National career placement program receives recognition in U.S. Congress for its dedication to serving veterans.
Transition to Trades, launched on July 5, 2016, allows separating soldiers the opportunity to attend Total Tech trade school (a subsidiary of Hiller, LLC) to learn valuable technical career skills while remaining active duty in the U.S. Army. Total Tech offers a unique approach to technician training through classroom and hands-on laboratory instruction in a 15,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility. As part of the program, students are guaranteed an employment interview at a Hiller branch location of their choosing. Soldiers desiring to return to their hometowns are provided key industry contact information to aid in employment searches in those respective areas.
Since its inception, Transition to Trades has proudly graduated 156 members from the HVAC, Electrical, and Plumbing trades. Of those graduates,103 soldiers are now employed full-time in the industry, while 23 have reenlisted or gone back to further their education.
Transition to Trades, through its partnerships with PRAXIS S-10 has now expanded to include placement opportunities with over 150 contractors across the United States. With new Army Permissive TDY (Temporary Duty) regulations, soldiers are now permitted to move between the states to attend CSP programs, like Transition to Trades. To accommodate these additional soldiers, the program has plans to expand its trade school significantly over the next year. These changes will allow soldiers from across the United States to participate in the program and relocate to nearly any area of their choosing for full-time employment upon their graduation.