Did push from the top spur expansion of spouses job program? - Navy Community - discussions, photos, video - Navy Times

Did push from the top spur expansion of spouses job program?

An 8-year-old Army program designed to help soldiers’ spouses find jobs is about to expand across the Defense Department.

Under the Military Spouse Employment Partnership, the Army develops relationships with local, national and international businesses of all kinds.

The program focuses on employers that have a worldwide presence near military bases and are open to providing portable careers that military spouses can take with them as they move from base to base.

Spouses have the opportunity for professional and financial growth, and the companies have access to a large pool of diverse, talented, readily available employees, while also saving money on recruiting costs.

Since the program’s creation in 2003, the Army has signed up 57 Fortune 500 companies, including such household names as Dell, WalMart, Home Depot, Lowe’s and Amazon.com. Employers have hired more than 100,000 spouses through the program.

So why did it take eight years before someone thought to expand this program across the military? It may have something to do with a nudge from higher up the chain of command. The loftiest level of the chain, in fact — the commander in chief.

The imminent expansion of the MSEP, which will feature a new online component now being tested, is one of a number of initiatives that has spun out of recent efforts by President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama to enhance support for military families wracked by a decade of war.

It’s amazing what a little push from the top can do to sharpen a bureaucracy’s motivation and clarity of purpose.

With that in mind, Mr. President: The jobless rate for young veterans is significantly higher than the national average.