Thank you, Mr. Chair.
In brief, the Canadian Armed Forces have an individual training and education process for all our trades and our officer classifications. Our trades in particular, which are really the hands-on—our infanteers, our aircraft mechanics, our sailors aboard ship—have a very thorough and well-developed program that trains them in the specific skills and qualifications they need to perform the war-fighting capabilities of the Canadian Forces.
We have a degree officer program for our officer corps. For both our non-commissioned members and our officers, the succession development training and education throughout a career adds to the basic training, whether it be their officer degree program from either RMC or a university, or for our NCMs, the training they receive, their trades training.
That education throughout their career can vary and include such things as language training, additional skills, and qualifications to training as the member increases in rank and experience.
Sir, the particular program you mentioned, education reimbursement, is in addition to the training and education provided by the Canadian Armed Forces to maintain the necessary capabilities of our non-commissioned members and our officers.
When we refer to “education reimbursement”, we are talking about education that our particular officers or NCMs would like to pursue to enhance their own education acumen, not necessarily in direct relation to the requirements for them to perform their jobs and their missions. That type of education can range from a business administration degree to enhancing education in areas of personal interest, such as consulting or administration.
