous professional licensing requirements.
• The Veteran-supporting community should push a narrative that Veterans are a resource.
Tennessee says it cares about Veterans, but this aspirational goal requires a legislative and programmatic foundation. The George Bush Institute report (Policy Recommendation Veteran Licensing and Credentialing, 2023) sums it up by stating:
“State leaders and legislators often say they care about Veterans but must demonstrate this through their actions. It’s in the best interest of their states as well as those who served and their families to remove obstacles caused by licensing requirements. The state will benefit from the talent and leadership it needs in its businesses and communities, while Veterans and military families can shape fulfilling lives in the civilian workforce.”
Business Challenges
Challenge 8. Civilians & Business practices lack military cultural competence, leading to