Establishing an employment assistance department for military spouses at Fort George G. Meade

Dear Thomas S. Rickard,

Thank you for the opportunity to present this problem-solving research proposal.

I enjoyed meeting with you and deepening my understanding regarding Fort George G. Meade military base/installation. I am confident that you will find an effective, reliable, and feasible solution that meets the needs of Fort Meade’s in the proposal that follows.

The opportunity to engage in this research and help create a solution has been an exciting adventure for me and enabled me to develop and enhance problem-solving skills. This proposal demonstrates my commitment to understand your organization’s needs and providing the most effective solution to meet those needs based on the information I gathered.

Thank you for your time and consideration of my problem-solving proposal. I am available to review the contents of this proposal with you and answer any arising question.

I look forward to hear from you soon.

Sincerely.

Addressing Military Spouse Unemployment Problem at Fort George G. Meade

Table of Contents Executive Summary ……………………………………………………………………………... ii List of Illustrations ……………………………………………………………………………… iii Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………… 1 The Problem ……………………………………………………………………………………... 1 Impact of the Problem …………………………………………………………………………… 4 Decision Maker ………………………………………………………………………………….. 4 Proposed Solution ……………………………………………………………………………….. 5 Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………………………..... 5 Recommendations …………………………………………………………………………….…. 6 Works Cited ………………………………………………………………………………….….. 8 i ii

Executive Summary The objective of this proposal is to implement a department that partners with local businesses or companies to help military spouses with employment. To accomplish this objective, the Fort George G. Meade Family and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation division needs to offer a department that helps service member spouses find jobs.

Currently, Fort George G. Meade is the duty station of roughly 8,100 military family members. The installation provides military and civilian housing, schools, and support facilities in multiple departments. These essential programs help service members and their families with their way of life. However, the growing number of unemployed military spouses is an indicator that there is a defect in the current Family and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation division.

The results of background research showed that roughly 30 percent of military spouses are unemployed or underemployed because local businesses are apprehensive to employ military spouses due to the preconceived notions of the military lifestyle. Due to skepticism placed on the mandatory constant traveling of service members, military families have burdened with not having a flourishing lifestyle.

The steps to address this problem begins with planning for a meeting with the organization’s leadership to create buy in for establishing a new department within the Family Morale Welfare and Recreation Division and identify members of the new department. This should be followed by identifying local businesses/companies to partner with and creating proposals for developing relationships with them. The next step would entail conducting workshops/seminars on unemployment of military spouses as part of raising awareness and educating prospective employers. The other step is creating and keeping an up-to-date database of available job opportunities across local businesses. The new department should then help military spouses apply for these jobs depending on their qualifications and fit for the job.

The goal is to have a relationship with local companies so that they are not biased about hiring military spouses based on the longevity of a service member location. The benefits of implementing a new department within the Family and Morale Welfare Recreation Division could aid in preventing long-term financial stressors.

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List of Illustrations Figure 1: Military Spouse Unemployment Rate in the United States ………………………. pg. 7 Figure 2: Unemployment Rates in Anne Arundel County ………………………………….. pg. 8 iii

