MILITARY LIFE

United Services Military Apprenticeship Program

( United Services Military Apprenticeship Program (USMAP))

In 1977, the Marine Corps and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training established the Marine Corps Apprenticeship Program with 27 Military Occupational Specialties (MOS). On August 20, 1999, a Memorandum of Agreement was signed by Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps and Chief, Naval Education and Training (CNET) to consolidate the Marine Corps Apprenticeship Program and the Navy National Apprenticeship Program (NNAP), thus forming the United Services Military Apprenticeship Program (USMAP). On April 7, 2000, the Coast Guard joined with the Marine Corps and the Navy. The "National Standards of Apprenticeship" were signed on April 11, 200 by the Secretary of Labor, Secretary of Navy and Secretary of Transportation.Out of 300 enlisted Military Occupational Specialties (MOS's), 257 are covered under USMAP trades/occupations employing apprenticeship. Occupations offered through USMAP cross over into several civilian industries, including servicing, manufacturing and construction, and transportation/utilities. Occupations such as Dental Laboratory Technician, Machinist, Carpenter, and Recording Engineer are included under USMAP.  The USMAP is the largest apprenticeship program sponsor registered with the United States Department of Labor. It provides a total of 126 occupations. From program inception, nearly 20,000 Marines and Sailors have completed their Certificates of Apprenticeship.

The advantages of USMAP include:

  • Effective recruiting tool for new military personnel.
  • Positive retention tool (normally takes more than one enlistment to complete apprenticeship).
  • Encourages training that is compatible to civilian trades.
  • Strong morale program - it is viewed by enlisted personnel as something their military service is doing for them.
  • Completion of program enhances employment opportunities while on active duty or separated.

Civilian outreach and recognition of USMAP include:

  • The Apprenticeship Training, Employer and Labor Services (ATELS) participated in the Interagency Task Force on Certification and Licensing of Transitioning Military Personnel. The Interagency Task Force, created in 1998, was led by the Veterans' Employment and Training Service of the Department of Labor and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
  • The Task Force identified credentialing barriers and opportunities, one of which was the conforming of military programs more closely to training requirements for civilian equivalent occupations. ATELS works to keep private sector apprenticeship program sponsors informed of the extent and quality of military apprenticeships.
  • The Joint Services Apprenticeship Steering Committee includes all branches of the military service, the ATELS, employers from the private sector, and labor unions who will review registered military occupations to identify and standardize the on-the-job training, related instruction, and language. The Committee was formed to assist those veterans who have completed an apprenticeship make the transition to the civilian sector.
  • The construction industry (union and non-union) has indicated an interest in conducting an in-depth study of military building trades occupations to ease the transition of military apprenticeship participants into the civilian building trades. Outreach efforts have been made to provide placement assistance in the telecommunications industry to veterans leaving the military
  • Military personnel completing registered apprenticeships can contribute to addressing skill shortages employers may be experiencing.
  • Education and training are top priorities in all three services and USMAP will make a significant contribution towards developing Marines and Sailors' technical skills, as well as preparing them for future opportunities in a civilian occupation.
  • The services' commitment to enlisted personnel is total preparation. USMAP is an embodiment of this commitment, but as an added benefit, it certifies a servicemembers' technical skills. The civilian sector is increasingly recognizing the professional training enlisted personnel receive and USMAP provides a complimentary "bridge" as well as enhancement between military and the civilian workforce sector.

For additional information on USMAP, check out their website here. For questions on USMAP, click here for Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).