NORFOLK, Va. — I want you to meet Rena Manning. She's someone who knows the struggle of the military spouse.
"Sometimes your spouse is here, then the next day they're not," Manning told me.
Manning is a Navy wife. When her husband got orders to move from Italy to Norfolk, she knew she had a lot to take care of. On top of coordinating a move and taking care of her family, one of the biggest challenges for her was finding a full-time job.
"It makes it even more difficult when you can't find employment, but you're needing that second income," she added.
Manning is not alone: According to the Department of Defense, the unemployment rate for military spouses is around 21%. There are many reasons for the higher than the national average jobless rate. As I have learned in my previous reporting on this topic, one issue lies with employers. Some just aren't willing to take a chance on hiring a military spouse.
It's Sultan Camp's job to change to change their minds. He's the director of the Hampton Roads Veterans Employment Center, part of the Hampton Roads Workforce Council.
"They have degrees. Some of them have graduate degrees," Camp explained. "The only handicap that they've had is they had to give up that career."
The center's focus is on linking military spouses and veterans with companies in the Hampton Roads area's five major industries:
- Maritime
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Cyber and I.T.
- Biotechnology
- Logistics and Warehousing
"Every single Tuesday, we have guaranteed informational or job interviews for our military spouse community," Camp added.
Those weekly meet-ups put spouses in the same room as hiring managers who are looking for people just like them. Camp tells me job seekers can expect to have a 30-minute conversation with what he calls a vetted employer. These are employers already committed to hiring military spouses.
Another event, planned for February, is billed as a two-day summit for spouses and veterans. The event will feature an evening social mixer where job seekers can mingle with hiring managers in a relaxed environment. There is a traditional career fair planned for the event, as well as other services to help job seekers.
"We offer LinkedIn headshots and on-the-spot resume reviews, and the reviews are done by actual recruiters," Camp explained.
These all sound like great resources, but do they really work? For Rena Manning, the answer is yes. She ended up getting hired at the Veterans Employment Center itself. Now, she helps put other military spouses and veterans to work.
"Being in their shoes, it helps me to let them know that yes, I was where you are, and being consistent, it's going to pay off," she said.
Veterans and spouses can learn more about these benefits by clicking this link or by calling 757-807-0423 for the Norfolk office, or 757-782-4531 for the Newport News office.
News 3 photojournalist Michael Woodward contributed to this report.
