SAN ANTONIO (Aug. 20, 2014) -- The Soldier for Life program is here to help guide Soldiers and their Families during the transition from active duty to civilian.
Thirty-seven garrison-level administrators of the program spent a week gaining tools and inspiration at the Transition Services Manager Signature Course hosted by the U.S. Army Installation Management Academy Aug. 11-15 at Joint Base San Antonio --Fort Sam Houston.
The Soldier for Life - Transition Assistance Program, formerly the Army Career and Alumni Program, provides transitioning Soldiers with the counseling, employment and education workshops and seminars required to comply with the Veterans Opportunity to Work Act, Career Readiness Standards and DoD transition guidelines and directives.
According to its website, Soldier for Life enables Army and community efforts to facilitate successful reintegration of our Soldiers, veterans, and their Families in order to keep them Army Strong and instill their values, ethos and leadership within communities.
Course participants split into three groups to identify challenges and come up with solutions to issues affecting site operations. Throughout the course, they shared best business practices for effectively accomplishing the day-to-day mission.
The Soldier Life Cycle, scheduled to debut Army-wide Oct. 1, was central to the discussion. Under the SLC concept, Soldiers will begin preparing for separation to civilian life early in their careers. Support will continue throughout active service, allowing Soldiers to 'Start Strong' and 'Serve Strong.'
Another area of emphasis was the career skills program, which worked to get Soldiers into job training programs.
The managers heard presentations from a variety of leaders within the Department of Defense and from outside agencies. They included Wayne Boswell from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Walter Herd from the U.S. Army Human Resources Command, Col. Kevin Hicks and Lt. Col. Robert Hensley from Soldier for Life, Robert Sanders from the Department of Veterans Affairs and Teresa Gerton from Department of Labor Under Secretary for Policy. Additionally, they interacted with a panel of eight employers from for-profit and not-for-profit industries.
For more information about the Soldier for Life program, visit http://www.soldierforlife.army.mil/ .
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