Spc. Jared Wickert, with the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, reviews website information during an Army Credentialing Assistance Program briefing at Fort Carson, Colo., Nov. 13, 2019. (Norman Shifflett/U.S. Army)

A program that helps soldiers sharpen their career skills before they leave the service may cost too much money, the Army’s top civilian official said this week.

The Credentialing Assistance Program allows soldiers to use up to $4,000 per fiscal year to earn certifications that can give them a leg up, whether it’s within their military job or in a field they pursue once they leave the service.

The program has become a “catastrophic success,” Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told House lawmakers Wednesday on Capitol Hill, due to its popularity and its costs.

Rep. John Carter (R-Texas), whose district includes Fort Cavazos, questioned Wormuth out of concern that cuts to credentialing and tuition assistance funding could impact recruiting and retention.

Wormuth replied that no final decisions had been made, but that a limit on soldiers to one certification per year was under consideration.

“The challenge we have is we really, frankly, didn’t put any guardrails around the program to help us scope it,” Wormuth said.

Credentialing assistance began in 2018 as a pilot program. More than 64,000 soldiers have used it for certifications as project managers, personal trainers, private pilots and other jobs, Army spokesperson Andrea L. Kelly said in a statement.

The program cost the Army $60.2 million in fiscal year 2023, Kelly said, adding that a review is underway to “ensure the long-term success of the program.”