New Military Spouse Career Advancement Initiative
The Military Spouse Career Advancement Initiative is designed
to advance military spouses into portable careers by providing
funding for education and training in
high-growth, high-demand
occupations in Information Technology, Education, Health Services,
Financial Services and the Construction Trades.
The funding will make it possible for eligible candidates to receive a Career Advancement Account in the amount of $3,000 for one year and renewable a second year for an additional $3,000.
These are flexible education funding
accounts to pay for expenses directly related to post-secondary
education and training, including tuition, fees, books, equipment,
credentialing and licensing fees.
The initiative targets military spouses with a GED, high-school
diploma or some post-secondary education and who are married
to active-duty service members in the grades of E1-E5 and
O1-O3.
The Department of Labor (DOL) and the Department of Defense
(DoD) are jointly investing $35 million over three years in
eight states demonstrating this initiative and targets 18 military installations.
California
San Diego Metro and Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base
Colorado
Fort Carson Army Installation and Peterson Air Force
Base
Florida
Jacksonville Naval Air Station, Eglin Air Force Base,
and Hurlburt Field
Georgia
Fort Benning Army Installation
Hawaii
Hickam Air Force Base, Naval Station Pearl Harbor,
Kaneohe Bay Marine Corps Base, and Schofield Barracks Army
Installation
Maine
Naval Air Station Brunswick
North Carolina
Fort Bragg Army Installation and Pope Air Force Base
Washington
Fort Lewis Army Installation, McChord Air Force Base,
and Naval Station Kitsap
CIE has a variety programs that prepare students for
a career in the Information Technology field. They include:
Introduction
to Computers and Microsoft Office
Computer
Programming with Java and C#
A+
Certification and Computer Technology
Network+
Certification and Computer Technology
Associate
Degree in Computer Information Technology
Home
Automation Installation and Troubleshooting
A military spouse can begin the application process at the military installation's Family Support Center or Voluntary Education Center.
Both departments will also work collaboratively with employers
in the targeted industries to encourage military-friendly
hiring and career advancement practices.
The first accounts
will be issued to allow training to begin in January 2008
to coincide with the education enrollment cycle.
Questions?
You can call a CIE Guidance Counselor at (800) 243-6446 or
e-mail
them with any questions. You can also visit
MilSpouse.org or read some of the frequently asked questions
provided below.
Click
here for a complete list of CIE's courses or request a
free CIE
Course Catalog in print form!
Frequently Asked Questions
The following are Frequently Asked Questions about the Military
Spouse Career Advancement Initiative program.
How will military spouses benefit from Career Advancement
Accounts?
Education, training and certification/licensure in portable
career fields will greatly increase military spouse employment
opportunities and reduce the period of time spouses are unemployed
between moves.
This funding will allow eligible military spouses to invest
in education and training programs that can be completed in
less than two years in programs that will enable them to obtain
employment and advance in high-growth, high-demand, and nationally
portable career fields.
Spouses can use their Career Advancement
Accounts to pay for expenses directly related to post-secondary
education and training, including tuition, fees, books, equipment
necessary to complete the education or training, and credentialing
and licensing fees.
Who is eligible for a Career Advancement Account
as part of this demonstration?
This demonstration is specifically targeted to military spouses
with a high school diploma or GED and/or some level of post
secondary education. To be eligible for a Career Advancement
Account, spouses of military service members/sponsors must:
Be married to a service member/sponsor on active duty
Be married to a service member/sponsor at the E-1 through
E-4 levels (junior enlisted service members), E-5 level (non-commissioned
officers), or O-1 through O-3 levels (junior commissioned
officers)
Be married to a service member/sponsor who is assigned to
a demonstration site OR reside in the state at the time of
eligibility determination when the service member/sponsor
spouse is deployed or on an unaccompanied military tour from
a demonstration site
Be married to a service member/sponsor with a minimum of one
year remaining at the demonstration installation duty assignment;
with the exception of duty assignments that will require relocation
as part of the Base Realignment and Closure Act of 2005 (BRAC
05)
Have a high school diploma or GED
Not be receiving Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) or Workforce
Investment Act (WIA)-funded Individual Training Accounts
How will military spouses apply for a Career Advancement
Account?
A military spouse can begin the application process at the
military installation's Family Support Center or Voluntary
Education Center.
Are Career Advancement Accounts limited to education
for high-growth, high-demand industries and occupations?
Due to their frequent moves, military spouses need access
to education and training for careers that are portable and
high-growth nationally. Therefore, accounts awarded under
the demonstration will be targeted to nationally identified
high-demand industry sectors that provide the greatest opportunity
for career portability. Military spouses may use their Career
Advancement Account to receive education or training in one
of these fields:
Information
Technology (CIE has courses that will
train you for a career in this area. Jobs such as network
analysts, database administrators and computer technicians.)
Health care (for jobs such as nurses, dental
hygienists, and pharmacy technicians)
Education (for jobs such as teachers and
teacher's assistants)
Financial services (for jobs such as claims adjusters, credit
analysts and bank tellers)
Construction/skilled trades (for jobs such
as carpenters and electricians)
What other services are available to recipients of
Career Advancement Accounts?
Participating military spouses may receive career counseling,
interest and aptitude testing, skill assessments, and career
guidance from One-Stop Career Centers and their military installation
Voluntary Education Centers or Family Support Centers. Spouses
may also receive referrals to supportive services, such as
child care and transportation assistance, through these organizations.
Where are One-Stop Career Centers located?
There are over 3,000 One-Stop Career Centers located across
the country. The One-Stop Career Centers near the participating
military installations will be partnering directly with the
installation Voluntary Education Centers and Family Support
Centers. The One-Stop Career Center staff will be located
on or near the installation. Interested spouses should contact
their installation programs for information and referrals.
What is a Workforce Investment Board? Where are they
located?
The Workforce Investment Boards - WIBs - are entities created
to implement the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. For each
local Workforce Investment Board, a chief elected official
appoints community and business members as Workforce Investment
Board members. There are also designated seats for representatives
from labor unions and educational institutions, such as community
colleges. The Workforce Investment Board's main role is to
direct federal, state and local funding to workforce development
programs. It also oversees the One-Stop Career Centers, where
job seekers can get employment information, find out about
career development training opportunities and connect to various
programs in their area. One-Stop Career Centers also provide
many no-cost services to employers as well.
Where can spouses who are not located at installations included
in this demonstration project go to get employment support?
Are there other programs available to them?
Employment support is available for military spouses at their
installation's spouse employment program as well as through
their local One-Stop Career Center. Spouses can visit MilSpouse.org
to find out more information about how to locate these programs
as well as find Internet-based career guidance and workforce
information.
Where can spouses go for more information?
For information online, see MilSpouse.org.
Military spouses are encouraged to visit their local One-Stop
Career Centers and military installation Voluntary Education
Centers or Family Support Centers for more information and
career support.
