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# New partnership to expand job opportunities for military spouses

By Terri Moon CronkAmerican Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department is scheduled to launch a new partnership next week intended to expand job opportunities for military spouses by connecting them with employers actively seeking to hire them.

About 60 corporations and companies, from Fortune 500 to banking institutions, have signed on with the DOD partnership, said Robert L. Gordon III, deputy assistant secretary of defense for military community and family policy.

The partnership is expected to launch at the Chamber of Commerce here June 29. Gordon said 14 more companies may be added to the partnership's roster.

"The design of this program is to bring together those spouses who want to work with a web portal where companies that would like to employ our military spouses can find them," he said.

That web portal is Military OneSource, which also offers job-seeking resources such as resume building.

The partnership is based on memoranda of agreement to hire military spouses, Gordon said. Some 100 job fairs are scheduled, starting in Los Angeles July 10, with 200 companies ready to offer jobs to spouses.

"Military spouses bring a lot to the table," he said. "They've volunteered and lead different activities on and off our installations. They are skilled, diverse and know how to operate in a team environment."

Their sense of team focus and strong work ethic are some of the attributes and characteristics employers are looking for in a 21st century work force, he said.

Military spouses have been hit hard by the job market and face an unemployment rate of 28 percent, Gordon said.

Of the military's 1.2 million spouses, 80 percent want to work, but have been held back by multiple moves and deployments, he said. Additionally, a 25 percent wage gap divides military spouses and their civilian counterparts.

Because of those factors, the partnership pinpointed organizations that could offer telework options and portable jobs, he said.

In the course of setting up the program's framework, Gordon has asked spouses what they would like to see in such a partnership."One of them said, 'Don't over-engineer things. We want to look for jobs. We want to be empowered,'" he said. "And that's what we've done. We've devised a program that will bring spouses together with employers who are looking for their skills."

The partnership is aligned with the White House's government-wide approach to military family support that involves an interagency effort to strengthen families and enhance their well-being and quality of life.

For more information visit militaryonesource.com

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