What Veterans Bring to Civilian Workplaces: A Prototype Toolkit for Helping Private-Sector Employers Understand the Nontechnical Skills Developed in the Military

Abstract

Abstract : Veterans have a great deal to offer to potential civilian employers, including valuable nontechnical or soft skills, such as leadership, decisionmaking, persistence, and attention to detail. However, for civilian employers, understanding what nontechnical skills veterans have received formal training in and can likely demonstrate on the job can be challenging, because military and civilian workplace cultures and languages can seem radically different from one another. In this study, Phase I of a two-part effort, we developed a pilot toolkit that civilian employers can use to understand the full value veterans can bring to their organizations. In the current version of the toolkit, we focus on the skills addressed through selected formal military education courses for enlisted personnel in the Army and Marine Corps. Future research conducted in FY 2015 will expand the toolkit to address skills attained through additional on-the-job experience. This toolkit is intended to be sent to employers as a packet of materials that can help employers better understand veterans formal skill training and its transferability to the civilian workplace. The toolkit consists of four parts: a letter that can be sent to employers, explaining the purpose of the other materials enclosed in the packet an introductory section that provides more information on the materials and how to use them, as well as some background on military terms course overviews descriptions of the specific training programs that the Army and Marine Corps use to teach and develop nontechnical skills summary tables that concisely break down which specific skills and competencies each course focuses on, as well as which ranks of military personnel take each course.