Boots in Business, the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce's military mentoring initiative, is now up and running, allowing Camp Pendleton-based service members who are about to exit the military and their spouses an opportunity to find out what life is like in the civilian workforce.
Boots in Business enlists the help of businesses to provide job shadowing opportunities for the participants. During their time with the program, participants report to the business they've been assigned to and observe employees as they go through their day-to-day schedules. They learn what kind of education or training is required for each position. Their stay can last from one to 30 days and they can shadow numerous jobs.
The goal is to allow participants to determine if a job they might be interested in is really for them, taking their research outside of books and Internet searches and placing it in the real world. The hope is that this program will help them use the VA education benefit programs (such as the GI Bill and Tuition Assistance) wisely.
The free program is available for active service members and their spouses who are within 12 months of separation from Camp Pendleton. Camp Pendleton staff conducts all of the screenings for the program and determines the eligibility of participants.
The program launched on Nov. 1. The Chamber made its first presentation at the Transition Assistance Management Program on Oct. 31, and presentations will be made weekly. Currently, 30 companies are participating, from global companies to sole proprietors. Together, they have 130 positions available to job shadow. Program Manager Madonna May is in the process of teaming up participants with businesses that match their interest.
Though it has just begun, the program is already making waves, and has been noticed by elected officials for its unique take on tackling the high unemployment rate that our military veterans are walking into when they finish their years of service.
Current unemployment rate for recently discharged male military personnel between the ages of 18 to 24 is approximately 27 percent. At Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, more than 8,000 military personnel leave active duty each year, entering a job pool that continues to struggle with the economic downturn.
In November, U.S. Rep. Bilbray proposed H.R. 3340, the "Help Inspire and Retrain our Exceptional (HIRE) Veterans Act of 2011" which was inspired by Boots in Business.
The legislation would allow the Department of Commerce to distribute grants to local Chamber of Commerce to create job training, apprenticeship and internship programs for local veterans.
"One of the biggest obstacles for unemployed veterans is connecting to employers," Bilbray said in a statement after introducing the bill. "The HIRE Veterans Act of 2011 helps overcome this obstacle and provides opportunities to valuable members of our community with the resources they need to transition from the armed services to a civilian workforce."
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors also commended the work of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce at a conference on veterans affairs.
Chamber CEO and President Ted Owen, Boots in Business Program Manager Madonna May and Charles Blake, a veteran who took part in the mentoring program's pilot phase talked about the program and its goals.
The supervisors expressed their support.
"I think this is a great program," Supervisor Pam Slater-Price said. "I think its desperately needed and I think its wonderful for the young vet who are coming out of the military."
The program is looking for businesses to participate. For information, contact Madonna May at 760-931-8400 or [email protected].
Tri-City's Kevin McQueen with Charles Blake.
Meet program graduate Charles Blake
Charles Blake, 24, was a participant of the pilot phase of Boots in Business, the military mentoring initiative created by the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce and Camp Pendleton.
Blake, originally from Northern California, joined the U.S. Marines in August of 2006 and served for more than 4 years. He was in landing support and logistics. In 2008 he went to Iraq and was stationed in Fallujah.
He left the service in 2010 and was contemplating a career in nursing, when he heard about the Chamber's program. Blake signed on and spent a month at Tri-City Medical Center. He witnessed surgeries, spent time with EMTs and nurses, physician assistants and radiologists.
"I was looking at nursing because of the job security, but I did not know a tenth of the medical jobs that are out there until I was in the program," Blake said.
He soon discovered that nursing wasn't for him. The schooling took too long, and Blake realized that nursing classes at community colleges are often impacted and have long wait lists.
"I got to see what people actually do in their jobs every day," Blake said. "You can read a book and do research, but you don't see the daily life in a field until you're there."
He also found the field of respiratory therapy, and worked closely with Kevin McQueen, Tri-City's Operations Manager for the Pulmonary Services departments.
Blake said he didn't know the field of respiratory therapy even existed before his job shadowing opportunity.
He adds that taking part in the program gave him a head start on his career search.
"If I didn't participate in this program, I would have gone to nursing school, then gotten to a hospital and then realized, well, I want to do that job instead and then I would have had to go back to school," Blake said.
"I would have wasted four years of my life, whereas with this program, it was only 30 days and it showed me what I would like to do," he added.
