GRAFENWOEHR, Germany -- Transitioning Soldiers and Army spouses have an abundance of experience and insight to offer civilian employers, say Army experts.
However, sometimes it can be difficult to translate Army experience into language that civilian employers can understand: enter the Soldier for Life - Transition Assistance Program (SFL-TAP).
Services for the program, formerly called the Army Career and Alumni Program, or ACAP, start at least 12 months before separation -- 24 months for retiring Soldiers -- and are now required for Soldiers leaving the Army.
But Soldiers and family members don't have to wait to begin taking steps for this transition.
In fact, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's Hiring Our Heroes program, with support from private industry, will host two European Theater Transition Summits; one in U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria, Nov. 5-6, and the other at Ramstein Air Base, Nov. 3.
The summits will feature seminars, panel events, recruiter training, a job fair, discussions designed to improve competitive employment for service members, veterans and their spouses, and, of course, networking opportunities.
The current schedule for USAG Bavaria includes:
Nov. 5 at Building 134 on Rose Barracks:
4-5 p.m. Employer and attendee registration
5-6:30 p.m. Panel discussion
6:30- 8 p.m. Networking event
Nov. 6 at Rose Barracks Building 134:
8:30-10 a.m. Employer and job seeker registration
10-11:30 a.m. Panel discussion
11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Employment workshops and lunch
1-4 p.m. Hiring fair (featuring federal, state agencies and nonprofits)
Events at each installation will culminate with a Hiring Our Heroes job fair, where service members will be given the opportunity to step into HireVue's video interviewing booths to "tell their story" and demonstrate to employers why they will be a great fit for a potential job opportunity.
Part of being a successful Soldier is not only being successful after the Army, said Col. Adam L. Rocke, director of the Army's Soldier for Life program, but becoming a community leader and an ambassador for the Army.
"Whether you need to go to TAP or not, you should go down and visit TAP," Rocke said. "There are over 700 counselors. There are improved services, a partnership with the Department of Labor, Veterans Affairs and the Small Business Administration -- all there to help service members and their spouses and dependents for a successful transition."
The Army plans to reduce troop strength from its current level of 520,000 Soldiers to 450,000 by fiscal year 2017.
While unemployment for all veterans has been decreasing, it still remains much high among post-9/11 veterans (especially the young, minority and women) compared to civilians.
Trends indicate the Army must do more to prepare Soldiers for transition and connect transitioning Soldiers to meaningful employment, education opportunities and benefits earned through service.
"We're preparing you at some point to transition out of the service, whether it's a first term, or for a Soldier like myself, who has been in for 30 years," Rocke said. "We all transition. We want you to be ready for that transition. So we provide you things along the way to do that."
Editor's Note: Information gathered from the Army News Service article "Army experts discuss veteran, spouse employment," by Elizabeth M. Collins, Soldiers Live, Oct. 17, 2014; and the Oct. 9, 2014, edition of "Observation Post," a quarterly communication tool for U.S. Army Installation leaders to receive direct feedback and critical information from IMCOM Headquarters and the Department of the Army.)
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