(continued from page 11) We are also a MyCAA approved school, so we are able to provide certification programs to military spouses. We work to serve the entire military family.
3. Why did your organization choose to implement those programs? We believe that education empowers and enriches. The military community already understands the value of education. We’ve implemented programs based on veteran and military needs. We saw that SAP was a very good match, so we determined how to best prepare veterans for careers in SAP. We wanted to counteract the challenges (unemployment and underemployment) faced by many veterans. Young veterans have a hard time transitioning into the civilian world, and we wanted to help them with that transition.
Call out: SAP student testimony: “I have been happily surprised by the SAP course. I would admit that I came into the course with some bias as I have seen many schools that have taken advantage of many soldiers or offered degrees/programs that didn't deliver. I continued with SMLA based on the high reviews from the VA system and regional reviews. I continue to be happy with this decision. The course has been well laid out and has built on itself in a manner that reinforces confidence along with the progression of the material. I am very comfortable with the material as it has been presented.”
Veteran Interview Prep
4. Can you share a particular success story with us to highlight? We had a brain-injured veteran who earned his SAP certification with us after he earned his master’s degree. We helped him get funding for the certification, and we helped him to negotiate his salary.
5. What has the impact of your organization’s programs been on the military community? Our SAP program has really impacted the military community in a positive way. SAP is the world’s largest business solutions software, and the military realized long ago how useful SAP would be and instituted it. It’s how the White House as well as the Department of Justice runs. In military terms, it’s called GFEBS or GCSS. In the civilian world, it’s called SAP. We’ve created an extremely hands-on program. We’ve given the force much more project-based training. They have confidence because they’ve had enough hands-on projects. Veterans like to touch what they’re learning, and they like to use all their senses. St. Michael’s has really set the bar for teaching SAP, hence the university SAP Alliance has backed us and inducted us into their organization. As a result, we will be signing an MOU with Fort Hood to offer classes based on their career skills program for soldiers before they transition out of military service.
Military children can also attend SMLA to complete their high school diploma requirements, as we are a tier-one military certified school with an international accreditation. Our credits can transfer to various countries as well. Military spouses may attend as we are approved for MYCAA. As such, SMLA is fully prepared and qualified in serving the entire military family.
We’ve implemented a vast student and career services program to ensure student success. If we don’t assist a student in finding a job, we feel that we haven’t done our job, so our student services department works diligently to enable student success. SMLA is a family-oriented organization and our staff consists primarily of veterans. We are deeply committed to assisting military members, families, and veterans.