New statewide initiative empowers military spouses to keep careers on track
A first-in-the-nation initiative to help military spouses keep their careers on track is now going strong in Washington.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce found that military spouses are unemployed or under-employed at a rate 4 times that of their civilian counterparts.
Service members are often re-assigned to new jobs in different cities, making it difficult for their spouses to keep their careers on track.
"As a spouse, I've had to reinvent myself many times, being in places where often nobody knew what to do with me as a job and I didn't know what to do with myself," said Michele Helfgott-Waters, the wife of career serviceman.
She and her husband are now at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, just one of almost a dozen military installations in our state.
Collectively, the military's the second-largest employer in Washington state and the state department of Veterans affairs says there's a lot of competition for talent in today's military.
"Of young people 18 to 24, only 1 in 8 are able to get into the milit ary and they're bringing family members with them," said Alfie Alvarado-Ramos, the Director of the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs.
She said for spouses, it's more than just furthering their careers. Alvarado-Ramos, says it's a financial must for many military families who can't survive on a government salary alone.
Story via Komo News / Photo via Northwest Militaryat http://komonews.com/news/local/new-statewide-initiative-empowers-militar...