Transitional Leadership Academy at OCCC

September 11, 2001 changed everyone’s life in one way or another. For many, the outcome was a call to duty. As Service Members and Veterans return home, Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC) wants to help prepare them to enter the workforce; the Transitional Leadership Academy on campus is specifically designed to do so.

About The Transitional Leadership Academy at OCCC

Designed for Post 9/11 Era Veterans, the Transitional Leadership Academy helps in the preparation and transition of Service Members and Veterans – from camo to the classroom and on into the workforce. Veterans must be enrolled in post-secondary education in the Oklahoma City Metro Area, including any college or vocational school. Veterans eligible must be Post 9/11 Era veterans or they must be within six months of separation from their tour of duty. The academy will focus on the following areas:

• Transitioning to the civilian workforce
• Leadership development for the civilian workforce
• Professional communication strategies
• Personal branding
• Job search for success
• Writing resumes and cover letters
• One-on-one mentoring with corporate leaders
• Career exploration
• WorkKeys certification

Through ConnectVETS.org, veterans can complete the free program online, which includes a skills assessment, personality assessment and brainstorming session about personal passions and life plans. Results from these exercises will be used to help generate new job mission statements for each participant.

Within the ConnectVETS.org material, each course module will teach an important step in the job search process and will include a core concept highlight video, online textbook, interactive exercises, tools and resources and self-check quiz. The course modules include:

• Leaving the Military
• Building Confidence
• Exploring Career Options
• Marketing Your Skills (resumes, cover letters, social media and more)
• Conducting the Job Search (networking and more)
• Preparing for Job Interviews
• Interviewing to Win
• Following Up (after the interview)
• Negotiating the Best Deal
• Starting Right (on the new job)

Each course module will be accompanied by guest speaker; the speaker presentation will also be video recorded for participants unable to attend classroom events.

Last but not least, veterans will be required to pass the WorkKeys Assessment. Moore Norman Technology Center has graciously committed to absorbing the costs of the assessments—three in all are required in order to gain the Career Readiness Certificate. The assessments include: Reading for Information, Locating Information and Applied Mathematics.

In addition, WorkKeys measures communication, problem-solving and interpersonal skills valuable in any occupation. Dependent upon their score, veterans will receive a platinum, gold, silver or bronze Oklahoma Readiness Certificate. These nationally recognized skill credentials will be used to facilitate job placement, retention and advancement in the workplace.

The Transitional Leadership Academy at OCCC is free and conveniently on campus or online. For more information or how to enroll, please contact Jackie Tucker at (405) 682-7896, or at jackie.l.tucker@occc.edu.