Thank you.
My name is Elizabeth Douglas. I am the director general of service delivery and program management at VAC. I am here today to speak about the education and training benefit, as well as the career transition services benefit that was put in place to support veterans regarding their next steps following transition from military life.
The education and training benefit as well as the career transition services were introduced April 1, 2018. For many veterans and their families, a meaningful post-service career is key to financial security and mental and physical well-being.
This benefit helps veterans achieve their education and employment goals, and positions them to be more competitive in the civilian workforce.
The education and training benefit provides funding to support veterans who want to further their education with university, college or technical training. Eligibility includes veterans with at least 2,191 days of authorized paid days of Canadian Armed Forces service, so six years. These veterans can receive up to $40,960 in funding to support their educational goals. Veterans with at least 12 years of service, or 4,382 authorized paid days of CAF service, can receive up to $81,920. Of this funding, up to $5,120 can be used for short courses. These need to be courses that are generally available to the public.
In terms of the formal programs, the requests for funding are varied. Among the top 10 types of programming are bachelor's and master's degrees and Ph.D.s, along with flight training and trades training. Short courses are spread across various topics. For example, project management and leadership courses are of great interest to many.
In terms of the way forward and the year ahead, one challenge VAC faced soon after implementation of the education and training benefit was that supplementary reservists were not eligible for the benefit. A change to make supplementary reservists eligible was announced in budget 2019 and will come into force on July 5, 2019.
With regard to career transition services, first-class military training and experience has helped veterans develop a variety of skills during their time as members of the Canadian Armed Forces, and Veterans Affairs Canada wants to help veterans use these skills to achieve their goals in life after service.
The Career Transition Services provide a broad range of supports and are delivered by a national third-party contractor, Agilec.
Every eligible veteran who applies for CTS is assigned a qualified career counsellor, who also understands military life and culture. These counsellors use motivational interviewing techniques to help veterans and their spouses find the path they want to take in life after service. Counsellors offer a broad range of services, including, for example, education counselling, job coaching, assistance with resumé writing, interview preparation or help to apply for jobs.
As for the year ahead and next steps, our focus will be on monitoring and evaluating the program to make sure it continues to meet its objectives, as well as developing a deeper understanding of the clients who are accessing the program.
Thank you, Chair.