United Services Military Apprenticeship Program

The United Services Military Apprenticeship Program (USMAP), a cooperative effort between several branches of the U.S. military and the U.S. Department of Labor (DoL). It offers DoL-recognized apprenticeships in a variety of occupations and specialties.

Who Can Participate in USMAP?

According to the USMAP website, qualified candidates must meet all of the following requirements:

• Must be active-duty Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard or be serving as “Full-Time Support.”
• Have a minimum of one-year retainability on their existing military commitment.
• Have high school diplomas or GED.
• Have been assigned occupational specialties in which they are working
• Completed any required job-specific training or formal classroom instruction.
• Be seeking apprenticeships in their current primary military occupations

Duties outside your main military job do not count as eligible for the apprenticeship.

The application (or a version of the application form) available via the USMAP official site may be confusing for some applicants since the form allows the applicant to select any of the eligible services listed above, but also Army and Air Force.

This may be indicative of nothing at all and merely a boilerplate form modified for the purposes of admitting qualified applicants, or it might indicate future plans to open USMAP to Army and Air Force members.

At the time of this writing, there is no indication that USMAP has plans to offer anything other than what is mentioned here-Army and Air Force members wishing to apply should contact USMAP or the Department of Labor to determine whether they are eligible at application time.

Are Army Or Air Force Members Allowed To Participate?

Even though the form for the program says they can apply, the USMAP website has no provisions for applications from Army or Air Force members at the time of this writing.

What Does USMAP Offer Qualified Applicants?

Service members who successfully apply for USMAP are offered a Registered Apprenticeship, which is a formal and structured training program combining On-the-Job Training with technical instruction, practical and technical training, and other opportunities. These opportunities can provide a gateway into trades employment after service in the military.

These programs are industry-specific, so every apprenticeship will have its own instructions.

What is the Length of the Apprenticeship?

Applicants should expect to attend between 2,000 to 8,000 work hours. Each year of the program is at least 2,000 hours. The total number of hours is broken into skill sets with a defined amount of training per area. According to the website, every year of the program will feature at least 144 hours of apprenticeship training.

What are the Classroom Instruction Requirements?

Potential applicants should know that the classroom requirement portion may already be satisfied depending on your military experience. People who have completed a qualifying “A” school or Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) training for the Navy and Coast Guard will usually meet the classroom requirement.

For marines, military occupational specialty (MOS) training is considered sufficient. In cases where military-occupation schooling or other required training has not happened or have not yet been completed, the USMAP guidelines permit substitution of “formal related civilian training such as vocational schools, college classes, trade schools and correspondence courses.”

What Occupations or Military Specialties are Eligible for USMAP Apprenticeships?

The list of military occupations eligible for USMAP apprenticeships is long — far too long to list here. They are broken down by career field/MOS/rate. The complete lists, broken down by military service, can be found at the USMAP website.

The occupations are quite diverse, ranging from Aviation Boatswain’s Mate to Yeoman.

How Should I Document My Success in the Program?

You are required to complete and document extensive working hours in your trade. This includes submitting weekly and monthly reports. Apprentices must log and submit all of their hours worked “for each skill from the Work Processes Schedule” each week in half-hour and full-hour increments. Potential employers will be able to view these documented work hours.

Do I Need a High School Diploma or GED to Qualify?

Yes, a high school diploma or GED is required.

My Military Retainability Does Have Enough Time Left for the Full Program. Can I Apply for the Time I Have Left in the Service?

You should plan to have enough time left in the service to complete your program if you are planning to apply for USMAP. If you need to re-enlist to do this, you may need to wait to apply until after you have re-enlisted.

How Do I Apply for the USMAP Apprenticeship Program?

Applications, forms and more are available for download at the USMAP website — along with program descriptions.