JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, TEXAS (Aug. 9, 2018) -- The U.S. Army Career Skills Program is one of seven finalists for the Innovations in American Government Awards sponsored by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
The innovation awards recognize exemplary programs that represent the cutting edge in government policies, initiatives and best practices.The awards recognize public-sector programs that make American government, at all levels, more efficient, creative and effective at addressing social problems and providing services to the public.
The Army Career Skills Program, launched in 2013, encourages Soldiers to capitalize on training opportunities during transition to turn their military skills into post-service careers in high-demand and highly skilled jobs after they separate from the military.
Qualifying Soldiers may participate in apprenticeships, on-the-job training, internships and employment skills training.
"Recognition of the Army Career Skills Program as a finalist for the Harvard Innovations in American Government Award showcases the exceptional effort of the Army in assisting transitioning Soldiers in creating their futures," said Christine Krieger, Indtai Inc. contractor, Army Continuing Education System assistant program manager, U.S. Army Installation Management Command.
"The Army CSP works with industry and union representatives to provide hands-on skills and employment training with guaranteed interviews for civilian employment. The program boasts a 93% employment rate for successful graduates of the training programs," Krieger said.
"Additional research and resourcing from Harvard would assist in growing and maturing the CSP, further serving the transitioning Soldier population and strengthening the Soldier lifecycle," she said.
By participating in various sub-programs, soldiers can earn industry-recognized credentials and licenses, and corporate partners guarantee interviews for future job opportunities to soldiers who complete specialized training.
Courses vary by Army garrison. Some of the areas covered are heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration; sprinkler fitting; forestry land management; diesel technician; welding; software and computer systems; telecommunications; air frame and power plant; and painting, drywall and glazing.
This year, innovation awards judges are looking for initiatives that had success increasing the prosperity of communities, particularly programs that expanded opportunities to groups that had been historically excluded from access, said Tony Saich, Ash Center director and Daewoo Professor of International Affairs.
Selected by a team of policy experts, researchers and practitioners, the finalists were chosen for their novelty, effectiveness, significance and transferability, as well as their impact on issues of economic and social mobility, inequity and stratification.
The six other finalists are Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program, state of Alaska; Arches Transformative Mentoring, city of New York; Crisis Intervention Response Unit, city of Denver; San Francisco Financial Justice Project, city and county of San Francisco; Supervised Release, city of New York; and Works Wonders, state of Rhode Island.
Representatives from each finalist program will present to the award program's national selection committee on Sept. 27. All finalists will receive a monetary grant, and the $50,000 grand-prize winner will be announced this fall.
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