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thedrifter
10-21-08, 07:51 AM
Group wants to help military spouses who need work
Published Tue, Oct 21, 2008 12:00 AM
By PATRICK DONOHUE
pdonohue@beaufortgazette.com
843-986-5531

Beaufort's military spouses might land more jobs -- and more jobs could be created to suit their talents -- if their skills are catalogued, a local economic development group says.

The Lowcountry Economic Network, working with Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, is asking Beaufort's military spouses to complete an anonymous survey about their educational background and professional experience.

"When we're looking at prospective businesses as a county and as a region, we need to be able to provide data about the quality of the workforce that we have," said Kim Statler, executive director of the Lowcountry Economic Network. "We have a very skilled military workforce here, but we really had no way to properly quantify the skills and education of the military spouses that come with them. We can't sell what we can't define."

Statler said the area's military spouses remain an important but "underutilized" section of the workforce.

The group also hopes survey results will attract businesses to employ the 450 or so Marines who retire or do not re-enlist after serving out their stint at MCAS Beaufort or Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island.

"We know that every year we have people that transition out of the military ... ," said Capt. James Jarvis, public affairs chief at MCAS

Beaufort. "A lot of people enjoy living in the Lowcountry, but there aren't always jobs for those Marines or their families. This survey will make us better able to measure what skills those Marines have and use that to attract new industries to the area."

Jarvis said military spouses often have difficulty finding suitable and well-paying employment.

"The nomadic nature of this lifestyle makes it hard to have a career," he said. "As Marines we have continuous employment, but our military spouses often do not."

Only about 10 percent of the nation's servicemen and women stay in the same place for more than five years, according to the Pentagon.

MCAS Beaufort and Parris Island have Family Member Employment Assistance Offices to help military spouses with resumés, interviews and job searches.

Katie Markey, a FMEAP counselor at Parris Island, said unfamiliarity with the area, child care and gaps in employment history because of frequent moves can prevent the area's military spouses from getting jobs.

Markey said the nation's recent economic downturn and higher food and living prices have more military spouses thinking about their own careers.

"Living on just one salary for military families can be tight in today's economy," she said. "The recent economic situation has military spouses and family members more concerned about the future."

Ellie