Fort Carson hosts Education Fair to help soldiers and their families achieve education goals
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)-- Fort Carson is working to motivate soldiers and their families to pursue a college degree.
More than 500 Fort Carson active duty soldiers attended the Mountain Post's 25th education fair to learn about how to get a college degree while they serve. It's been difficult for military branches to recruit new members, but Fort Carson leaders hope events like this will make a difference.
"While they are active duty, an educated soldier is even a better soldier. So that is a vital piece," said Marie Robinson, Deputy Education Service Officer.
"Education is always one of the number one factors that draws people into joining the military via the gi bill or tuition assistance and we assist at the education center while utilizing both of those benefits," said Robinson.
On Monday, more than 30 different colleges and universities met with active-duty military members, and their children. They handed out information about tuition and grant assistance, scholarship benefits, and information on how to use GI bill benefits.
"We instruct service members on how to best utilize their gi bill, how to use their tuition assistance. While they're active duty, they have up to $4,000 of education assistance every year that they can use and then they can also transfer their gi bill benefits to a family member," said Robinson.
New Pentagon data from this year shows fewer than 25 percent of Americans between the ages of 17 and 24 qualify to serve in the military. The army is trying to recruit 65,000 new members this year.
