Sec. 546. Pilot program on integration of Department of Defense and non-Federal efforts for civilian employment of members of the Armed Forces following transition from active duty to civilian life
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The Secretary of Defense shall conduct a pilot program to assess the feasability and advisability of assisting members of the Armed Forces described in subsection
(c)who are undergoing the transition from active duty in the Armed Forces to civilian life by accelerating and improving their access to employment following their transition to civilian life through the coordination, integration, and leveraging of existing programs and authorities of the Department of Defense for such purposes with programs and resources of State and local agencies, institutions of higher education, employers, and other public, private, and nonprofit entities applicable to the pilot program. For purposes of this section, existing programs and resources of State and local agencies, institutions of higher education, employers, and other public, private, and nonprofit entities described in paragraph
(1)in the vicinity of a location of the pilot program are referred to as the existing community programs and resources in that vicinity. The goals of the pilot program shall be as follows: To facilitate the coordination of existing community programs and resources in the locations of the pilot program in order to identify a model for the coordination of such programs and authorities that can be replicated nationwide in communities in which members of the Armed Forces described in subsection
(c)are undergoing the transition from active duty to civilian life. To identify mechanisms by which the Department of Defense and existing community programs and resources may work with employers and members of the Armed Forces described in subsection
(c)in order to— identify workforce needs that may be satisfiable by such members following their transition to civilian life; identify military occupational skills that may satisfy the workforce needs identified pursuant to subparagraph (A); and identify gaps in the training of members of the Armed Forces that may require remediation in order to satisfy workforce needs identified pursuant to subparagraph (A), and identify mechanisms by which members of the Armed Forces described in subsection
(c)may receive training to remediate such gaps. To identify mechanisms to assist members of the Armed Forces described in subsection
(c)in bridging geographical gaps between their final military installations and nearby metropolitan areas in which employment and necessary training are likely to be available to such members during or following their transition to civilian life. The members of the Armed Forces described in this subsection are the following: Regular members of the Armed Forces who are within 180 days of discharge or release from the Armed Forces. Members of the reserve components of the Armed Forces (whether National Guard or Reserve) who are on active duty for a period of more than 365 days and are within 180 days of release from such active duty. The Secretary shall carry out the pilot program at not less than five locations selected by the Secretary for purposes of the pilot program. Each location selected pursuant to paragraph
(1)shall— include a military installation— that has a well-established military-civilian community relationship with the civilian communities nearby; and at which serves an appropriate population of members of the Armed Forces described in subsection (c); have a large employment or industry base that supports a variety of occupational opportunities; have appropriate institutional infrastructure for the provision of worker training; and take place in a different geographic region of the United States. At each location selected for the pilot program there shall be the following: A mechanism to identify existing community programs and resources for participation in the pilot program, including programs and resources that are currently working with programs and authorities of the Department of Defense to assist members of the Armed Forces described in subsection (c), and, especially, programs and resources that are recognized as engaging in best practices in working with such programs and authorities of the Department. A mechanism to assess the willingness of employers in the vicinity of such location to participate in the pilot program and employ members of the Armed Forces participating in the pilot program following their transition to civilian life. A mechanism to assess the willingness of the State in which such location is located to recognize military training for credit for professional and occupational licenses. A civilian community coordinator for the pilot program, who shall be responsible for implementation and execution of the pilot program for the Department, and for coordinating existing community programs and resources, at such location by— pursuing a multi-faceted outreach and engagement strategy that leverages relationships with appropriate public, private, and nonprofit entities in the vicinity of such location for purposes of the pilot program; developing and implementing a program using existing resources, infrastructure, and experience to maximize the benefits of the pilot program for members of the Armed Forces participating in the pilot program by minimizing the time required for completion of training provided to such members under the pilot program, which program shall— compliment continuing Department efforts to assist members of the Armed Forces in their transition from active duty in the Armed Forces to civilian life and to coordinate with existing veteran employment programs for purposes of such efforts; provide for the cultivation of a network of partners among the entities described in subparagraph
(A)in order to maximize the number of opportunities for civilian employment for members of the Armed Forces participating in the pilot program following their transition to civilian life; provide for the use of comprehensive assessments of the military experience gained by members of the Armed Forces participating in the pilot program in order to assist them in obtaining civilian employment relating to their military occupations following their transition to civilian life; seek to secure for members of the Armed Forces participating in the pilot program maximum credit for prior military service in their pursuit of civilian employment following their transition to civilian life; seek to eliminate unnecessary and redundant elements of the training provided for purposes of the pilot program to members of the Armed Forces participating in the pilot program; seek to minimize the time required for members of the Armed Forces participating in the pilot program in obtaining skills, credentials, or certifications required for civilian employment following their transition to civilian life; and provide for the continuous collection of data and feedback from employers in the vicinity of such location in order to tailor training provided to members of the Armed Forces for purposes of the pilot program to meet the needs of such employers. A plan of action for delivering additional training and credentialing modules for members of the Armed Forces described in subsection
(c)in order to seek to provide such members with skills that are in high demand in the vicinity and region of such location. Not later than one year after the date of the commencement of the pilot program, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report on the pilot program. The report shall include, for each location selected for the pilot program pursuant to subsection (d), the following: A full description of the pilot program, including— the number of members of the Armed Forces participating in the pilot program; the outreach to public, private, and nonprofit entities conducted for purposes of the pilot program to encourage such entities to participate in the pilot program; the entities participating in the pilot program, set forth by employment sector; the number of members participating in the pilot program who obtained employment with an entity participating in the pilot program, set forth by employment sector; a description of any additional training provided to members participating in the pilot program for purposes of the pilot program, including the amount of time required for such additional training; and a description of the cost of the pilot program. A current assessment of the effect of the pilot program on Department of Defense and community efforts to assist members of the Armed Forces described in subsection
(c)in obtaining civilian employment following their transition to civilian life. Not later than 90 days before the date on which the pilot program terminates, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives an update of the report submitted under paragraph (1). Nothing in this section may be construed to authorize the Secretary to hire additional employees for the Department of Defense to carry out the pilot program. The authority of the Secretary to carry out the pilot program shall terminate on the date that is two years after the date on which the pilot program commences.