Second Lady Karen Pence and U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia Announce Program to Assist Military Spouses

WASHINGTON, DC – At Naval Air Station Jacksonville today, Second Lady of the United States Karen Pence and U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia announced the launch of a new Transition Assistance Program (TAP) workshop for military spouses. TAP is administered by the Department’s Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS).

The Transition Employment Assistance for Military Spouses (TEAMS) effort will assist military spouses in their career endeavors with training on employment essentials, tailored to their unique circumstances.

“Military spouses make great sacrifices for our country. As a nation, we should lessen those burdens when we can, including in the workplace,” said Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia. “The TEAMS initiative will equip military spouses with skills they can use to participate more fully in our nation’s economy even as they shoulder the challenges of life in a military family.”

“Military spouses sacrifice so much for the strength and readiness of our Armed Forces and it is our duty to come alongside them and support them as they find meaningful employment opportunities,” said Second Lady Karen Pence. “TEAMS will directly assist military spouses as they find a rewarding job and fulfill their own career dreams.”

A recent VETS survey of military spouses found that 44 percent would choose to attend TAP if the program was offered at convenient times and its courses contained beneficial information for military spouses. Currently, only 7 percent of spouses reported attending any portion of TAP. In response, TEAMS will tailor information for spouses at times and in ways to make presentations convenient and specific to their employment situation.

Initiated by the President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2020, VETS is developing the workshop’s four pilot TEAMS courses to address the employment-related challenges faced by military spouses, and they will be presented in virtual and in-person classroom settings. The four initial offerings include:

–          “Your Next Move”

–          “Career Credentials: How Important Are They?”

–          “Mastering Resume Essentials” and

–          “Marketing Me: Job Search Tactics & Networking”

The four courses will also be piloted in classrooms at Ft. Gordon and Ft. Hood in October 2020, followed by 20 virtual presentations from Oct. 26, 2020, through Oct. 30, 2020.

Register for the virtual classes.

Once completed, VETS will use feedback from military spouses who participate to refine the courses, and to make them available throughout the military spouse community in 2021. 

VETS’ mission is to prepare America’s veterans, service members, and their spouses for meaningful careers, provide them with employment resources and expertise, protect their employment rights, and promote their employment opportunities.

The mission of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.