Legion Summit continues to spotlight credentialing

Last week, The American Legion hosted its National Credentialing Summit in Washington at the Mayflower Hotel, drawing hundreds of key executives, lawmakers and military personnel to share best practices for turning military certifications into credentials in the civilian workforce.

"It makes sense for The American Legion to host this event because we take a holistic approach to taking care of the veteran," American Legion National Commander Michael Helm said. “Involved in all facets of the lives of veterans, servicemembers and their families, The American Legion remains at the forefront as champions for the rights that were earned through sacrifice and service to the country.”

The event, while unique in terms of topic and visibility, is not a first for the Legion. In 2012, The American Legion and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce worked together to host a credentialing summit, setting the standard and introducing this pivotal issue by spotlighting the adversities faced by military members and their families.

"The American Legion was very instrumental in first drawing the spotlight to the credentialing of servicemembers and veterans," said Elizabeth Belcaster, a consultant with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. "In 1997, The American Legion sponsored a study to look at the extent to which servicemembers and veterans were having trouble getting licenses and certifications. Since then, we have had a tremendous amount of success."

Highlights of the summit included several interactive panels that cultivated discussion between attendees and private sector, nonprofits, military and federal agencies, and other organizations. Guest speakers included Secretary of Labor Tom Perez; Teamsters President James P. Hoffa; Maj. Gen. Rex Spitler, deputy chief of staff for the U.S. Army’s Training and Doctrine Command; and Maj. Gen. Tim Orr, adjutant general of the Iowa National Guard. They addressed critical credentialing issues and provided details regarding programs certain services have in place to prepare departing servicemembers for life after the military.

The summit's topics also included assessing the quality and value of credentials, closing the skills gap, military spouse credentialing and credentialing best practices in transportation.

The integration of credentialing will allow those leaving the service to be aligned with their civilian counterparts, said Keith Boring, U.S. Navy Credential Program Manager. "One hundred percent of our workforce is going to leave the Navy, whether they like it or not," he said.

The services stressed how vital it is to translate the skills and certifications military members earned in the military. Collectively, they agreed that there needs to be further discussions moving forward the bring military-to-civilian licensing and credentialing to fruition.

"I'm so proud that The America Legion hosted this event," said Verna Jones, executive director of the Legion’s D.C. office. "This is a big deal. Soldiers are getting out of the military, and they have skills, education and credentials that allowed them to do particular jobs in the military while defending our freedom and taking care of us while we sleep. They are our nations heroes, and when they come home, by not having a viable credentialing program, what is essentially being said is, ‘What you have done in the military, the certifications you’ve earned and your experience just isn't good enough.’

“The American Legion thinks better – we know that it's good enough. We should welcome them home as a grateful nation and make their transition as seamless as possible.”