Dive Brief:

• The University of Southern California held the second cohort of its Warrior-Scholar program this summer, an initiative designed to teach military members skills in studying, social adaptation and time management in college campus settings.
• Designed to simulate military learning models, the bootcamps immerse veterans in 16-hour training sessions on liberal arts, financial aid options and the emotional investment necessary to commit to college education. 
• Since its launch at Yale University in 2012, nearly 500 veterans at 12 campuses nationwide will have completed the course by the beginning of the upcoming fall semester; 17% of participants are currently enrolled in full-time courses.

Dive Insight:

With disability benefits decreasing for military veterans leaving active duty, soldiers are likely to take greater advantage of college education benefits upon re-entering civic life. For these students, who come into college with foundations for employability but also post low completion rates, schools may consider implementing more competency-based education models or professional training bootcamps to complement online and traditional education offerings. 

These courses may offer schools higher veteran completion ratios, as well as recognition as a professional development resource for a valuable and growing student population with varying levels of academic preparation. These are the kinds of programs the federal government is looking to fund, which corporations could also back in their effort to find future members of the workforce.