TCAT Upper Cumberland is offering special campus tours for veterans and military service members interested in earning a degree.
TCAT Upper Cumberland Special Programs Coordinator Bill Bruce said the school’s campuses are designated as Veteran Campuses by the Tennessee Department of Veterans Services. That means TCAT Upper Cumberland offers transition and support services for veterans enrolled in its programs. Bruce said the tours are similar to standard campus tours, but are designed to help service members better understand what TCAT Upper Cumberland has to offer.
“We can talk more of their lingo,” Bruce said. “You know, veterans and military-affiliated have a different language sometimes than just the general public, so we can actually have tellers to be more specific and be able to apply to what they are used to.”
Bruce said TCAT will also go over military benefits with those who attend the tours. Bruce said TCAT has offered the tours for three years and has seen an increase in interest and enrollment from local veterans and service members.
“It seems to help because lots of veterans talk and interact with us, and we can actually talk about what they did in the military and see how we can use and transition their experience into the programs that they may be wanting.”
Bruce said TCAT looks at a veteran’s Joint Military Transcript or CCAF (Community College of the Air Force) documents to help them get started on the path to a career.
“We lookat what they did in there, and we try to give them as much experience and prior credit as we can in order for them to be able to join the rights of civilian life and a career that might be interesting to them,” Bruce said.
Bruce said many service members and veterans often want to start careers in fields different from what they did while in the military.
The next TCAT UC Military Tour date is February 17.