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For nearly 35 years, Fort Bragg soldiers have been earning industry-recognized credentials through North Carolina’s registered apprenticeship program, ApprenticeshipNC.
The program allows active-duty service members stationed at Fort Bragg, a U.S. military installation in eastern North Carolina, the opportunity to obtain credentials that validate the skills acquired through their Military Occupational Speciality (MOS), according to a recent press release.
Since becoming a Registered Apprenticeship sponsor in the early 1990s, Fort Bragg has had nearly 8,000 service members complete a registered apprenticeship program across 114 occupations. Some of those occupations include aircraft electrical mechanics, cooks, homeland security specialists, bricklayers, human resource specialists, and guidance counselors. Over 580 apprentices are currently enrolled in Fort Bragg’s apprenticeship program.
How the program works
Active-duty service members must be stationed at Fort Bragg to enroll and are only allowed to enroll in a registered apprenticeship program tied to their MOS.
Service members receive prior credit for their Advanced Individual Training (AIT), instruction that occurs after basic training where members learn specific skills that prepare them for their MOS.
AIT substitutes any supplemental education that is required in civilian registered apprenticeship programs, according to the release, and on-the-job training is fulfilled by the duties they perform through their MOS.
Service members receive a Journeyworker credential that certifies their occupational skills mastery when they complete the registered apprenticeship program.
“The key thing about this program is that the soldiers can get a credential that recognizes their military training and experiences,” said Chris Pittman, interim chief, military personnel division at Fort Bragg Training and Education Center (BTEC) in an ApprenticeshipNC press release. “It prepares them for post-service success and employment.”
According to ApprenticeshipNC, the registered apprenticeship program at Fort Bragg was the first military-sponsored program to ever be registered by a state apprenticeship agency. It’s a program that ApprenticeshipNC Consultant Cassandra Royal said other military installations should consider.
“It’s tangible proof of their [service members’] skills,” Royal said. “It helps them market themselves to potential civilian employers when they do leave the military and enter the civilian workforce.”
North Carolina has a large veteran and active military population and is one of only four states with an Air Force Base, multiple Army posts, and a Marine Corps base.
Military installations interested in learning more about the program can contact Ms. Pellerito at kristina.m.pellerito.civ@army.mil.
Active-duty service members who are stationed at Fort Bragg can learn more about registering their MOS as a registered apprenticeship program by contacting fortbragg@nccommunitycolleges.edu.
