FORT RILEY, Kan. -- About 30 transitioning Soldiers traveled to McPherson, Kansas, for a hiring event Oct. 26 as part of the Kansas Employment Exploration Program from the Soldier for Life Transition Assistance Program at Fort Riley.
The trip to McPherson introduced the Soldiers to employers and city leaders to talk about job opportunities, salaries and the quality of life available there for them as an option of where they can settle after leaving the military.
Glennwood McLaurin, a SFLTAP service manager, said he developed the KEEP program and started reaching out to cities across Kansas to try and show Soldiers they don't need to leave the state to find somewhere to settle down.
"What we're trying to do is give transitioning Soldiers the opportunities to see what employment opportunities exist in the state of Kansas," he said. "About 80 percent of our transitioning Soldiers do not stay in the state of Kansas and the reason, there are many reasons for it, but the number one reason is high salary jobs."
The McPherson trip was the second KEEP event they have done, McLaurin said. The first trip he and Soldiers traveled to Emporia, Kansas, and it was such a success, he knew they needed to have another.
"We went to Emporia, Kansas, and they got a chance to talk to all the employers of the city," he said. "The employers took them on a tour of the city so they could look at the different jobs there, the schools and just life and living in Emporia and it went pretty good."
When he put out their newsletter to partner organizations and cities, McLaurin said McPherson jumped at the chance to be next.
Manufacturing is a big part of McPherson's economy and they presently have a surplus of jobs, but not enough people to fill them, he said. The city saw transitioning Soldiers as a possible option to fill the positions they have. Thus, the networking event, presentations and tour of several manufacturing facilities was organized to show Soldiers there's more to Kansas than just Fort Riley.
"They all want to hire transitioning Soldiers, but transitioning Soldiers just don't know what's out there," McLaurin said.
Sgt. Jamaal Glinsey, 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, attended the event.
"I'm staying in Kansas, so I wanted to see what my options are," he said.
With a son still in high school, Glinsey said he wanted to stay around Fort Riley, but didn't mind if he had to move some for a job.
Although he liked the hiring event, he said the jobs available in McPherson were not right for him. However, he plans to continue attending more of these events to see additional cities.
"It was OK," he said. "I enjoyed it. It definitely gave me some more ideas."
McLaurin said he currently is working with other Kansas cities to plan another hiring event. Some of the cities he is in talks with are Wichita and Garden City.
He added spouses are also welcome to attend these hiring events, but they must supply their own transportation.
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