Opportunities abound for job seekers

FORT CARSON, Colo. -- With the military drawdown, some Soldiers who had planned to retire after 20 years in the Army may unexpectedly find themselves looking for alternate employment, earlier than they wanted.

There are a number of employment fairs in the coming months for those who are separating or retiring.

"It's absolutely essential that they take advantage of every opportunity that they have to get out and meet employers," said Lyle Dickason, transition services manager, Army Career and Alumni Program.

Even if Soldiers don't plan to remain in the Colorado Springs area, there are still benefits to attending local job fairs.

"We have local, national and international opportunities. This is the perfect opportunity for them to expand their network," said Kristen Coderre, Fort Carson coordinator for the Military and Veterans Employment Expo.

The employment expo, May 22 at the Freedom Financial Services Expo Center, 3650 N. Nevada Ave. in Colorado Springs, is on tap to be the largest hiring event to date in Colorado, she said. It's open to members of all branches of the military, regardless of duty status, and their spouses.

There will be 25 community resources and 195 employers at the event.

"It's a prerequisite. They must have jobs available to hire in order to attend," Coderre said.

The expo is a partnership between Fort Carson, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, and

Hero 2 Hired.

"We've been working pretty hard at developing partnerships with community resources to be able to leverage success using those resources versus just the Army," Dickason said. "I think the more cooperation and partnership we do with the community, the better off we are, the better off Soldiers are."

Pre-registration for the event is available online at http://www.mvee.org.

In preparation for the fair, there are also employment readiness classes offered at Pikes Peak Community College, May 13-15. Information on the classes is also available on the event website.

The classes, which run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., are broken down into core employment readiness classes and segment-specific classes. They focus on how to find a job in specific sectors, such as health care, retail and nonprofit.

"Each session has at least 40 community members to help prepare you for a job in that sector," Coderre said. "It's more than just, 'Hey, come take a resume class.' We're expanding on (classes offered through ACAP) to give you targeted information specific to the industry."

For those individuals who complete the employment readiness classes, the job fair begins at 9 a.m. Wounded warriors and Purple Heart recipients can enter at 10 a.m., and all other military, veterans and spouses can enter at 11 a.m.

A virtual job fair is also being held in conjunction with the event. The virtual fair is May 1-30 and is available to servicemembers worldwide, whether they're connected with Fort Carson or not, with employment opportunities available for local, national and international positions.

"There's going to be something for everybody," Coderre said. "It gives you the opportunity to look at the companies ahead of time. You can also apply ahead of time."

Because of the success of a previous virtual fair, which is a partnership between Fort Carson and the Pikes Peak Workforce Center, U.S. Army Installation Management Command asked that the program be made available worldwide.

"IMCOM came to us and said, 'We want you to make this available to every transitioning Soldier, whether they're stateside, overseas or in garrison,'" she said.

There will be hiring opportunities from large companies, including Army contractors, all the way down to small local companies, she said.

There are other opportunities for Soldiers separating from the Army, as well.

"There are a lot of transitioning programs that are available in the Pikes Peak region for people that are looking for employment or maybe they're underemployed, and they're trying to find employment," said Kristen Kea, Warrior Family Community Partnership manager.

There are organizations in the community that offer Soldiers the opportunity to finish a certification program in fields such as construction.

"I think the real benefit for … Soldiers is that they can be working through this certification program now, and when they actually get out of the Army, they will have a certification in hand which will put them at the top of the list for employers who are really looking for the experience that they have," she said. "Some of our partners provide that at absolutely no cost to Soldiers who are transitioning out of the Army."

Many of the programs available in the community are listed on the WFCP website, http://carson.army.mil/WFCP. Opportunities are listed in the "Slick Deals for Soldiers and Families" section.

Those with questions can also call the WFCP office, 526-8747.

"We're happy to point them in the right direction, regardless of what the issue is," Kea said.

Whatever route Soldiers take, transitioning out of the Army can be challenging, but the preparation offered through ACAP is designed to lessen some of that pain, and all the classes are open to spouses, as well.

"We highly recommend that spouses attend classes with their Soldier," Dickason said. "It's a good thing for couples to go through (together) when they're going through this unemployment thing … the more they both understand what's going on, the easier it is to make that transition as a couple, as a Family, because it gets real tough."

Upcoming employment fairs in the Fort Carson area

--April 19: 4th Annual Pueblo Veterans Resource Forum, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Fortino Ballroom, Pueblo Community College, 900 W. Orman Ave. Call 719-549-3200 for registration.

--April 24: Pikes Peak Workforce Employment Fair, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hotel Elegante, 2886 S. Circle Drive in Colorado Springs. Visit https://www.formsite.com/ppwfc/2014springjfparticipant/index.html to register.

--May 22: Military and Veteran Employment Expo, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Freedom Financial Expo Center, 3650 N. Nevada Ave. in Colorado Springs. Visit http://www.mvee.org to register.

--June 20: Army Community Service Career Day, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Special Events Center. For more information, call 526-9452.