Military Spouses to Benefit from Pilot Program to Boost Their Careers

A plan to launch a pilot program for military spouses is in the works at the House Appropriations Committee, which will potentially provide opportunities for internships and fellowships for husbands and wives of military servicemen.

Reports cited that the committee plans to include this pilot program in the 2022 defense spending bill and has been estimated to cost $5 million. The program's specifics have yet to be unveiled, but it will fall under the military community support programs.

The draft of the proposal will still go through deliberation at the House and the Senate before it becomes a law. If approved, the pilot program will be similar to the My Career Advancement Account (MyCAA), providing scholarships, professional training, certifications, and career counseling for military spouses.

Lack of Opportunities, Barriers

A study from the National Military Spouse Network showed that despite heaps of programs from the government to support military families, 35 percent of military spouses are still underemployed in their current job, while 30 to 35 percent are unemployed, especially at a time of a global crisis. Abroad, about 88 percent of military spouses are also out of work because they can't find good opportunities or are overqualified.

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Nearly half of the military spouses said that their family income could not support expensive childcare; hence many decide to stay at home and tend to the children. For those abroad, finding a lucrative job is also impossible as they are restricted to military bases, where opportunities are limited.

These are common problems for military families as landing "meaningful employment," or a permanent and stable job has been a constant challenge when they need to keep moving houses upon their spouse's deployment.

Over one million American military spouses could help the country's efforts to rebuild the economy following the pandemic. About 92 percent of them are women, and 40 percent have college degrees.

Massive Hiring at Amazon

It comes as Amazon, the largest e-commerce site in the U.S., announced plans to hire more than 100,000 veterans and military spouses within three years. According to Fox Business, Amazon has 35,000 open positions currently, but the company plans to hire more staff by 2024.

In a statement, John Quintas, the company's director for global military affairs, said they have training programs for military talents who want to transition to the private sector. They also believe in military families' valuable skills and experience, thus the push to expand their hiring process.

In the last five years, Amazon has hired more than 25,000 veterans and military spouses who work in the operations and supply chain, as well as its cloud-based platform, Amazon Web Services. Military spouse Beth Conlin works as a senior program manager and has job security despite moving across the country and overseas eight times in 11 years.

She works in a remote environment but has the option to go to the office. Conlin has helped other military spouses become part of the Amazon family.

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