An Alternative Approach to Prior Learning and Advanced Placement in Post-Secondary Programs for Veterans: The Canadian Experience

Abstract

In 2006 British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) partnered with Honor House, a group of business leaders, veterans and Canadian forces members supporting wounded soldiers returning from the Afghanistan mission to provide career counseling and resume writing services. It quickly became apparent through BCIT’s work with Afghanistan veterans that there was a significant amount of military training and experience that potentially matched high skill demands in the labor market and therefore learning outcomes at post-secondary institutions. In 2006, Canadian post-secondary institutions offered limited transfer credit for military training. Based on experience acquired through the partnership with Honor House, BCIT established a student research project with the purpose to study the possibility of expanding recognition of military training based on an assumption that the combination of military training and experience could reveal potential credit equivalencies that were not currently articulated.