The Canadian Armed Forces Education-Experience-Equivalency (CAF 3E) Consultancy Team facilitates the identification of civilian post-secondary programs that satisfy the training needs of Canadian Armed Forces occupations for which there are equivalent jobs in the civilian sector. The team collaborates with military Occupation Advisors and Post-secondary institutions to achieve this goal. CAF 3E is also responsible for the management of the Military Occupation Lists where enrolment incentives programs are listed.

• If you are a person interested in joining the Canadian Armed Forces, simply visit the https://forces.ca/en/ to find out about the occupations offering enrolment incentives or contact your local Recruiting Centre (https://forces.ca/en/find-a-recruiting-centre/#/)
• If you are a Defense Team member, you may have access to the Military Occupation Lists depending on your position. Visit the Canadian Armed Forces Accreditation-Certification-Equivalency Portal https://caface-rfacace.forces.gc.ca/ and register for an account.

The platform they use is called the Canadian Armed Forces Accreditation, Certification, Equivalency (CAF ACE) Portal.

The CAF ACE portal serves two different entities:

• Canadian Armed Force Education-Experience-Equivalency Team (CAF 3E); and
• Canadian Armed Forces Transition Group.

The CAF ACE Portal houses a repository of Canadian Armed Forces training requirements so that comparative analysis may be conducted with civilian programs of study at Canadian post-secondary institutions, for the purposes of:

• attraction/retention of personnel (CAF 3E); and
• transition into civilian life via the My Skills and Education Translator [MySET] tool.

It is also where the Military Occupation Lists (MOLs) are published and kept up-to-date.

The Canadian Armed Force Education-Experience-Equivalency (CAF 3E) team deals primarily with occupations that have a civilian equivalent and that are ‘understrength’, or in urgent need of increasing their numbers of trained/functional personnel to meet the operational requirements of the Canadian Armes Forces (CAF).

These occupations have access to CAF enrolment incentive programs which can help attract applicants, particularly those who already possess skills, knowledge, and experience relevant to the job (also known as semi-skilled or skilled applicants).

CAF 3E team assists these occupations in identifying Canadian post-secondary programs compatible with CAF occupational training.

These terms are used to refer to categories of applicants to the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF)

A skilled applicant will have already received training in a specific occupation from the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and wanting to reenrol in the same occupation.

These can be:

• Applicants who have departed the CAF but have chosen to return within 5 years of departure and are qualified for immediate employment,

OR

• Are Reserve Force members who may be interested in transferring into the same occupation in the Regular Force and are considered Occupational Functional Point (OFP).

Semi-skilled applicants. There are two types of semi-skilled applicants:

• Someone with a Canadian post-secondary diploma/certificate in an area that closely corresponds to a majority of the initial military occupation training.

OR

• Someone with a technical or vocational qualification that is in part based upon practical work experience and that closely corresponds to the majority of advanced military occupation training (e.g. Red Seal).

An unskilled applicant has not completed education and/or training relevant to a specific CAF occupation, thus all of their occupational training will be delivered through the CAF’s own Training Establishments or delivered by a post-secondary institution if enrolled as part of the Non-Commissioned Member Subsidized Training and Education Plan (NCMSTEP). Refer to the Defence Administrative Orders and Directives - DAOD 5002-7.

There are 2 incentive programs that exist to attract semi-skilled or skilled applicants:

• Pay Increments (PI): The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) offer rank-based or pay-based incentives for CAF applicants to some occupations. For example, an applicant with a relevant diploma/degree/certification may be eligible for an increase in pay and/or rank when joining a particular CAF occupation, and some occupations may also offer time credit towards promotion to semi-skilled applicants.
• Recruitment Allowances (RA): The CAF offers signing bonuses to skilled and semi-skilled applicants to a specific list of CAF occupations. These occupations have been identified as eligible to offer RA by the Chief of the Defense Staff (CDS). The list of eligible occupations is updated annually, and each of these occupations identifies applicant eligibility criteria and amounts of RA on the Military Occupation List (MOL) – Pay Increments and Recruitment Allowances (PIRA).

The Non-Commissioned Member Subsidized Training and Education Program (NCMSTEP) is a program for unskilled applicants that would like to get their education paid while receiving a salary. The CAF subsidizes full-time education for eligible applicants to specific CAF Non-Commissioned Member (NCM) occupations. The list of post-secondary programs approved for this funding is updated annually, and program eligibility can vary year to year, as content and accreditation statuses of programs change.

