This partnership can be broadened in vocational and technical education. In addition, over 90,000 reservists and National Guard enlist each year. Therefore, about 124,000 personnel are in specialized skill training at any given time, requiring 47,000 military and 7,000 civilian employees to conduct training at 80 locations. Specialized skill training, the military term for vocational education, is actually broader than vocational education because it includes training in combat skills. Specialized skill training has two parts, initial training and progression training.
Initial training develops apprentices who can go to units and complete training on the job.
The opportunities for collaborative efforts between institutions delivering vocational education and defense industries are unlimited. The vocational-technical training capacity of this nation can be used for specialized training for active military personnel, Reserve forces, and civilian employees. This study indicates that only a few state vocational education agencies support either customized training or regular institutional programs specifically designed to meet the needs of firms doing defense work. Furthermore, there appears to be an absence of information to help key staff in state vocational agencies understand the need for preparing and upgrading skilled workers for their state's defense industrial base. The Congress and the United States Departments of Defense and Education have suggested that the defense industrial base is ailing and that the public vocational education systems and firms within the defense industrial base should be closely collaborating to ensure the availability of skill training.