According to a recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, 47% of US soldiers say their transition back into civilian life is very difficult, compared to 21% for pre-9/11 veterans.

Additionally, given evolving technological skills needed in the workplace, this figure is only predicted to rise. 

The U.S. Army might be preparing their men and women for active duty, but how can they help these veterans transition after their service ends?

The U.S. Army’s Portal Challenges 

Even though Army service members are specially trained and highly competent, the skills they acquire while in service, like handling large machinery or weaponry, are not easily transferable to other roles in the civilian workforce. 

The Army quickly realized that they needed to equip their soldiers with the education, training opportunities, and credentials to make their transition more seamless. 

However, their existing portal was: 

• Not equipped to support these changing policies and procedures
• Inaccessible for mobile devices around the world  
• Expensive to operate and did not take advantage of modern technologies, such as cloud architecture 

So the Army enlisted Deloitte, using Liferay, developed ArmyIgnitED, their new credentialing assistance program.

Education, Credentials, and Support all on a Single Portal Solution 

Now over a million users are able to sign into the new system to: 

• Sign up for over 1,500 credentials, from pilot private licenses to certifications to commercial drivers without needing to fill out physical forms. 
• Connect and interact with career counselors worldwide. These counselors can now see all the soldier's information in one location, making it easier to provide them with helpful counsel. 
• Access in-person and virtual training through a network of over 2,500 schools and training providers  

Soldiers love how easy the new portal solution is to use and enroll in the programs they want. The experience is on par with many commercial consumer apps. And now the savings that the Army has realized on this project can be applied to providing a better experience for soldiers.

What Else is the Army Doing? 

Hear our full conversation with Raj Iyer, Managing Director of Deloitte, to see how the Army is improving the transition for their service members here.