A large numbers of military spouses are interested in furthering their education. There is a variety of funding for going back to school available, and one of the choices available to spouses of Servicemembers is the Career Initiative for Military Spouses. This is a program designed and administered by the Department of Labor, and the Defense Department. It was created to help prepare and assist military spouses around the world to get ready for new careers. It intends to help provide training and education in high demand, high growth areas and occupations. Part of this program creates education accounts with funds for individuals to pay for expenses directly related to secondary education and training.
This is a new pilot program, which promises to be a wonderful opportunity for many spouses to take advantage of. Eligible military spouse candidates will receive funds in the amount of $3,000 dollars for one year of study or school. This amount is renewable for a second year for the same amount the second year. This money can be used to pay for tuition, equipment, books, credentialing fees, licensing fees, and other costs associated with training and education.
This new program is a pilot that involves eight states at the current time with the potential to expand, states included are Georgia, Hawaii, North Carolina, Colorado, Florida, California, Maine, and Washington State. It is a program administered through eighteen military installations, One-Stop Career Centers, and Military Voluntary Education Centers. These locations will also work together to provide guidance, assessment and career counseling to support education and Military spouse career choices.
Initial funding for the program will commence in January of 2008, next month. The very first accounts will be funded to coincide with the start of the school term 08 January. Military personnel who have spouses interested in the program are encouraged to have them contact the Military Education Institute at their email at military@fccj.edu .
Military spouses are called upon to support and reinforce their Servicemembers, and a lot is asked of them. They are expected to pack up and move sometimes-long distances, often at the expense of their own careers. Because of this it is often hard to obtain necessary certification and licenses that accompany most careers. At the very least with the starting and stopping and moving, it is more difficult. Education is also out of reach because of the soaring cost of childcare, making attending college or training out of reach for many young families. It is for those reasons that the Department of Labor and the DoD created this program to help.
