Apprenticeship Program Certifies Military Experience

United Services Military Apprenticeship Program is a program available for enlisted personnel serving in the armed forces. USMAP is a registered apprenticeship program that awards job certification to individuals through documented on-the-job training in a particular military trade or skill area.

To qualify for the program, applicants must be an active duty enlisted Marine, sailor or coast guardsman; have a high school diploma or GED; be designated in a job specialty, rating or military occupational specialty; and meet the registration requirements for that particular trade.

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. Lance Cpl. Lisa Brubaker, combat lithographer, Combat Visual Information Center, Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, prepares military teaching manual using a heavy-duty stapler. The lithographer occupational specialty is eligible for the USMAP certification.

AP certification. Photo by Sgt. J.L. Zimmer III

Service members enrolled in the program must complete a required number of hours, ranging from 2,000-10,000, and chart them daily in a work experience logbook. Three members within their chain of command must sign the completed logbook. After they have completed their required number of hours, participating service members are awarded with a Certificate of Completion of Apprenticeship by the Department of Labor.

Service members can be certified within 124 different skill areas, such as refrigeration mechanic, photographer, dental assistant, aircraft mechanic, computer programmer and legal secretary, to name a few. ÊNearly 260 occupational specialties are covered under USMAP trades employing apprenticeships.

“Sailors working at the dental clinic might consider apprentice trades such as dental assistant or dental laboratory technician,Ó said Jan Wilson, education services specialist for the Depot Education Office.

The program originated in 1976 as the NavyÕs National Apprenticeship Program, according to its Web site. In 1999 and 2000, the Marine Corps and U.S. Coast Guard, respectively, became active partners in the program. Since its inception, the USMAP has awarded more than 24,000 journeyman certificates.

For the Marine Corps, the program is available to all enlisted personnel, whether they have a college degree or not, and also helps Marines become more marketable for future employment once they transition out of the Corps.

AL ASAD, Iraq Sgt. David L. Van Bever, weather observer and native of Paramus, N.J., releases a weather balloon to determine the height of the clouds over Al Asad May 3. Weather observers and forecasters from Marine Wing Support Squadron 271 support the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) by providing and tracking weather patterns and data. Weather observer is one of the MOSs eligible for USMAP certification.

AP certification. Photo by Sgt. J.L. Zimmer III

The length of on-the-job training varies from one to four years and up to 50 percent credit may be awarded to service members based on rank and prior work experience in the applicable trade.

Sgt. Rachel Pereira, a career retention specialist for H&S Battalion here, is about 1,190 hours shy of earning her counselor certificate, which requires 4,000 total hours. One of the reasons she signed up for the program in January 2004 was because “it’s one more thing to add to my resume.”

Earning certification through the program is easy because you are getting credit for the job you are already doing.

“It’s very easy. You just have to be disciplined enough to log in your hours,” added Pereira. “I plan to use it to go into Human Resources when I retire, so I’ll definitely use this.”

The program is free and requires no off-duty hours. Participants receive national recognition as Department of Labor apprentices with documented proof of work experience, and Department of Labor-registered apprentices are sought after by employers, Wilson said.

For a complete list of USMAP approved trades or to fill out an application online, visit their Web site at www.cnet.navy.mil/usmap/about usmap.html.