Blake is currently enrolled at Concorde Career College in San Diego and expects to graduate with an associate's degree in respiratory therapy in May.
Boots in Business enlists the help of businesses to provide job shadowing opportunities for the participants. During their time with the program, participants report to the business they've been assigned to and observe employees as they go through their day-to-day schedules. They learn what kind of education or training is required for each position. Their stay can last from one to 30 days and they can shadow numerous jobs.
The goal is to allow participants to determine if a job they might be interested in is really for them, taking their research outside of books and Internet searches and placing it in the real world. The hope is that this program will help them use the VA education benefit programs (such as the GI Bill and Tuition Assistance) wisely.
The free program is available for active service members and their spouses who are within 12 months of separation from Camp Pendleton. Camp Pendleton staff conducts all of the screenings for the program and determines the eligibility of participants.
The program launched on Nov. 1. The Chamber made its first presentation at the Transition Assistance Management Program on Oct. 31, and presentations will be made weekly. Currently, 30 companies are participating, from global companies to sole proprietors. Together, they have 130 positions available to job shadow. Program Manager Madonna May is in the process of teaming up participants with businesses that match their interest.
Though it has just begun, the program is already making waves, and has been noticed by elected officials for its unique take on tackling the high unemployment rate that our military veterans are walking into when they finish their years of service.
Current unemployment rate for recently discharged male military personnel between the ages of 18 to 24 is approximately 27 percent. At Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, more than 8,000 military personnel leave active duty each year, entering a job pool that continues to struggle with the economic downturn.
In November, U.S. Rep. Bilbray proposed H.R. 3340, the "Help Inspire and Retrain our Exceptional (HIRE) Veterans Act of 2011" which was inspired by Boots in Business.
The legislation would allow the Department of Commerce to distribute grants to local Chamber of Commerce to create job training, apprenticeship and internship programs for local veterans.
"One of the biggest obstacles for unemployed veterans is connecting to employers," Bilbray said in a statement after introducing the bill. "The HIRE Veterans Act of 2011 helps overcome this obstacle and provides opportunities to valuable members of our community with the resources they need to transition from the armed services to a civilian workforce."
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors also commended the work of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce at a conference on veterans affairs.
Chamber CEO and President Ted Owen, Boots in Business Program Manager Madonna May and Charles Blake, a veteran who took part in the mentoring program's pilot phase talked about the program and its goals.
The supervisors expressed their support.
"I think this is a great program," Supervisor Pam Slater-Price said. "I think its desperately needed and I think its wonderful for the young vet who are coming out of the military."
The program is looking for businesses to participate. For information, contact Madonna May at 760-931-8400 or [email protected].
Tri-City's Kevin McQueen with Charles Blake.
Meet program graduate Charles Blake
Charles Blake, 24, was a participant of the pilot phase of Boots in Business, the military mentoring initiative created by the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce and Camp Pendleton.
Blake, originally from Northern California, joined the U.S. Marines in August of 2006 and served for more than 4 years. He was in landing support and logistics. In 2008 he went to Iraq and was stationed in Fallujah.
He left the service in 2010 and was contemplating a career in nursing, when he heard about the Chamber's program. Blake signed on and spent a month at Tri-City Medical Center. He witnessed surgeries, spent time with EMTs and nurses, physician assistants and radiologists.
"I was looking at nursing because of the job security, but I did not know a tenth of the medical jobs that are out there until I was in the program," Blake said.
He soon discovered that nursing wasn't for him. The schooling took too long, and Blake realized that nursing classes at community colleges are often impacted and have long wait lists.
"I got to see what people actually do in their jobs every day," Blake said. "You can read a book and do research, but you don't see the daily life in a field until you're there."
He also found the field of respiratory therapy, and worked closely with Kevin McQueen, Tri-City's Operations Manager for the Pulmonary Services departments.
Blake said he didn't know the field of respiratory therapy even existed before his job shadowing opportunity.
He adds that taking part in the program gave him a head start on his career search.
"If I didn't participate in this program, I would have gone to nursing school, then gotten to a hospital and then realized, well, I want to do that job instead and then I would have had to go back to school," Blake said.
"I would have wasted four years of my life, whereas with this program, it was only 30 days and it showed me what I would like to do," he added.
Blake is currently enrolled at Concorde Career College in San Diego and expects to graduate with an associate's degree in respiratory therapy in May.