Date of Award

Summer 6-27-2022

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Administration (MPA)

Abstract

This study addresses the need to enhance the preparation of military retirees for comparable job opportunities after their service. Military retirees who serve over 20 years, and sometimes 30 years or more, are left to enter a job market they are unfamiliar and unprepared to compete in. This study focuses on the preparation of the veteran through the Department of Defense (DoD)Transition Assistance Program (TAP), how the DoD TAP can better meet the needs of military career professionals, and how the DoD TAP can connect military retirees to private or public job opportunities. This study has gathered and analyzed qualitative and quantitative data through a mixed-method research approach. The research has uncovered the expectations of the program versus the program’s effectiveness in preparing military retirees as they transition to the civilian workforce. The research discovers both overt, and veiled disparities in the DoD TAP and provides recommendations for the future of the program.

Share

COinS