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Army Career and Alumni Program Centers

Thursday February 28, 2013

What is it?

The Army recently opened an Army Career and Alumni Program (ACAP) office at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, to provide transition and job assistance services for deployed Soldiers. This Third Army/U.S. Army Central forward ACAP office will help separating and retiring Soldiers experience a successful transition into the civilian workforce. The center offers education on how to leverage skills post-service, resume writing, and mock interviews.

What has the Army done?

The improved Army Transition Program is the Army’s answer to the Veterans Opportunity to Work Act, bipartisan legislation aiming to lower the unemployment rate among the nation’s veterans. It is mandatory for all Soldiers to begin transition counseling and planning no later than 12 months before separating or demobilizing. Recognizing that requirement, Third Army/ARCENT established the Camp Arifjan facility to allow the 10,000 Soldiers in Kuwait the opportunity to capitalize on transition services even while deployed.

What continued efforts does the Army have planned for the future?

The Camp Arifjan ACAP center just opened in November, 2012, and is continually improving its services. They offer initial counseling, follow-on individual counseling, individual transition plans, and various ACAP seminars including transition overview, military occupation specialties (MOS) crosswalk, and financial planning. The center plans to aid in job hunting by directly connecting Soldiers with different corporations.

Why is this important to the Army?

The Veterans Opportunity to Work Act of 2011 mandated that transitioning Soldiers participate in this transition assistance programs, or opt out in writing. The transition program, under mandate from the act, requires all Soldiers begin their pre-separation at least 12 months before they leave the military, rather than the previous requirement that they begin this process three months before separating. The Kuwait office now provides active-duty service members, Reservists and demobilizing Guardsmen, even in a deployed environment such as Kuwait, the opportunity to prepare for life after the Army.

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