ODVA ANNOUNCES OKLAHOMA SPECIFIC TRANSITION EDUCATION PROGRAM (OKSTEP)
ODVA ANNOUNCES OKLAHOMA SPECIFIC
TRANSITION EDUCATION PROGRAM (OKSTEP)
(Oklahoma City, OK) The Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs, (ODVA) is proud to announce the launch of a new transition assistance program for servicemembers and veterans. The Oklahoma Specific Transition Education Program (OKSTEP) will connect service members and veterans with veteran-centric resources in Oklahoma from anywhere in the world.
The OKSTEP framework took shape as part of the Oklahoma Veterans Life and Wellness suicide prevention programming and is designed to meet critical needs encountered during gap periods that commonly occur during times of transition. OKSTEP is designed to minimize risks and challenges for which servicemembers and veterans could be vulnerable to during periods of transition.
The mission statement of OKSTEP is to empower veterans and servicemembers to discover all that the great state of Oklahoma has to offer in support of their post-military pursuit of quality of life and quality of opportunity. Program goals include recruiting and retaining veterans and servicemembers in the State of Oklahoma actively promoting why Oklahoma is the land of opportunity for veterans and their families with abundant work and educational options, affordable cost of living, diverse options for recreation and leisure, and an overall veteran friendly culture.
OKSTEP is distinctive from other transition programs, and may be first of its kind, in that a veteran’s eligibility to participate never expires! Whereas most military transition programs are designed to support a veteran only at the time of their initial transition from military service to civilian life, OKSTEP offers lifetime eligibility. In fact, veterans are encouraged to reconnect to OKSTEP at anytime they find themselves in transition and in need of support, connection, or assistance. The pathways designed into OKSTEP are those that a veteran would commonly consider a crossroads for transition and include education, employment, entrepreneurism, recreation and leisure, as well as wrap around topics for health and wellness.
Unlimited opportunities exist within OKSTEP for partnership with ODVA to be the connection to individual veterans, as each veteran’s choice will lead them to unique opportunities within local communities and to varied industries, schools, jobs, or businesses. To this end, ODVA is actively seeking partners to sign-on to be the connection by taking the veteran from learning to living their best life here in Oklahoma.
In addition to educating and connecting veterans to Oklahoma specific opportunities through expanding networks of support partners, ODVA is also pleased to announce that each OKSTEP participant will also have access to high value, online, skill-based training through Grow with Google Career Certifications as well as unlimited access to over 5,000 training topics through Udemy© at no cost to the veteran.
If you are a veteran in or considering transition or are a veteran supporter willing to be the connection and partner with ODVA, contact Randall Coon, OKSTEP Program Administrator, at OKSTEP@odva.ok.gov or online at Oklahoma.gov/OKSTEP. 405-522-8073
