Align Education Benefits for Military Veterans, Service-Year Alumni, and Workers to Career Paths

In a 2024 survey, more than nine in ten U.S. companies reported offering this type of benefit, most often in the form of tuition reimbursement.1 However, the vast majority of these benefits go unused each year, and uptake rates differ starkly by type of industry, with white-collar professionals more likely to use their employer-provided education benefits.2 To maximize the use of these benefits across all sectors, employers, educators, and service organizations should work together to map the available education, service, and training opportunities that would help someone build the skills needed to enter a particular career, translate their service experience to another industry, or to advance at their current employer.

Every state has a service commission, and increased collaboration with the state education and workforce governing bodies would reap benefits across all three sectors. Several U.S. universities offer financial aid to match or supplement service benefits, especially schools with a public service focus, such as the Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas and the University of Michigan’s Taubman College. Some states and public institutions offer in-state tuition and waive residency requirements for anyone who has completed a service-year program in that state, including Maryland; West Virginia University waives the entire cost of tuition. Six states (Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, and Wisconsin) waive income tax on the Segal Education Award for AmeriCorps graduates.

A 2024 study of outcomes for the Post-9/11 GI Bill revealed that a majority of eligible military veterans had enrolled at an institution of higher education and used their education benefit.3 Almost twice as many veterans graduated within six years compared to peers. Consistent with national trends, veterans’ earnings generally increased with greater educational attainment, demonstrating the value of pursuing a degree following service. A 2025 survey of service-year alumni revealed that 69 percent of alums who began their service year with a high school diploma or general equivalency diploma (GED) went on to receive additional degrees after their service year.4 In addition to qualifying for financial benefits available to military veterans and service-year graduates, these applicants may also be eligible for admissions preferences and academic credit for prior experience.

As industries evolve more rapidly with technological advances, including AI, employees are more likely to switch industries or need to adapt to labor market changes over the course of their careers. Employees may need only a short program of study to learn new skills or gain competencies that allow them to take the next step in their career. Industry leaders can help workers maximize their employer-sponsored educational benefits by collaborating with higher education institutions to align benefits with programs that allow workers to upskill or reskill for other positions in the organization.