Balancing the responsibilities of adulthood with the obligations of being a student can be difficult for anyone, especially military service members who are returning to civilian life. To help current and former service members choose the schools that could best suit their needs, website and magazine G.I. Jobs, conducts an annual survey to identify which schools are Military Friendly®.
What Does Military Friendly® Mean?
Military Friendly® is a standard that gauges schools’ and businesses’ effort, commitment, and success in making a meaningful and sustainable benefit for the military community. This includes men and women on active duty, in the reserves, guards, veterans, and military spouses. 1
What Makes a School Military Friendly®?
Many factors define the Military Friendly® designation including a commitment by schools to serving the military by policy, dedicated staff to aid military students, and that there is a positive return on investment for military students.
The information used to evaluate whether or not a school or organization meets the criteria comes from propriety data from a survey, personal data from surveys of veterans, and public data sources. 2
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Qualities to Look for in a Military Friendly® School
How do you know if you’ve found a Military Friendly® school? Aside from the Military Friendly® designation, here are five qualities to look for.
1. Tuition Assistance for Military Members and Veterans
Some schools, such as The Refrigeration School, offer help applying for financial aid and veterans’ benefits. They also provide military tuition pricing to eligible current and former military members and their families.
2. Flexible Scheduling
Finding a school that has flexible class times can be helpful if you plan on working while you study.
3. Training Programs for Growth Careers
Choosing a career in a growing field can make spending time and money on school well worth it. Refrigeration training, for example, can lead to a job as a heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanic and installer (49-9021). These professionals are expected to have 14 percent job growth by 2024. 3
4. Benefits for Dependents and Spouses
If your spouse or child wants to go to college or trade school, check to see if the desired institution offers financial discounts for military spouses or dependents.
5. Military Support Services on Campus
A school that provides support services, such as counseling and career placement assistance, can help make the transition back to civilian life a little easier. 4
Making the Military Friendly® Choice
Protecting and defending the United States is one of the greatest services one can offer the country. Once military members return, the Department of Veteran Affairs provides military benefits to assist with funding for career training. When evaluating schools, the Military Friendly® designation, along with the considerations presented above, can help current and former service members make the choice that could best suit their unique student needs.
The Refrigeration School is proud to be a Military Friendly® school in 2017 and to offer training for careers in growth industries to service members, veterans, and their families. 5
Additional Sources
1 – http://militaryfriendly.com/about-us/
2 – http://militaryfriendly.com/about-us/
3 – https://www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/heating-air-conditioning-and-refrigeration-mechanics-and-installers.htm
4 – http://www.fayobserver.com/news/20170101/5-things-to-look-for-in-military-friendly-school
5 – http://militaryfriendly.com/schools/the-refrigeration-school-inc/
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