Program helps with jobs and careers for military spouses

#Middlebury #Veterans

If you are debating whether to re-up and one of your concerns is your spouse’s employment opportunities, perhaps the Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP) program will help you decide.

There currently are 350,000 job listings for military spouses on the MSEP website. In a partnership with 390 employers, the Department of Veterans Affairs has expanded opportunities as part of its Department of Defense MSEP program. Those employers have committed to hire, promote, recruit and retain military spouses in portable jobs. Portable means you can take your skills with you, possibly to one of the many other employers in the program, should you need to relocate.

At this point they have hired over 134,000 military spouses. There are big names in the list, but not just retailers or convenience stores. Also included are organizations with community networks that provide career resources and mentoring, and federal agency partners.

The program is part of the Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program that aims to reduce the horrible 25-percent wage gap military spouses face. It offers career guidance, education, resources, tools, training, licensing and more.

To search for open jobs, go online to msepjobs.militaryonesource.mil/msep and click Search Jobs, or call 800-342-9647 to speak to a career coach. You’ll need to sign up. Once you reach your personal online dashboard, you can search by location or special skills.

Or if you think you’re not quite ready to land a job, go online to myseco.militaryonesource.mil. Click on career exploration, education and training, and employment readiness. Do not miss the list of coaching packages farther down the page. They have everything to get you ready, some very specialized: health care coaching package, cybersecurity coaching package, K-12 education coaching package and more.

If you want to advance your career, there is a scholarship program with funds up to $4,000 in tuition assistance.

© 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.