ACT Center Creates Basic Training for Military Spouses

"In interviews, it always comes up. They look at your resume, and they see it's checkered with different states. Then they ask why you're here. When you tell them, their whole tone just changes. I don't know if I've lost out on jobs because of it, but I can tell it affects my chances," she said.

Brown was a stay-at-home mom for three years. Earlier this year, as she considered re-entering the workforce, she enrolled in a 10-week program called Computer Training for Military Spouses. The program was created by the ACT Center at the Thomas Nelson Community College in Hampton, Virginia. The college is near Yorktown, where Brown's husband is stationed with the U.S. Coast Guard.

Hampton has one of the biggest military populations in the world. Many military spouses there, and elsewhere, can't find jobs because the military lifestyle doesn't afford them enough time in one place to complete their education and build work experience.

"Employers realize you're not going to be an asset for long and are less likely to hire you," said Crystal McClung, the e-learning coordinator at the Thomas Nelson Community College ACT Center and the creator of the program for military spouses.  McClung hatched the idea from her own experience.  She has always lived the military lifestyle. In her childhood, McClung moved many times as her father changed locations for his U.S. Coast Guard job. After college, she married a man who joined the U.S. Air Force. She estimates that she has moved 13 times.

McClung's background prepared her for life as a military spouse. She said others aren't so fortunate.

"Many military spouses are young, make no money, and are trying to live the Jones' lifestyle with no skills to back it up."

McClung realized she had tools that could help. Using ACT Center courseware and ACT's WorkKeys(r) system, McClung created a program to provide computer training and WorkKeys tests to military spouses. Then she won a Perkins Grant to fund the program.

The grant allowed 25 individuals to receive Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) training and MOS certification exams. It also funded the WorkKeys testing and training necessary to earn a Virginia Career Readiness Certificate, a portable workforce credential recognized by Virginia businesses.

McClung, who taught computer applications at the college for three years, focused on computer training because technical skills give applicants an advantage in so many jobs. "It's really important today, how much technical expertise you have," she said. The flexibility of Web-based ACT Center courseware was vital to the program. It allowed participants to learn on their own time, at home or elsewhere.

Each participant was required to complete 10 hours of technology-related volunteer work at a nonprofit organization. The intent was to give participants resume-friendly work experience as well as new personal experiences.

"Military spouses tend to become very secluded," said McClung. "The premise was for them to get out into the community and see what they're learning in practical application. Plus, they're doing networking that could lead to a job. That's vital."

It's something McClung is gearing up to do again herself as she makes yet another move—to her husband's new assignment in Colorado Springs. She hopes to start a similar program for military spouses there, once she finds a job.

It's just part of the military lifestyle, she said.

"I'm moving from a job I love to starting all over again."