Survey Says: VEC Provides Outstanding Customer Service

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (NNS) -- A recent online survey conducted by Navy Personnel Research, Studies and Technology (NPRST) indicate the Virtual Education Center (VEC) is providing a high level of service to the fleet.

Launched in 2010, the VEC is a state-of-the-art call center providing voluntary education services, including education counseling and tuition assistance processing.

"The purpose of the VEC is to provide outreach education services to active duty Sailors and veterans around the world, and tuition assistance to active duty Sailors," said Sharen Richardson, VEC supervisor.

The VEC serves as the Navy College Program's central location for receiving and responding to toll-free telephone, electronic mail, fax, and U.S. Postal service inquiries dealing with all off-duty voluntary education programs and services. The VEC processes tuition assistance applications, serves as a hub for requesting the Joint Services Transcript (JST) and provides easy access to information on the Navy College Program and other voluntary education opportunities.

Open Monday through Friday, from 6 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, the VEC is staffed by academic advisors who will answer questions and process requests pertaining to all facets of the Navy's voluntary education programs. It's a one-stop shop for educational questions Sailors have.

"We fund Sailors throughout the world with tuition assistance toward their educational goals, provide educational guidance and counseling and correct and update sailors and Navy veterans' Joint Services Transcript with accurate training and college information," said Richardson.

This fiscal year, the VEC has processed and authorized more than 71,000 tuition assistance requests, sent out 10,000 JSTS to colleges and posted more than 5,000 degrees.

"We are successful one Sailor at a time," said Richardson. "When we help individuals reach their goals, they let us know. Most of the staff would tell you this is the joy in doing what we do. The little things they (VEC staff) do culminate into big rewards for our Sailors."

VEC provides world-class customer service to all active duty Navy, veterans, family members and Navy College Office staffs.

"Since 2010, our ongoing focus is to provide outstanding customer service to Navy personnel within this virtual 'call center' environment and ensure a consistent message is delivered by the VEC as well as our NCO colleagues in the field," said Dr. Mary Redd-Clary, Navy Voluntary Education program director. "We want to make sure our communications with both active duty and Navy veterans is maintained at a high quality, whether the interaction occurs on the phone or via email."

CPPD is responsible for providing a wide range of personal and professional development courses and materials, including General Military Training, Navy instructor training, alcohol and drug awareness program training, suicide and sexual assault prevention, bystander intervention, and personal responsibility classes. CPPD's required leadership training is delivered multiple times throughout a Sailor's career via command-delivered enlisted leadership training material and officer leadership courses in a schoolhouse setting. CPPD also administers the Navy's voluntary education program, which provides Sailors with the opportunity to earn college degrees. CPPD additionally manages the United Services Military Apprenticeship Program (USMAP), which offers Sailors the opportunity to earn civilian apprenticeship certifications.

For more information about the Virtual Education Center, visit: https://www.navycollege.navy.mil/ .

For more information about the Center for Personal and Professional Development (CPPD), visit: https://www.netc.navy.mil/centers/cppd/ .

For more news from the Center for Personal and Professional Development, visit: www.navy.mil/local/voledpao/. Find CPPD on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Center-for-Personal-and-Professional-Development/100056459206 and on Twitter @CENPERSPROFDEV .
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For more news from Center for Personal and Professional Development, visit www.navy.mil/local/voledpao/ .