DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY _______________ MILITARY FAMILY EMPLOYMENT ADVOCACY PROGRAM

MFEAPMFEAP MISSION STATEMENT _______________ To actively assist military spouses and dependents in obtaining and retaining gainful employment Picture provided by: ARZTSAMUI

WHY WAS THE PROGRAM CREATED?

MFEAPMFEAP HOW WAS THE PROGRAM CREATED? _______________ 2004 : Florida Statute Directed CareerSource Florida to establish an employment and assistance program targeting active-duty military spouses and dependents

MFEAPMFEAP HOW IS THE PROGRAM FUNDED? ___________ Each year a grant must be applied for through CareerSource Florida, Inc. to keep the program operational using Wagner-Peyser 7(b) funding.

MFEAPMFEAP

MFEAPMFEAP WHO IS ELIGIBLE ? _______________ Spouses and dependents of:  Active-duty military personnel  Activated National Guard personnel  Activated military services

MFEAPMFEAP HOW DOES SOMEONE SHOW THEY QUALIFY FOR THE PROGRAM? ________________ The individual claiming to be a spouse and/or dependent of active duty personnel must present their Dependent ID Card

MFEAPMFEAP HOW DOES THE PROGRAM ADVOCATE VALIDATE ELIGIBILITY FOR PROGRAM SERVICES? _________________ The program advocate only needs to verify the person in front of them matches the Military Dependent ID picture and that the card is current

UNDERSTANDING THE LIFE OF A MILITARY SPOUSE

CHARACTERISTICS OF A MILITARY SPOUSE  Sixty-four percent are in the workforce  Eighty-four percent have some college  The average age is under thirty-one years of age  Greater than ninety-three percent are female

COMPARED TO THEIR CIVILIAN COUNTERPARTS A MILITARY SPOUSE IS MORE LIKELY TO:  Be significantly younger  Be married at a younger age  Have young children at home

PERCENT MARRIED ENLISTED OFFICERS 51 % 74 % CHILDREN IN HOME WITH CHILDREN / ALL RANKS CHILDREN UNDER 12 Y.O. 43 % 75 %

GENDER DISTRIBUTION OF MILITARY SPOUSES BY SERVICE BRANCH ARMYNAVYMARINE CORPS AIR FORCE AVERAGE PERCENT Male6.3 %7.3 %2.1 %10.0 %6.9 % Female93.7 %92.7 %97.9 %90.0 %93.1 %

MALE MILITARY SPOUSES ________________ Earn only seventy percent of the income that comparatively skilled and experienced civilian husbands earn

HAVE FAMILY, WILL TRAVEL _______________ MILITARY FAMILIES MOVE FREQUENTLY

HOW FREQUENT MOVEMENT EFFECTS JOB RETENTION AND WAGES  Movement usually means job loss  Not on the job long enough to take advantage of scheduled raises  Always seem to be the new person  Rarely able to build seniority

COMPARISON - PERCENT OF FAMILIES THAT MOVE EACH YEAR

SEARCHING FOR WORK _______________ MILITARY LIFESTYLE AFFECTS SPOUSE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

FINDING A JOB AT A NEW DUTY STATION CAN BE TOUGH _________________ TWO-THIRDS OF SPOUSES FEEL THAT BEING A MILITARY SPOUSE CONSTRAINS THEIR WORK AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

MILITARY SPOUSES EXPERIENCE HIGH RATES OF UNEMPLOYMENT

FLORIDA STATUTE _______________ “ A PERSON IS NOT DISQUALIFIED FOR UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS WHO VOLUNTARILY LEAVES EMPLOYMENT DUE TO RELOCATION AS A RESULT OF THEIR MILITARY SPOUSES ORDERS”

COMMOM MEASURES:  Seeking fulltime work, only finding part- time  Working fulltime, underpaid  Underpaid based on: experience, education, seniority  Occupational mismatch UNDEREMPLOYMENT

UNDEREMPLOYMENT _______________ MILITARY SPOUSES EARN LESS FOR DOING THE SAME JOB AS CIVILIAN SPOUSES

WHY DO MILITARY SPOUSES EARN SO MUCH LESS?

AVERAGE TOTAL PERSONAL INCOME FOR FEMALE SPOU SES

HOW DOES SPOUSAL EMPLOYMENT AFFECT THE MILITARY FAMILY?

DEPLOYMENT

EFFECTS OF DEPLOYMENT ON THE MILITARY FAMILLY

DEPLOYMENT: RANDOM THOUGHTS FROM A MILITARY SPOUSE

THE ADVOCATE’S PRIMARY ROLE Image Provided by Clker

THE MFEAP ADVOCATE TRAINS CENTER MANAGERS AND STAFF

SERVICES PROVIDED TO MILITARY SPOUSES

Image: Public Domain

THE ADVOCATE AS CUSTOMER SERVICE WORKER

THE ADVOCATE WORKS DIRECTLY WITH THEIR CUSTOMERS IN A ONE ON ONE RELATIONSHIP

THE ADVOCATE AS MILITARY LIASON :  Communicates with local military and National Guard / Reserve units  Participates in Spouses Newcomer Briefings  Conducts targeted workshops to meet the needs of military spouses

EMPLOYER SERVICES

THE ADVOCATE AS BUSINESS SERVICES REPRESENTATIVE

THE PROGRAM ADVOCATE CAN ASSIST EMPLOYERS BY:  Managing the job orders  Assisting with the candidate search by reviewing resumes  Managing job applications by screening for most qualified

THE ROLE OF THE PROGRAM COORDINATOR

PROGRAM COORDINATOR: DUTIES  Analyzes and sends quarterly reports to the regions regarding performance and productivity  Develops strategies to improve functioning of program  Performs firsthand, on-site evaluations of regional programs

EVALUATING PROGRAM AND ADVOCATE PERFORMANCE  Employer Services  Client Services

ENTERED EMPLOYMENT

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