The Way Ahead-Education Fair Published July 30, 2015 By Airman Gwendalyn Smith 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs 7/30/2015 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. - -- The Education Office will be holding an Education Fair August 5, at the Education and Training center here. Tommie Collins, an Education Services Counselor, said "Our goal is to create a one-stop-shop where active duty members, retirees, civilians, and dependents can come and talk to schools that are local to the area, as well as national schools." Unlike years past, the fair will be held in the Education Center instead of The Scott Club to help people to interact in the classroom environment here. "Having it in our own environment allows them to actually associate academic advisors with our Scott campus," said Roland Smith, the Manager of Education and Training. This is also to help acquaint people with where they can go if they are seeking educational advice or assistance. "We wanted to host the academic institutions and education service organizations at the education center so everyone knows where we are located," said Collins. "The iconic Scott mural and Student Union Stage provide an excellent back drop for this education focused event. We expect over 40 schools. School representatives will be able to answer questions about degrees, courses and learning formats they offer." The schools will be able to also discuss other topics to meet other educational needs. "They will also be there to discuss any financial aid questions, or the GI Bill and any other grants they might have," said Collins. Aside from the over 40 colleges that will be attending, there will also be representatives from Air Force and Army ROTC, Air Force E-Learning, The Airman and Family Readiness center, and the National Test Center. The USO of Missouri mobile unit will be posted at the education center to support the fair and provide free light refreshments. The National Test Center allows people to test for college credits through examinations in classes that they feel confident and knowledgeable in. Tests such as College Level Examination Program, or CLEP, or DANTES Subject Standardized Tests, or DSST are administered at the Test Center. DSSTs are credit-by-examination tests originated by the United States Department of Defense's Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support, or DANTES. "From January to June we've accumulated or tested over 2360 semester hours for only people affiliated with Scott Air Force Base," said Smith. "That's enough general education to meet over 120 CCAF general education course requirements." Even though there has been high interest from Scott members they are still hoping to see more people seeking help to continue their education. "The motivation to actually reach out and touch an academic individual is still driven by the student," said Smith.