The Military Occupation Lists list CAF occupations that offer incentives to applicants who wish to join the Canadian Armed Forces. There are four (4) lists (updated annually):

• Pay Increments and Recruitment Allowances (PIRA); which lists the rank, pay, and/or signing bonus incentives offered by specific CAF occupations to skilled and semi-skilled applicants).
• Non-Commissioned Member Subsidized Training and Education Plan (NCMSTEP); which lists post-secondary programs for which applicants to specific occupations may qualify for CAF funding).
• Pay Increment for Unskilled Regular Force Non-Commissioned members; which lists the occupations that are understrength. This list is valid until 31st March 2025.
• Non-Occupation specific enrolment incentives for Non-Commissioned members; which lists incentives related to previous experience acquired within the Cadets, the Junior Canadian Rangers or the Canadian Armed Forces Indigenous Entry Program (CAFIEP).

The lists of programs approved for Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) enrolment incentives are published as a pdf annually on this portal.

Only Defense Team members who have registered for an account are permitted to access these lists.

If you are applying to the CAF and are interested in finding out more about enrolment incentives, please contact your local Recruitment Centre for more information. https://forces.ca/en/

Recruiters would need to contact the relevant Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Occupation Authority (OA) to determine whether the applicant’s credentials (prior learning and experience) meet the occupation’s requirements, and/or qualify for incentives.

As per DAOD 5002-7 , Non-Commissioned Member Subsidized Training and Education Plan (NCMSTEP) – Regular Force, the Military Occupation List (MOL) contains the CAF occupations and Canadian post-secondary institution programs authorized for funding. If a program is not listed on the MOL – NCMSTEP, it is not eligible for funding under the NCMSTEP.

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) compare their training with civilian academic programs. A CAF occupation must compare their training against the curriculum for a similar program of study offered by a Canadian post-secondary institution. If the post-secondary program is determined to be sufficiently compatible with that occupation’s training requirements, then the program/diploma may be recognized as eligible for one or more of our incentive programs.

The Canadian Armed Forces Education-Experience-Equivalency (CAF 3E) team contacts post-secondary institutions to obtain information on programs of study aligned with Canadian Armed Forces occupational training, and to request curriculum documentation for comparison with a CAF occupation’s training requirements.

The Military Occupation Lists are updated annually, with a new version published each spring. Amendments may include (but are not limited to) changes to occupational eligibility or to post-secondary program accreditation statuses. The timeline for amendments is determined by several factors, including annual occupational and budget reviews.

On the right-hand side of the homepage, click the “Register” button. Complete the online form by selecting the account type most applicable to your role and filling in your contact and positional details. Once complete, click “Save User” at the bottom of the form, and wait for the site administrator to activate your account (you will receive a notification of account activation via e-mail).

CAF Training Manager accounts are for those who work with CAF training documentation, and will be uploading CAF Training Requirements (TRs). This account type is able to access the MOL document, and upload/edit TRs related to occupations under their purview.

CAF Recruiter accounts are for personnel who work in recruitment, component/occupational transfers, and/or Personnel Selection. This account type is able to access the MOL document.

CAF Subsidized Education Manager accounts are for those who work at CDA and manage CAF members on the Basic Training List.

College, CÉGEP, or Other Institution Representative accounts are for those involved in the delivery and/or management of post-secondary training and education programs. This account type is able to upload/edit curricular documentation from the post-secondary institution with which the account holder is involved, and review CAF TRs for comparison with their institution’s programming.

The MOL is available as a pdf only to maintain version control. We are committed to the quality, consistency, and accuracy of our data.

Step 1: A Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) occupation recognizes its need to recruit semi-skilled applicants.

Step 2: The occupation enters it Training Requirement(s) into the Canadian Armed Forces Accreditation-Certification-Equivalency (CAF ACE) portal.

Step 3: The Canadian Armed Forces Education-Experience-Equivalency (CAF 3E) team contacts post-secondary institutions to request their curriculum for programs that align with the CAF occupation.

Step 4: Occupational Subject Matter Experts engage in comparative analysis of curriculum. If there is sufficient match to CAF training content, continue to next step.

Step 5: The post-secondary program is recommended for addition to the Non-Commissioned Member Subsidized Training and Education Plan (NCMSTEP) List by the Occupation Authority (OA).

Step 6: Annual approval process for Military Occupation Lists (MOLs) amendments:

1. CAF 3E Team & Director Personnel Generation Requirements (DPGR): review content of request for amendment of the MOL and confirm the validity of the submission;
2. Director Pay Policy and Development (DPPD): verifies that request for amendment is in accordance with policy; and
3. Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) or Chief of Military Personnel (CMP): approves request and confirms that associated funding is authorized.

Step 7: The MOLs are approved and published on the CAF ACE portal.

Step 8 (New): All new authorized programs under the Non-Commissioned Member Subsidized Training and Education Plan (NCMSTEP) will receive a CAF 3E partnership certificate.