Introduction Fort George G. Meade is a military organization located between Baltimore and Washington D.C. and approximately 20 miles for Annapolis, the state capital of Maryland (“Fort G. Meade” par, 1). This is one of the largest military organizations in the United States and the largest employer in Maryland with a workforce of 55,000 employees. A significant portion of this workforce are military personnel while the rest are civilian and contract employees. However, the organization is experiencing significant problems relating to the employment of military spouses, which remains a major issue throughout the United States. The purpose of this proposal is to recommend a solution to the issue of employment of military spouses at Fort George G. Meade military base. The recommended solution will help military families in this organization and act as a blueprint for other military installations throughout the United States and internationally. The Problem 9 The employment of military spouses across various military installations in the United States is a major problem. Military spouses struggle to identify jobs and are increasingly likely to work in positions that are below their academic qualifications or work for less pay (Davis par, 1). This has contributed to an increase in unemployment rates and generates other costs amounting to $1 billion annually. While the actual military spouse unemployment rate remains unknown, it’s estimated that it’s at least four times more than the national average (Goldberg par, 1). This issue is attributable to the fact that relevant stakeholders have missed the mark on the problem as evident in the failure to adopt suitable measures for lessening unemployment rates for civilians and veterans (Dooley, par, 5). Additionally, military spouse unemployment rate has not been given the required national attention, which has exacerbated the situation. While little attention is paid to this issue, military spouse unemployment rate continues to rise. As shown in Figure 1 below, it is reported that 1 in every 4 military spouses are actively looking for full-time employment (The Patterson Foundation, p.11). In a nation with more than 1.2 million active duty and reserve spouses, the rate of military spouse unemployment is very high. Military spouses struggle to find jobs while 84% of their population is college educated and 42% work in lower paying jobs. As of 2014, the military spouse unemployment rate was estimated at 26% (The Patterson Foundation, p.11). Davis states that the current rate of military spouse unemployment is estimated at 18%, which is nearly four times higher than the national unemployment rate of 5% (par, 2). Figure 1: Military Spouse Unemployment Rate in the United States I was stationed at Fort George G. Meade for four years of my military career. At a central location by the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, Fort George G. Meade \\\"Fort Meade\\\" is known as the hub for intelligence and cybersecurity for the nation (“Fort George G. Meade”, par, 1). I had the opportunity to experience the many features this installation has to offer. One thing that people are not aware of is that Fort Meade provides military, housing, schools, and support facilities that help service members and their families. The defect that I have personal experience involves dependents, particular spouses of service members. Fort Meade does not offer support facilities to help service members spouses find jobs. There is a growing list of unemployed spouses because of the constant traveling that is required of military members. Similar to other military installations throughout the United States, Fort George G. Meade faces problems of high unemployment rate of military spouses. Despite the numerous efforts by this military installation to provide assistant to service members and their families, military spouse unemployment rate is still a major problem. This problem has also been exacerbated by the increased competition that this population faces within the region. As shown in Figure 2 below, unemployment rates in Anne Arundel County fluctuate from time to time (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, par, 1). These fluctuations contribute to difficulties for military spouses in Fort George G. Meade to find jobs. Figure 2: Unemployment Rates in Anne Arundel Count Impact of the Problem The problem of high military spouse unemployment rate at Fort George G. Meade military base is its contribution to ineffectiveness of measures adopted by this installation to help families of service members. The installation provides military and civilian housing, schools, and support facilities in multiple departments. These essential programs help service members and their families with their way of life. However, the growing number of unemployed military spouses is an indicator that there is a defect in the current Family and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation division. While the current programs are targeted towards enhancing the life and experiences of families of service members, they are relatively ineffective because of the increasing rates of unemployment among military spouses. Secondly, this problem makes it difficult for spouses of service members at Fort George G. Meade to have flourishing lifestyles. The results of background research showed that roughly 30 percent of military spouses are unemployed or underemployed because local businesses are apprehensive to employ military spouses due to the preconceived notions of the military lifestyle. Due to skepticism placed on the mandatory constant traveling of service members, military families have burdened with not having a flourishing lifestyle. Decision Maker Base Commander, Thomas S. Rickard is the primary decision maker to implement the new policy at Fort George G. Meade. Deputy Commander and Civilian Manager, John M. Moeller, propose policies before they are sent to the Deputy Commander. Command Sergeant Major, Brian S. Cullen, assist the Deputy Commander, assist with the daily operations for all first-line supervisor at the installation. The Command Sergeant Major is the first individual to approach, as he is the person that will forward the draft proposal to the Deputy Commander (“Leadership”, par, 1). Proposed Solution Implementing a department that partners with local businesses to help military spouses get jobs. This new department will also help with career and educational assistance. The new department will be attached to the Fort George G. Meade Family and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation department. The vision of this department is to… “provide a source of balance that ensures an environment in which Service Members and Families can thrive; a structure that supports unit readiness in an era of persistent conflict; and a foundation for building the future\\\" (“Family and MWR Vision”, par, 1). The Family and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation department work towards this mission by offering services at the Community Recreation Division, Business Operation Division, Child Youth Services, and the Army Community Service. This department is the best place to aid in providing resources for military spouses. The main objective of implementing a department that partners with local businesses is to have a relationship with local companies so that they are not biased about hiring military spouses based on the longevity of a service member location. The benefits of implementing a new department within the Family and Morale Welfare Recreation Division could aid in preventing long-term financial stressors. Conclusion Military spouses at Fort George G. Meade are at a disadvantage when it comes to finding jobs despite being educated. Similar to other military installations across the United States, the spouses of service members at Fort Meade either struggle to find jobs, are mostly unemployed, or work in positions that are below their academic qualifications. Military spouse unemployment is a major issue in the United States since its rate are approximately four times higher than the national average. At Fort George G. Meade, the problem has been exacerbated by skepticism by local companies to hire military spouses because of the compulsory constant traveling of service members. As a result, the problem has contributed to inability by military families at this installation to have flourishing lifestyles and hindered the effectiveness of assistance provided by the organization to the families of service members. The proposed solution can be addressed through creating a department that partners with local businesses/companies to help military spouses find jobs. Currently, Fort George G. Meade does not have a specific department that seek to advance the careers of service members spouses. The implementation of the new department within the Family Morale Welfare Recreation Division could ease the financial stressor that mostly leads to divorces. The goal is to have a relationship with local businesses so that they are not apprehensive about hiring military spouses based on the longevity of a service member location. Recommendations The first step towards implementing the proposed solution is the creation of the new department within the Family Morale Welfare Recreation Division. In this regard, the base commander should schedule for a meeting of the installation’s leadership including the head of the Family Morale Welfare Recreation Division. The meeting should focus on creating buy in for the creation of the new department and identifying members of this department. The head of the Family Morale Welfare Recreation Division should be a member of the new department given his/her role in development of programs to provide assistance to service members and their families including spouses. Once the department has been created, it should be mandated with the task of identifying local businesses and companies to partner with for this project. The identification of these companies should be followed by creating proposals that are geared towards developing relationships that would help address the problem of unemployment of military spouses. These proposals should be presented to the local businesses or companies to help in creating a framework for the partnership. As part of the partnership with local businesses, Fort George G. Meade should conduct regular workshops or seminars that seek to address assumptions regarding the employability of military spouses. These workshops/seminars should be carried out as part of career development opportunities and programs provided by the local businesses. This will help create awareness of the need for local businesses to consider employing military spouses and provide them with opportunities to advance their careers. Additionally, the workshops and seminars should utilize the programs as avenues for raising awareness regarding current military spouse employment programs or initiatives. The other step that will help military spouses find jobs is creating a database of availability of jobs based on geographic location. In collaboration with the Family Morale Welfare Recreation Division, the base commander should create a database of available jobs and work with the new department to help military spouses apply for these jobs. The department should conduct regular research of the job market and keep an up-to-date database of available jobs, particularly in local companies. During this process, the department will establish networks and connections with these local companies and assist them in identifying the most qualified candidates for the job positions from the pool of unemployed military spouses. As the department gathers information regarding the military spouses and their qualifications, it will provide recommendations to local companies depending on the available job opportunities.