United Services Military Apprenticeship Program

The United Services Military Apprenticeship Program (USMAP) is a formal military training program that provides U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, reserve and guard members the opportunity to improve their job skills and to achieve recognition for military service member equal to his/her civilian counterpart.

In 1977, the U.S. Navy started an apprenticeship program, and shortly thereafter the U.S. Marine Corps developed a similar program. Over 20 years later, the Navy and Marine Corps programs merged in 1999, with the U.S. Coast Guard joining shortly thereafter, to formally create the USMAP program that exists today. USMAP is registered with the U.S. Department of Labor. The program provides service members the opportunity to improve their job skills while on active duty at no-cost and without requiring any off-duty service hours to complete it. While enrolling and participating in USMAP is optional for service members, it is the largest registered apprenticeship program to date.

The U.S. Labor Department provides a nationally-recognized certificate upon apprenticeship program completion. The affiliated related training instruction is conducted through the Department of Defense military training schools. USMAP has both time-based and competency-based models for their apprenticeship programs and offers instruction in occupations such as electrician, machinist, environmental analyst, and graphic designer. Through USMAP, service members can receive a nationally-recognized credential for the professional skills they develop.

The USMAP program continues to serve as a tool for military retention. Further, the USMAP administrators continue to promote apprenticeship in technical schools in order to continue to educate services members about the benefits of apprenticeship. Overall, apprenticeship has become a useful part of training in the military, enhances service members' military occupational specialty and contributes to a more effective warfighter.