Employment Reintegration Programs

War Wounded and Their Caregivers

MSCCN has always assisted war wounded and their caregivers with employment issues. MSCCN was the first non-profit charity to provide eligibility for MSCCN services to non-spouse caregivers of war wounded. In late 2009, the MSCCN First Step Caregiver Employment was established to provide on-the-job training and experience to selected caregivers through MSCCN internships funded by grants and other sponsors.

MSCCN First Step Caregiver Employment Program

Maria's story (on page 2 of the MSCCN First Step Caregiver Employment Program flyer) demonstrates why many caregivers need help with workforce reintegration. Her role as a caregiver to her war wounded husband required great flexibility in the type of work or workplace she selected. MSCCN's First Step Caregiver Employment Program is providing her the flexibility she needs as a caregiver while she refreshes existing skills and learns new ones. She is also earning money to contribute to the family's finances while she is in the program.

Military Spouses
The mobile military lifestyle presents repeated career interruptions for military spouses. A working military spouse, whether he or she is professional level or in the entry level stage of a career, may find a new location has no demand for his or her current skills. Transferable skills need to be assessed and new skills gained to compete in the job market. MSCCN provides onsite and virtual training workshops to assist military spouses in their job search. Personalized assistance in preparing for workforce reintegration helps military spouses to face their job search better prepared and much more confidant.
	Veterans and Transitioning Military

MSCCN noticed early in its operation that veterans and transitioning military were being informed of MSCCN by their spouses and many began asking for employment services for themselves. Believing that MSCCN could not turn away any military-affiliated job seeker, veterans and transitioning military were provided free services. Military spouses received priority consideration for open positions, but when none applied or were qualified for a position, then the veterans and transitioning military became eligible for the open positions listed on Gateway, In 2009, VetConnect Jobs was formally established so that veterans and transitioning military could compete among themselves for positions posted by employers seeking a veteran or former military member. MSCCN reintegrates former military members into the civilian job market as they re-career.

MSCCN Focuses on Employment Needs of Florida Military Spouses and Veterans

The Military Spouse Corporate Career Network (MSCCN) was recently awarded grants from both The Community Foundation in Jacksonville and the Gulf Coast Foundation of Venice through the Florida BRAIVE Fund to support our efforts to provide intensive and targeted employment-related services to military families affected by Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) living in the northern, central, and Gulf coast areas of Florida.

This grant funding allows the MSCCN to expand our current “virtual” mission of providing employment referral, job search training, and assistance to military spouses and veterans across the nation and enables us to build a “boots-on-the ground” team focused on assisting OEF and OIF job seeking military spouses and veterans in the FL counties covered under the grants. We have hired additional team members based in Pensacola, Eglin AFB, Jacksonville, Tampa, and Melbourne to develop locally based programs to outreach to community leaders, corporations, and military spouses and veterans in Florida to enhance the breadth of the employment services we currently offer.

Our goals include:

Building relationships with large and small businesses in Florida interested in accessing the amazing talent pool of military spouses and veterans available to them.
Enlisting community support to assist in meeting the “unmet” needs of our military families in Florida.
Partnering with other BRAIVE grant recipients to spread the word about the services they offer to military family members in Florida.
Providing educational seminars, workshops, job search clubs, and one-on-one assistance to military spouses, veterans, war wounded and caregivers from all branches of service including the Guard and Reserve.
Supporting the efforts of military family centers at bases in the region.
Bridging the employment gaps between the military community and the civilian community by assisting military family members to build their networks within the community where they live.
Creating a volunteer network to provide additional services and advocacy for military family members in Florida.
Developing successful programs that can be replicated in other communities and at bases across the nation.

All spouses, transitioning military, veterans, war-wounded or caregivers who have been impacted by the on-going operations in OEF and OIF and are in need of employment services and training should upload their resumes on so that MSCCN team members can contact them, determine how we can assist and keep them informed of upcoming events to further their efforts in their employment journey.

Companies with needs for employees in Florida - contact Kate Midden, k_midden@msccn.org or call (321) 757-7484, or email Deb Kloeppel, debkloeppel@aol.com or call (636) 357-7524 for more information.

Volunteers hoping to assist and work with military family members, please contact Amy Schofield, a_schofield@msccn.org.

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