JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- When searching for a job, Meg Jameson usually finds herself in demand. As a high school chemistry teacher, she has skills useful to plenty of school districts.
But Jameson is also an Army spouse, and things have been tougher since she arrived at Joint Base Lewis-McChord a few weeks ago. She’s applied for four teaching positions and hasn’t had any response.
“It’s distressing,” she said.
To her good fortune, there are resources for those who left jobs when their servicemember-spouses or Family members received orders to change stations. A National Emergency Grant for $4.8 million was recently awarded to help spouses relocating to Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
The grant, which was awarded to the Washington State Employment Security Department and partners by the U.S. Department of Labor, is part of the Base Realignment and Closure Committee action of 2005 and will help 825 military spouses upgrade skills or find new careers.
The program, which will operate under the title Heroes at Home 2, symbolically began with a ribbon cutting June 24 at its offices in Stone Education Center.
“I think it is giving people opportunities they may not have otherwise and it’s recognizing the importance of the military Family,” said Kathleen Connolly, education services officer.
A team of four advisers from Pacific Mountain Workforce Development Council Workforce Central will assess workers’ skills to match them with career fields, help connect them to jobs and assist them with finding retraining or other educational opportunities.
An additional adviser will be available for spouses off base at the Pacific Mountain offices in Tumwater.
John Loyle of Pacific Mountain wrote the grant because he knew finding a job in a new location can be hard, especially for military Families. Because servicemembers move so frequently, employers often have concerns about hiring their Family members.
“My sense is there are many positives that military spouses have,” he said.
Part of the grant will fund an impact study to assess skill gaps in Pierce and Thurston counties, which will help advisers know where the job openings are. The rest will provide resources and funding for those accepted into the program, including up to $6,000 in tuition assistance.
The program also offers advice from experts who can help navigate the road to a new job. But unlike other programs, Heroes at Home 2 was created exclusively for husbands and wives of servicemembers.
“This gives a special and a specific place for military spouses,” Connolly said.
The program began enrolling in mid May, and since then advisers have seen a flood of interest. Fifteen spouses had been accepted as of press time, and meetings had been held with more than 60 others.
“They’re excited. They’re wondering what we can offer, how we can help them. Because it’s all about them,” workforce development specialist David Krause said.
For Jameson, this is the first step to getting back to work.
“If I can’t find a teaching job, then I can still work in the field,” she said. “I just need help finding the resources.”
To learn more
Spouses of active military members and Title 10 Guard/Reservists assigned to JBLM since 2005 who are unemployed or underemployed as a result of a permanent change of station are eligible for this program.Weekly orientations for the program are held at Stone Education Center, 6242 Colorado Ave., on Tuesdays from noon to 2 p.m. and Thursdays from 9 to 11 a.m.
For more information call 966-7366 or visit www.heroesathome2.com.
Marisa Petrich: marisa.petrich@nwguardian.com
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