The Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation (CSOR) has been awarded a million-dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. 

The Veterans Accelerated Learning Program Grant is a three-year project intended to help veterans earn occupational licenses.

Congressman Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania’s 15th District formally announced that CSOR was awarded the grant at an event in DiSepio on Sept. 30.

VALP will develop strategies for veterans to become certified in specific occupations in less time than the average student, including Criminal Justice, Social Work, Occupational Therapy, Physician Assistant and Physical Therapy.

Veterans in the VALP program will enroll as students at SFU as part of this pilot program. They will be awarded scholarship money to cover any costs the GI bill does not cover.

In order to qualify for the program, an individual must be a veteran, must enroll in a program that requires an occupational license, and must sit for the exam for the occupational license they are seeking. 

“Occupational licensing disproportionately affects veterans because veteran families tend to be a lot more mobile than the rest of the population and the training veterans get in the military doesn’t always translate into occupation licensing training,” said Ed Timmons, Director of the Knee Center. 

“It [VALP] will definitely help us help veterans.” 

VALP will enroll a minimum of five veterans for the first year of the grant and 10 veterans in each of the second and third years.

Saint Francis is the first school in the country to be awarded this grant. 

VALP is CSOR’s third U.S. Department of Labor grant-funded project.