Career Skills Program continues to wow Fort Knox leaders

By Eric PilgrimJuly 25, 2018

Career Skills Program continues to wow Fort Knox leaders
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (from left) Sgt. Maj. Brian Buckler, Sgt. 1st Class Yvette Basabe and Capt. Wanda Henderson (at right) stand with Harriet Taylor, the Career Skills Program administrator. All three Soldiers were recently hired by the Transit Authority of River City i... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Career Skills Program continues to wow Fort Knox leaders
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Heather Brundidge (center), a 22-year military veteran, receives her Career Skills Program certificate of completion from U.S. Army Garrison Commander Col. Pat Kaune (left), and Command Sgt. Maj. Garrick Griffin. Brundidg... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

A new class of Soldiers from Fort Knox attending the Army's civilian employment enhancement tool for retiring Soldiers, known as the Career Skills Program, recently graduated, and the numbers of those being hired are impressing Fort Knox leaders.

All three fellows going through an internship course with the Transit Authority of River City in Louisville, Kentucky accepted positions last week, each with starting salaries ranging from $60,000 to $80,000 a year.

"This is awesome news!! Congratulations to them all," wrote Harriet Taylor to other Fort Knox leaders. Taylor was recently appointed as the administrator for the program.

Rella Braxton, a Fort Knox education guidance counselor, said the Army has enjoyed great success with its program since it was started in 2015. After conducting a survey based on how much they were paying for unemployment of Soldiers leaving service, the Army initiated the program.

"They created the Career Skills Program to allow Soldiers to earn credentials and possibly obtain a job before they separate from the service," said Braxton. "It has substantially reduced the amount of unemployment that the government has had to pay out since."

Fort Knox started its program in February 2017. Since then, 45 Soldiers in six classes have completed the eight-week course. Of those, 30 in the Senior Leaders Course have been placed in jobs around the area, according to Career Skills Program records housed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

"At the garrison level, it is a highly respected program," said Braxton. "We have advertised it in every avenue we can think of to advertise it, but we do need to get more information out to the individual units and commands."

There are 157 career skills programs offered across the nation. Braxton said while Soldiers can get permissive TDY to attend any one of the courses that pertain their skill sets, the first step is to seek permission from commanders since each course takes a full eight weeks to complete. She warned that the TDY is unfunded, however, so Soldiers will have to fit the bill for it out of their own pockets.

"This has been our most successful Career Skills Program here at Knox," said Braxton. "I think it's making a difference because the jobs that these Soldiers are being hired in are at a substantial salary. Their experience in leadership for their time in service has paid off."

The window for taking the courses is 180 days prior to a Soldier's end of service date. Before Soldiers attend one of the courses, counselors sit down with them and start the prep work in getting out.

"A huge portion of this program is assisting the Soldiers in tailoring their resumes for the civilian community so that a civilian employer understands what an operations sergeant does or what a command sergeant major does," said Braxton. "It's like translating their resume from military to civilian."

Another step in the process is then taking that resume and pitching it to companies looking to hire potential candidates. Counselors and administrators at the program work with an organization called Where Opportunity Knox to be the liaison between them and the civilian employers.

At the start of the eight weeks, Soldiers are married up with an employer as an intern. During that rest of the eight weeks, the employer works with them and shows them how the company operates. Braxton said Soldiers are not limited to exposure with just that employer, however.

"They actually have networking events with different employers throughout the eight weeks, where they're exposed to more than just the employer where they're doing their internship," said Braxton.

Braxton said there is no limit to the amount of retiring Soldiers they can help through the program. She's hoping for more.

"Our largest class was 14 and our liaison with Where Opportunity Knox was able to link each participant with an employer," said Braxton. "We would be ecstatic if this program had 50 candidates during one cohort."

Braxton said the biggest success in the program is coming from the Soldiers who have sought out this golden chance to step into the civilian sector with a leg up.

"They're excited. They're excited that they're being given the opportunity to prepare for the civilian world as opposed to just walking out into the civilian sector unprepared," Braxton said. "They want to be marketable. They want to be eligible for mid-level jobs.

This gives them the opportunity to gain some experience that will enhance their military experience and make them more marketable," she concluded. "Starting jobs have been obtained with substantial salaries."