Georgia Southern Continuing Education offers credentialing assistance to active-duty military
Active-duty soldiers and National Guard Reserve service members can take advantage of the certification programs offered through Georgia Southern University’s Division of Continuing Education, which is now an approved provider for the Army Credentialing Assistance (CA) program.
Together with the Federal Tuition Assistance and Army Credentialing Assistance programs, soldiers can receive up to $4,000 total per fiscal year to cover costs for eligible certifications. The CA can cover the cost of training, materials, study guides, fees, textbooks and certification exams.
Georgia Southern is one of the first universities approved in the country, and one of only a handful in Georgia, said Deedee Southerlin, Ed.D., manager of adult programs for Continuing Education.
“This program is truly designed to enhance a soldier’s skill set for their current Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) and close the gap between relevant MOS’s and civilian certifications,” she said, noting these types of programs aren’t considered for academic credit, but rather nationally recognized certifications.
“If a soldier chooses their certifications for a career post-military, it may help them secure employment quicker,” she added. “Many times when exiting the military, soldiers are really only trained on what their Army role was. These certifications can help them have more of a seamless transition into civilian life.”
Courses and certifications in areas like Society for Human Resource Management, ethical hacker and cybersecurity training, National Academy of Sports Medicine personal training, and CompTIA information technology are available through this program.
“We have Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield at our doorstep, and as we continue to build relationships with the military in our area, and even our military programs on campus, it is just one more way we can support soldiers, their families and their educational endeavors,” Southerlin said.
So far, Southerlin said these programs, which are completely online or virtual, have drawn participants from Georgia, Alaska, Korea, Maryland, Texas and Ohio, among others.
“It’s very exciting that when they go into the portal to search for these certification programs and the approved providers, they are choosing Georgia Southern,” she said. “This gets our University’s name out nationally and shows that we are military friendly.”
In addition, spouses of service members on active-duty may take advantage of the workforce development program, My Career Advancement Account Scholarship (MyCAA), credentialing program as well.
For more information about these programs and details, please visit https://academics.georgiasouthern.edu/ce/adultprograms/military-personnel-and-spouses/ or contact Southerlin at tsoutherlin@georgiasouthern.edu.
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