ARLINGTON, Virginia — U.S. Army Garrison-Fort Cavazos and Workforce Solutions of Central Texas received the 2023 Army Community Partnership Award in a ceremony April 11 in the Hall of Heroes at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia.
The award recognizes Army installations and their community partners for initiatives that improve Soldiers and family quality of life, enhance readiness, contribute to modernization, improve cost efficiencies, expand capabilities, support Army priorities and strengthen local community relationships.
“We felt very honored to have been recognized at the Department of the Army level,” said Lorri Golya, director of human resources for USAG-Fort Cavazos.
The award spotlighted the installation’s Transition Assistance Program, which connects transitioning Soldiers and spouses to high-skill, high-wage jobs, and WSCT assistance in facilitating job transition with additional resources that TAP and employers sometimes can’t provide.
“I think that the partnership that we have with Workforce Solutions of Central Texas and our Transition Assistance Program is exceptional, and I believe the judges recognized and were impressed with this partnership’s commitment to developing programs and providing resources to our transitioning Soldiers and spouses,” explained Golya. “I think that impressed the judges who reviewed the (nomination) packet and is really what they are trying to recognize at the Department of the Army level about the strength of community partnerships and what they can achieve.”
TAP assists transitioning Soldiers in a variety of ways with training, career resources and career or educational opportunities.
“We assist in resume building, job searching, career development, education opportunities, VA (Veteran Affairs) benefits, Department of Labor research, things of that nature that basically prepare (Soldiers) for their next career after they leave the military,” said Mark Phillips, transition service manager for TAP.
Phillips also mentioned that TAP uses the Career Skills Program, a program that gives transitioning Soldiers the opportunity to receive employment skills, on-the-job training, apprenticeships and internships, all designed to help prepare the Soldiers for civilian employment.
“(TAP) is very important because we’re buying into the future of the person who volunteered to serve the nation, and I think it’s a form of giving back,” Phillips said. “It’s a form of preparation and is also a form of saying, ‘Thank you for serving your country.’”
WSCT is able to provide further resources to program users, such as child care, uniforms and equipment, said Golya. In 2022 alone, 692 transitioning Soldiers and military spouses were enrolled in services sponsored by WSCT.
“When we’re transitioning service members from the military, we’re looking at the broader perspective,” Phillips said, “but (WSCT) also focuses on job, career and training opportunities in the local area at no cost to the service member.”
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