The Military Spouse Education and Career Opportunities Program


Book Description

This report outlines a strategy for the U.S. Department of Defense Military Community and Family Policy office to track progress on initiatives that aim to provide career development and employment assistance for military spouses.




Working Around the Military. Challenges to Military Spouse Employment and Education


Book Description

Successful recruiting and retention of the active duty force relies in large part on the extent to which service members and their spouses experience both job satisfaction and contentment with life in the military. In his February 12, 2001, speech at Fort Stewart, Georgia, President Bush acknowledged the importance of caring not just for service members but their entire families, pledging, "We owe you and your families a decent quality of life. ... Service members deserve a military that treats them and their families with respect. A major challenge to ensuring familywide quality of life is overcoming the hurdles to military spouse employment. Data indicate that the majority of military spouses are in the workforce; however, research indicates that they have difficulty finding jobs and that limited career opportunities for military spouses may be a factor in military personnel leaving the service. Given its impact on service member contentment and retention, spouse employment and education is thus an area of significant concern to the military. This study seeks to (1) provide a richer and more detailed depiction of military spouse employment and earnings, (2) explore the degree to which employment is problematic for military spouses, and (3) identify policies to reconcile spouse employment issues with the military's need to retain qualified personnel.







Balancing Life and Education While Being a Part of a Military Family


Book Description

Military spouse education is an often overlooked topic. With the proliferation of service member programs and benefits, and the spotlight on them, it is not uncommon for spouses to neglect looking into their own educational opportunities and benefits. The hectic life of a military family also often complicates the process of attending an institution of higher education, for spouses. There are numerous programs and benefits that a spouse may have access to, but they are difficult to find and navigate properly. Balancing Life and Education While Being a Part of a Military Family: A Guide to Navigating Higher Education for the MilitarySpouse attempts to highlight these possibilities and inform and assure this population that attaining an education is possible regardless of location or current circumstances. Numerous programs and benefits are described, as well as the best way to go about using them. Detailed instructions are illustrated to make the process of obtaining an education easier and to give spouses more confidence in pursing their own education. In addition, the specific considerations of military family life are addressed along with these instructions. Education is really important, and a lot of times military spouses aren’t aware of the opportunities and resources available to them to pursue it. The authors of From theNavy to College: Transitioning from the Service to Higher Education and From the Army to College: Transitioning from the Service to Higher Education have put together a clear guidebook will make the process easy, accessible, and understandable. They offer clear advice and information about resources available to spouses of service members, creating a go-to guide for pursuing higher education.




Working Around the Military


Book Description

This research confirms that, while many spouses of military service members work and seek education similar to their "look-alike" civilian counterparts, they often lag these equals in terms of finding jobs and receiving comparable pay. Based on the input of more than 1,100 military spouses concerning their employment and educational pursuits as well as other data analysis, the RAND researchers offer recommendations for the Department of Defense to improve quality-of-life issues for its members and spouses, which in the long run will help the department retain the qualified personnel it needs.




Advancing the Careers of Military Spouses


Book Description

The authors use survey data to compare the attitudes and experiences of recent users and nonusers of My Career Advancement Account (MyCAA), a scholarship program for eligible military spouses pursuing associate's degrees, certificates, or licenses.




Military Spouse Employment Programs


Book Description

"Why GAO Did This StudyThe approximately 725,000 spouses ofactive duty servicemembers facechallenges to maintaining a career,including having to move frequently.Their employment is often important tothe financial well-being of their families.For these reasons, DOD has takensteps in recent years to help militaryspouses obtain employment.Moreover, the federal government hashiring mechanisms to help militaryspouses obtain federal jobs.The National Defense AuthorizationAct for Fiscal Year 2012 requires GAOto report on the programs that helpmilitary spouses obtain jobs. Thisreport examines: (1) DOD's recentefforts to help military spouses obtainemployment, (2) DOD's steps toassess effectiveness of these efforts,and (3) the hiring mechanisms to helpmilitary spouses obtain federal jobs.GAO conducted interviews with DOD,the Office of Personnel Management,and two advocacy groups; conductedsite visits; analyzed relevant data; andreviewed relevant documents, laws,and regulations.GAO RecommendsGAO recommends that DOD considerincorporating (1) key collaborationpractices as it develops its spouseemployment guidance, and (2) keyattributes of successful performancemeasures as it develops and finalizesits performance measures. DODpartially concurred with the tworecommendations, citing steps it hasalready taken. GAO recognizes DOD's"




Military Spouses with Graduate Degrees


Book Description

This volume utilizes interdisciplinary theories, methods, and approaches to study the educational and career experiences of military spouses with advanced degrees. It analyzes the unique career and educational experiences that military spouses with advanced degrees face while trying to attain their goals amidst military relocations and deployments.




An Early Evaluation of the My Career Advancement Account Scholarship for Military Spouses


Book Description

Past research has shown that compared to spouses of U.S. civilians, spouses of U.S. military personnel tend to earn less and are more likely to be unemployed or underemployed, even when they have more years of education or more work experience. To mitigate the impact of the demands of military life, in 2007 the Department of Defense established a portfolio of initiatives that provide career development and employment assistance for military spouses. One such initiative is the My Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) Scholarship, which targets spouses whose service member is early in his or her career. The scholarship provides up to $4,000 in financial assistance for spouses pursuing associate's degrees, occupational certificates, or licenses in portable career fields. This report examines characteristics associated with MyCAA Scholarship application and use, scholarship plan completion, spouse employment and earnings, and service continuation of personnel married to MyCAA-eligible spouses. RAND examined the 2007-2013 employment and earnings data of spouses who were eligible for MyCAA when the current version of the scholarship began (between October 2010 and December 2011). The results show that MyCAA Scholarships are reaching the intended population; that MyCAA is associated with employment and higher earnings (although the relationship is not necessarily causal); and that service members of MyCAA Scholarship users are more likely than similar married service members to be on active duty three years after the spouse is awarded the scholarship.




Help! I'm a Military Spouse--I Get a Life Too!


Book Description

"The" handbook for improving the lives of military spouses