VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — For our friends in the military, transitioning into a career can be daunting, and while there are several programs to aid veterans, there’s also a new program that specializes in those with military technician experience.

Kia VTAP takes military technicians with at least three years’ experience and builds upon that — focusing their talents on servicing Kia motor vehicles.

It can be an uncertain time for military men and women who are thinking about entering the private sector.

“You’re competing with people who have been in that industry perhaps their whole adult career,” said Kia VTAP National Program Executive Bernie Hyland.

To give them a leg up, Kia VTAP is a Department of Labor and GI Bill-approved national apprenticeship program developed last year.

“Veterans in this program receive over $3,600 a month in GI bill benefits,” Hyland said.

Training takes place at their facilities in Chicago, Kennesaw, Georgia and Kent, Washington. Since they began last June, they’ve had more than 950 applicants and have placed 190 technicians with participating Kia dealerships. Southern Kia hired four techs for their Chesapeake location and another four in Virginia Beach, including Ethan Hawk.

“I like working with my hands a lot, but figuring things out is kind of rewarding, like in your mind,” Hawk said. “It just feels good to figure things out.”

He’s still in the National Guard as a wheeled vehicle mechanic. The program has helped him move up in the industry and build on his knowledge.

“’Cause I knew how to work on other cars, but there are certain things about each brand that’s different,” Hawk said. “And I can use my GI Bill while I’m still trying to learn.”

And this program has proven itself in a short time. Turnover for techs in this difficult industry is normally 40% to 50%. But for techs who finish this program, it’s just 10%.

“It’s better stability for the workforce,” Hyland said. “They bring in leadership, integrity, all the things that service instilled in them in terms of mission first and doing things right the first time.”

 For more information, go to https://kiavets.com/.