They're constantly getting some training, even when we're not with them. More than half of those were going on to college and the rest were going to a vocational-technical school or entering the job market. Just as the military structure serves as a base for the program's other components to operate more effectively, the GED is merely a springboard to other successes. The program's most important offering, officials said, is the array of life skills the cadets learn there. And those skills are many and varied.
Cadets learn how to buy a car and a house.
They learn about substance abuse, sexually transmitted diseases and nutrition. They learn how to balance a checkbook and fill out a tax form. They take classes on child rearing, gender stereotyping, cultural awareness and responsible citizenship. Cadets register to vote while in the program, and learn how to get and hold a job. We hope to at least put them on the right track of being a good parent, of being responsible sexually, feeling a sense of community and a sense of responsibility.