DoD unveils web-based transition toolkit - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

DoD unveils web-based transition toolkit

The Defense Department rolled out the second phase of a major overhaul of its transition assistance website Tuesday with the release of an online “Career Decision Toolkit.”

The toolkit “will allow service members to self-assess transition needs and thoroughly explore an array of transition-related subjects, such as career exploration, financial planning for transition, job search success, effective resumes and cover letters, interviewing excellence, and negotiating your ideal compensation,” defense officials said.

“The toolkit is customized to a service member’s own transition needs and assists them in cataloguing their military skills and experience in a way that helps them effectively communicate their skills to prospective employers,” said John Campbell, deputy assistant secretary of defense for wounded warrior care and transition policy.

The announcement comes amid continued gloomy employment news for veterans, particularly young veterans of the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The jobless rate for those particular veterans was 12.5 percent in February, compared to a national rate of 9.7 percent, and has hovered consistently higher than the national rate for the past year. That has prompted recent concerns among lawmakers about the effectiveness of the government’s transition assistance programs, a collaborative effort between the Defense, Veterans Affairs and Labor departments.

The new online toolkit is designed to deliver 24-hour global access to career transition training to service members who are too far away from the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) classes traditionally offered at military installations.

The toolkit, originally released on a CD last August, was developed by the Pentagon’s Office of Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy in conjunction with VA and the Labor Department to help separating, demobilizing, retiring and wounded service members, and their families, effectively plan for post-service civilian employment and educational opportunities.

More details on the Career Decision Toolkit can be found online or by contacting the Office of Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy at 703-428-7649 or warriorcare@osd.mil.