This week, CompTIA’s CEO Todd Thibodeaux had the distinct pleasure of participating in a White House event hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden (also attended by their supportive spouses, the President and Vice President) to celebrate the success of a program they spearheaded called Joining Forces. CompTIA has played an important role in Joining Forces since its inception. To date we have certified nearly 12,000 transitioning troops, putting them on a pathway to success for careers in IT.
The focus of Joining Forces doesn’t stop with our troops and veterans. Joining Forces also recognizes and supports the often unsung hero – or heroine in most cases – the supportive spouse at home. The United States military has long recognized that military spouses and other family members are also ‘serving’ while at home and Joining Forces includes this group in its efforts. The military spouse must often supplement limited family income while managing the duties of a single parent and sacrificing some of life pleasures that we all take for granted while their life partner is away from home, serving our country.
Today I would like to challenge you to consider how you might support our military spouses and create job opportunities for them in your business.
Why Hire a Military Spouse?
Beyond the obvious patriotic reasons of supporting those who serve this country, military spouses can bring unique perspective, vision, experience and diversity to the workplace. They are loyal, committed and resourceful. A recent RAND study, in conjunction with the National Defense Research Institute, took a look at military spouse employment issues. They published a report, “Working Around the Military” Revisited, that revealed that when compared to a civilian spouse of similar status and goals, the military spouse was often a more qualified and loyal employee. Here are some highlights of that comparative study:
A Military Spouse:
- Actually moves less than a traditional employee;
- Is more likely to bring ethnic diversity to the workplace;
- Is more educated than their average civilian counterpart -- many hold advanced degrees;
- Stays with an employer as long or longer than a traditional employee;
- Is part of a readily available workforce;
- Claims responsibility for as much as 40 percent of the household income.
In addition, the military spouse embraces challenges, has emotional resilience, can deal with uncertainty and is comfortable with change. They do not require benefits, are flexible, dedicated and loyal. They are volunteer-minded, resourceful and organized. All of the skills that are necessary for them to run a household independently transition nicely to management work in the office.
CompTIA’s Advancing Women in IT Community supports our military spouses. Together, we can provide mentoring and training for jobs in IT and a network of job opportunities that starts with you – our engaged industry members and partners. Please take a moment to discuss this opportunity with company management and/or your HR director and contact us, nhammervik@comptia.org or Joining Forces http://www.whitehouse.gov/joiningforces to learn more.
Thanks to Joining Forces, the private sector has already hired or trained 290,000 troops, veterans and military spouses. Let’s make a great contribution to our IT workforce and America by doing our part!
