Jon Miller Log

Sat Jul 31, 2021

Jon Miller

to Jesse, Brian, me, David

Marcin,
TL;DR: Before veterans can use their GI Bill to attend OSE programs, one of the following must occur:

1. Education certification—OSE must either fall under UMKC, or initiate the 2 year process through the MDHE.
   • Approval means that veterans receive monthly cash and OSE receives tuition payments.
2. Apprenticeship certification—OSE must apply to the Department of Labor
   • Approval means that veterans receive monthly cash and OSE pays apprentices wages.

There is a third option for On-the-Job training. The benefits are the same as apprenticeship, but graduates will not receive a nationally recognized credential. Applications go through the VA, not the Department of Labor. Additionally, there is an expectation that upon completion of the training period, the veterans have a reasonable expectation of employment. In theory we can pursue all three concurrently, but that risks efficiency loss as the red tape is significant for each application. Recommend re-assessing after you speak with the Dean.
GI Bill aside, I can still promote OSE through my network immediately. All I need is any web copy or promotional material you want highlighted, or to know if there are any restrictions to what you want on social media.
Response to your questions…
The ask (draft ideas):

1. “Can OSE and UMKC partner together to allow OSE apprentices to receive UMKC credit?”, or “What would it take for UMKC to recognize the OSE apprenticeship as a supplementary part of the existing engineering curriculum?
2. “Is UMKC willing to cosponsor the OSE apprenticeship as a UMKC certificate program that counts toward an engineering degree credit?”
3. “Can UMKC help OSE meet the Missouri Department of Higher Education standards as an approved educational facility?”

Each are slightly different ways of saying, “Can UMKC recognize OSE as a part of their engineering degree program so we can fall under your GI Bill approval?” My thinking is that if the OSE apprenticeship is a part of the UMKC system, the veteran benefits would would be automatic. I would also want to communicate that you see OSE as a combination of education and job prospect that would directly address veteran reintegration challenges. Your “Why” for GI Bill approval is that through veteran benefits, you can unlock human potential, currently hindered by the challenges of military separation for the 140,000 young, uneducated veterans that leave the service each year. I can provide more details if needed.
“What does it mean to be approved by MO Higher Ed?”:

• I don’t know yet - working on it. Unless you object, I will reply to the State Approving Agency e-mail and ask them specifically about OSE (previous e-mail was generalized).

Curriculum Development:

• Existing OSE apprenticeship: The 6-month schedule you have on the website is a 70% solution for what the Department of Labor looks for in apprenticeship applications. We might re-format into Tasks/Required Hours/Performance Measures, etc. But it looks like you have done most of the work already.
• Factor E Farm as Approved Learning Facility: Yes, I believe first step should be curriculum dev as discussed on our phone call.

Jon Miller
Founder, Outlaws Inc.
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