Julia LeDoux | Connecting Vets | Jan. 31, 2022
Army Emergency Relief is looking to make the military-to-civilian transition easier by offering soldiers grants through its Career Skills Program.
AER, the service’s official non-profit, is committing $3 million to support CSP by making grants available to soldiers to develop skills, credentials, and knowledge to improve their civilian employment options. The grants will allow transitioning soldiers to participate in internships, on-the-job training, and apprenticeships through CSP.
Retired Army Col. Sean Ryan, AER’s director of marketing and communications, said the grants provide $500 to soldiers who are attending CSP near their home base, $1,000 to those traveling long distances, and $1,500 to those coming in from overseas.
The Army began the CSP in 2015 with the goal to enhance soldiers’ skills with a civilian internship to improve their chances of employment after leaving the service.
“However, the soldiers did not receive any reimbursement,” Ryan said. “Whenever you do something like that, you are going to incur additional expenses.”