Tuesday, November 6, 2018
What is it?
The mission of Army Continuing Education System is to promote lifelong learning and readiness through flexible, relevant education programs, services, and systems in support of the Total Army Family. Army Continuing Education System empowers Soldiers to utilize educational resources, sharpening the competitive edge of the Army, and enabling them to return to civilian life with key employment skills.
What has the Army done/is doing?
The Army observes American Education Week, Nov. 12 - 16, 2018. The observance began in 1921 to build national support for education; after discovering one-quarter of World War I draftees couldn’t read or write. The theme for 2018 is Army Continuing Education: A Culture of Learning, A Legacy of Service.
The Army Installation Management Command has education specialists in 150 centers and offices around the globe. The GoArmyEd portal has 24/7 information on programs and services, including tuition assistance (TA).
The Army recently removed waiting periods for tuition assistance and created a two-tier eligibility system. Before, Soldiers had to wait one year, after Advanced Individual Training (AIT), to use tuition assistance to pursue a bachelor’s and wait ten years to pursue a master’s degree.
Eligible Soldiers will have $4,000 per year toward 130 semester hours of undergraduate credit, 39 of graduate credit, and 21 for a certificate.
Tier 1 includes Soldiers without a bachelor’s degree pursuing an undergraduate certificate/diploma, or associate or bachelor’s degree. This tier also includes Soldiers who completed a bachelor’s without TA and pursue an undergraduate or graduate certificate or master’s degree. Eligibility:
Tier 2 includes Soldiers who used tuition assistance for any portion of their undergraduate, have a bachelor’s, and pursue an undergraduate, graduate certificate, or master’s degree. Eligibility:
What continued efforts does the Army have planned?
The Army is piloting a credentialing program with Active Duty Soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas and Texas Army National Guard and Army Reserve Soldiers. The program is expected to roll out Army-wide late 2019.
Why is this important to the Army?
Army Continuing Education System helps Soldiers obtain skills to achieve the Army Vision of strong, capable leaders while meeting personal and professional goals. Education increases combat readiness, helps retain quality Soldiers, enhances careers, and prepares Soldiers for a successful transition to civilian life. The program supports the leader development imperatives of the Army Leader Development strategy and supports Army strategic priorities.
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