1. DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY _______________ MILITARY FAMILY EMPLOYMENT ADVOCACY PROGRAM

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

3. WHY WAS THE PROGRAM CREATED?

4. MFEAPMFEAP HOW WAS THE PROGRAM CREATED? _______________ 2004 : Florida Statute 445.055 Directed CareerSource Florida to establish an employment and assistance program targeting active-duty military spouses and dependents

5. 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.

6. MFEAPMFEAP

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

8. 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

9. 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

10. UNDERSTANDING THE LIFE OF A MILITARY SPOUSE

11. 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

12. 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

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

14. 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 %

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

16. HAVE FAMILY, WILL TRAVEL _______________ MILITARY FAMILIES MOVE FREQUENTLY

17. 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

18. COMPARISON - PERCENT OF FAMILIES THAT MOVE EACH YEAR

19. SEARCHING FOR WORK _______________ MILITARY LIFESTYLE AFFECTS SPOUSE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

20. 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

21. MILITARY SPOUSES EXPERIENCE HIGH RATES OF UNEMPLOYMENT

23. FLORIDA STATUTE 443.101 _______________ “ A PERSON IS NOT DISQUALIFIED FOR UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS WHO VOLUNTARILY LEAVES EMPLOYMENT DUE TO RELOCATION AS A RESULT OF THEIR MILITARY SPOUSES ORDERS”

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

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

26. WHY DO MILITARY SPOUSES EARN SO MUCH LESS?

27. AVERAGE TOTAL PERSONAL INCOME FOR FEMALE SPOU SES

28. HOW DOES SPOUSAL EMPLOYMENT AFFECT THE MILITARY FAMILY?

29. DEPLOYMENT

30. EFFECTS OF DEPLOYMENT ON THE MILITARY FAMILLY

31. DEPLOYMENT: RANDOM THOUGHTS FROM A MILITARY SPOUSE

33. THE ADVOCATE’S PRIMARY ROLE Image Provided by Clker

34. THE MFEAP ADVOCATE TRAINS CENTER MANAGERS AND STAFF

35. SERVICES PROVIDED TO MILITARY SPOUSES

36. Image: Public Domain

37. THE ADVOCATE AS CUSTOMER SERVICE WORKER

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

39. 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

40. EMPLOYER SERVICES

41. THE ADVOCATE AS BUSINESS SERVICES REPRESENTATIVE

42. 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

43. THE ROLE OF THE PROGRAM COORDINATOR

44. 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

45. EVALUATING PROGRAM AND ADVOCATE PERFORMANCE  Employer Services  Client Services

46. ENTERED EMPLOYMENT

47. THANK YOU FOR TAKING TO TIME TO LEARN ABOUT THE STATE OF FLORIDA MILITARY FAMILY EMPLOYMENT ADVOCACY PROGRAM http://www.floridajobs.org/job-seekers-community-services/job-search-and-career- planning/job-search-resources/for-military-spouses/military-family- employment-advocacy-program