The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation announced the creation of the Military Spouse Employment Advisory Council (MSEAC) today at a military spouse hiring fair in Fort Hood, TX. As one of the first private sector-led councils formed specifically to address military spouse unemployment, the MSEAC will concentrate on helping spouses across the country find meaningful employment, by connecting spouses to national and local employers of all kind.
In 2012, over 1 in 4 military spouses in America were unemployed. Following the lead of MSEAC’s founding member, La Quinta Inns & Suites, five other companies have stepped up to address this problem: Capital One, Rent-A-Center, USAA, Verizon, and Wittenberg Weiner Consulting.
“This is a program for military spouses being built from the ground up by military spouses,” said Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Schmiegel (ret.), executive director of Hiring Our Heroes. “With the help of a select group of companies with proven track records and innovative programs of their own, Hiring Our Heroes will focus not on words but on actions that address the unique employment challenges that military spouses face.”
“At La Quinta, we have seen success in hiring military spouses and want to hire more. We want to share the knowledge and excitement we have experienced with military spouses with the entire business community,” shared Vice President of Marketing for La Quinta, Derek Blake. “This effort is not about aggregating numbers, tracking spouses or reaching quotas. It is about the top companies in our country figuring out how to find and keep the best talent - the kind of talent that military spouses have to share.”
Last year, the president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Thomas J. Donohue, declared 2013 the “Year of the Military Spouse.” Hiring Our Heroes has taken up that mission by significantly expanding its Military Spouse Employment Program to include at least 20 hiring fairs designed exclusively for military spouses on or near military installations, in-depth employment workshops and presentations tailored to spouses, and a suite of online tools and panels that reach spouses throughout the country. MSEAC members will not only give guidance and insight regarding the employer side of hiring military spouses, but they will serve as examples of businesses dedicated to hiring military spouses.
"The idea behind the MSEAC is not only to ask businesses to commit to hiring military spouses, but to put together a council of leaders who know how to identify job opportunities for military spouses,” explained Laura Dempsey, director of Hiring Our Heroes’ Military Spouse Program. “We will use that collected knowledge to help other businesses build their own military spouse workforces, and to connect our own networks of employers in the largest business federation in the world directly to targeted networks of military spouses."
Since its launch in March 2011, Hiring Our Heroes has been able to help nearly 100,000 veterans and military spouses find meaningful employment. More than 18,000 of those hires came directly from more than 430 hiring fairs the program has held nationwide. An additional 80,000 veterans and military spouses have been hired as a part of Hiring 500,000 Heroes, a national campaign announced by the U.S. Chamber, National Chamber Foundation and Capital One, to engage the business community in committing to hire half a million veterans and military spouses by the end of 2014. Thus far, more than 1,000 businesses of all sizes have pledged to hire 214,000 heroes toward this goal.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation (USCCF) is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce dedicated to strengthening America’s long-term competitiveness by addressing developments that affect our nation, our economy, and the global business environment.
La Quinta Inns & Suites is based in Irving, Texas. The Company operates and provides franchise services to more than 830 hotels in 46 states, Canada and Mexico under the La Quinta Inn® and La Quinta Inn & Suites® brands.
Source: U.S. Chamber of Commerce
In 2012, over 1 in 4 military spouses in America were unemployed. Following the lead of MSEAC’s founding member, La Quinta Inns & Suites, five other companies have stepped up to address this problem: Capital One, Rent-A-Center, USAA, Verizon, and Wittenberg Weiner Consulting.
“This is a program for military spouses being built from the ground up by military spouses,” said Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Schmiegel (ret.), executive director of Hiring Our Heroes. “With the help of a select group of companies with proven track records and innovative programs of their own, Hiring Our Heroes will focus not on words but on actions that address the unique employment challenges that military spouses face.”
“At La Quinta, we have seen success in hiring military spouses and want to hire more. We want to share the knowledge and excitement we have experienced with military spouses with the entire business community,” shared Vice President of Marketing for La Quinta, Derek Blake. “This effort is not about aggregating numbers, tracking spouses or reaching quotas. It is about the top companies in our country figuring out how to find and keep the best talent - the kind of talent that military spouses have to share.”
Last year, the president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Thomas J. Donohue, declared 2013 the “Year of the Military Spouse.” Hiring Our Heroes has taken up that mission by significantly expanding its Military Spouse Employment Program to include at least 20 hiring fairs designed exclusively for military spouses on or near military installations, in-depth employment workshops and presentations tailored to spouses, and a suite of online tools and panels that reach spouses throughout the country. MSEAC members will not only give guidance and insight regarding the employer side of hiring military spouses, but they will serve as examples of businesses dedicated to hiring military spouses.
"The idea behind the MSEAC is not only to ask businesses to commit to hiring military spouses, but to put together a council of leaders who know how to identify job opportunities for military spouses,” explained Laura Dempsey, director of Hiring Our Heroes’ Military Spouse Program. “We will use that collected knowledge to help other businesses build their own military spouse workforces, and to connect our own networks of employers in the largest business federation in the world directly to targeted networks of military spouses."
Since its launch in March 2011, Hiring Our Heroes has been able to help nearly 100,000 veterans and military spouses find meaningful employment. More than 18,000 of those hires came directly from more than 430 hiring fairs the program has held nationwide. An additional 80,000 veterans and military spouses have been hired as a part of Hiring 500,000 Heroes, a national campaign announced by the U.S. Chamber, National Chamber Foundation and Capital One, to engage the business community in committing to hire half a million veterans and military spouses by the end of 2014. Thus far, more than 1,000 businesses of all sizes have pledged to hire 214,000 heroes toward this goal.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation (USCCF) is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce dedicated to strengthening America’s long-term competitiveness by addressing developments that affect our nation, our economy, and the global business environment.
La Quinta Inns & Suites is based in Irving, Texas. The Company operates and provides franchise services to more than 830 hotels in 46 states, Canada and Mexico under the La Quinta Inn® and La Quinta Inn & Suites® brands.
Source: U.S. Chamber of Commerce
This information is intended to be
educational and should not be considered legal advice on any specific matter.
