A Need for Access to Education for Military Spouses

Did you know that military spouses suffer from unemployment at a staggering rate of 12%? According to Blue Star Families, up to 43% of military spouses are not in the labor force. Given the nature of their ever-so mobile lifestyle, it’s difficult to manage a steady full-time job when you might have to move across the country next month. This lack of control over their physical location effects their ability to find a job they enjoy doing while feeling valued. They are also subject to underemployment which is a very real challenge that is less frequently discussed. Military spouses are more likely than civilian spouses to find themselves in a job that is below their education level and with lower pay.

Our vision at the Alber Enterprise Center is to stimulate positive change for maintainable economic growth in individuals, organizations and communities. We are proactively trying to make a difference for these spouses by offering 100% online national certification preparation courses that can be paid with the My Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) through the Department of Defense. The MyCAA scholarship will offer a one-time scholarship, up to $4,000 over a two-year period, for eligible active-duty military spouses to continue their education.

Once the spouse finishes the online course, they will be given the opportunity to practice their newly learned skills in an in-person externship, mentored by professionals in that field. We will work with the spouse to find an organization near where they’re currently living for them to complete the externship. The cost of the course, which can be paid in full by the MyCAA scholarship, will provide them everything they need to complete the course. This includes course materials, the externship, and the cost to sit for the national certification exam in their field.

Follow this link to read more about our MyCAA courses. https://osu.edu2.com/t-mycaa.aspx

Source: “Social Cost Analysis of the Unemployment and Underemployment of Military Spouses”, Sorenson Impact Center & David Eccles School of Business, University of Utah, 2016