JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
A partnership between Joint Base San Antonio, businesses and
public entities in the San Antonio area is providing job skills and training to
service members who are making the transition from the military to a civilian
career.
In January, the 502nd Force Support Group at JBSA launched
its Career Skills Program for active-duty members who are transitioning out of
the military. The program allows companies to provide training, an
apprenticeship or job shadowing for active-duty members who are within 180 days
of leaving the military, with the permission of their unit commander.
The Career Skills Program is part of the JBSA
Public/Public/Public/Private (P4) Community Partnership Initiative, which
allows JBSA and the 502nd Air Base Wing to enter into partnerships in the
community to provide, receive or share installation support services for many
of its municipal and morale, welfare and recreation functions.
Serafina De Los Santos, 502nd FSG executive director, said
the P4 initiative includes several programs that provide resources, training
and job skills for transitioning service members seeking employment in the
civilian workforce.
“Under P4, we are trying to ensure we prepare transitioning
service members for a soft landing, for their life outside the military,” De
Los Santos said. “Whatever they want to do is what we are helping them with.”
De Los Santos said the P4 initiative and the Career Skills
Program are helping to enhance the services of the Department of Defense
Transition Assistance Program, which provides information and training to
active-duty members who are transitioning out of the military, whether it’s
pursuing additional education, looking for a job in a civilian career field or
starting their own business.
The P4 initiative has enabled JBSA to reach out to
businesses and organizations within the community to provide opportunities for
transitioning service members, De Los Santos said.
“There is a sea of goodwill outside of the JBSA gates,” De
Los Santos said. “P4 allows us to tap into that. It has allowed us to open our
gates and work with the community.”
Included in the Career Skills Program is Onward to
Opportunity, which provides training for careers in customer service and
information technology. Transitioning service members who participate in Onward
to Opportunity can earn their certification in customer service or the IT
field. Onward to Opportunity is a partnership between the Institute for
Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University, the Schultz Family
Foundation and the Department of Defense.
The first session of Onward to Opportunity for JBSA members,
held at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston in April, had 23 members. The second session,
which started June 6, has 31 members.
Companies participating in the Career Skills Program include
Holt Cat, which sells and services Caterpillar heavy equipment, engines and
generators for construction, mining, industrial, petroleum and agricultural
applications; Accenture, a professional services company; and Tenet Health, a
network of medical facilities that provide services including wellness, primary
care, urgent care, outpatient surgery,
rehabilitation and acute hospital care.
De Los Santos said Holt Cat was the first company to
participate in the Career Skills Program, providing training in their
state-of-the-art facility in San Antonio and jobs that pay a living wage.
Solar Ready Vets, a Department of Energy program that trains
service members for careers in the solar energy field, will begin in the fall
at St. Philip’s College. The program is being offered to transitioning service
members through an agreement between JBSA and Alamo Colleges.
De Los Santos said JBSA has partnerships with the United
Services Organizations Inc. office in San Antonio which will enable USO
counselors to assist service members in finding jobs and resume writing, and
with the U.S Department of Labor, the Texas Workforce Commission and the Texas
Veterans Commission to provide help to transitioning service members.
For more information on P4 initiative programs, contact the
502nd FSG at 221-2632.