Military News And Articles

That Work For You

Military Education News And Info

Stay up-to-date with news and information about your military education. You can get the information you need to make informed decisions about your online and military correspondence programs. Learn what's going on with military education and how you can make a smooth military transition. Your civilian career awaits you!

Army Will Grow Military Benefits Support for Family

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Next year Army families can expect more services, support and military benefits because of a $700 million increase in the 2009 Army Budget. This amounts to a doubling of the Army's 2008 family support services and will translate into more staff at family readiness groups, better child care and more military spouse education opportunities.

The 2009 portion of the Army's family support budget will be set at $1.4 billion. Much of the Army's initiatives are centered on helping military spouses with more child care resources so they can pursue either employment or career education. One way that military spouses can prepare for career is through accredited military education options such as training at a 100% online vocational school.

Online schools have been creating educational opportunities to aid the military family, including scholarships for military spouses and scholarships for military dependents. The advantage of training online is that military spouses can maintain their daily commitments to their family and the community, while still preparing for a career like medical transcription, medical coding or real estate sales.

Allied Schools is an example of an online school that offers both scholarships for military wives as well as scholarships for military children. When service members enroll at Allied using Tuition Assistance (TA) and then completes one module/course, their spouse or dependent enrolls at no charge under Allied's Military Family Scholarship Program.
Allied Schools, www.education4military.com


Labels: , ,

more>>

Posted by Allied @ 10:41 AM • 0 comments

Aid for Military Spouses Expands

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Education benefits for active duty military spouses keeps getting better and better. The government recently announced it will expand the Military Spouse Career Advancement Initiative to include the military spouses of all ranks, which will be a real boost for military spouse education training.

The pilot program began in January and provides military spouses at 18 select installations with Career Advancement Accounts (CAA) - funds which provide eligible military spouses with $3,000 for post-secondary education. And this funding is not to be confused with a loan program: this is a military spouse scholarship opportunity, which means spouses do not need to pay this money back.

The program originally was for spouses whose service member spouses were in grades E-1 through E-5 and O-1 through O-3. Now the program will be open to military spouses of all ranks, allowing more and more men and women to access career training.

The program has proved to be popular at the 18 pilot installations, with more than 900 spouses having started school and begun enjoying their military spouse benefits.

The expansion of the Military Spouse Career Advancement Initiative will also allow spouses to receive money for remedial training and licensing courses, as well as being able to choose from a broader range of career training fields.

A host of federal efforts now, including last fall's Army Family Covenant, are aimed at reducing the stark unemployment numbers that face spouses in all service branches; in time, more well-trained spouses, should translate into more jobs for military spouses.

By helping military spouses with access and funding for career education, it's believed that military spouses can enjoy greater pay, career satisfaction and more stability. And in the end, as it's often been noted, the military family is the leading support system for many Soldiers, Marines, Sailors and Airmen.
Allied Schools, www.education4military.com

Labels: , , , ,

more>>

Posted by Allied @ 10:14 AM • 0 comments

NMFA Scholarship Application Available for Military Spouses

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Military spouses looking for scholarship money to help fund their educational goals should consider applying for the National Military Family Association's (NMFA) "Joanne Holbrook Patton Military Spouse Scholarship." The military spouses of active-duty military personnel (including National Guard and Reserve) are eligible.

Applications for this military spouse education programs are available online at NMFA's website and the deadline is March 15. Scholarship money ranges from $500 to $1,000 and the number of awards depends on current funding. According to NMFA's website, the scholarship money must be used "for accredited vocation or technical programs, ESL classes, associate's degrees, bachelor's degrees and graduate programs," as well as distance learning programs.

Online programs are an excellent resource for military spouses, because spouses don't need to worry about in-state/out-of-state tuition rates. Military spouses can use their scholarship funds to train for high-growth careers like medical transcription and medical coding. In some cases, military spouses are eligible for military spouse education programs at many schools. This tuition assistance for military spouses will help supplement scholarship funds for tuition, fees and textbooks.

Labels: ,

more>>

Posted by Allied @ 2:46 PM • 0 comments

What Marines Can Look for in 2008

It's a new year and there is a lot that Marines can look forward to in 2008. Marine Corps Times recently assembled their "must-know list" for Marines. We'll take a look at a few of the highlights:

More Leathernecks - The Corps is committed to a force of 202,000 Marines by 2011. With that goal in mind, 5,000 Marines are expected to be added this year.

Resigning Bonuses - Details aren't available, but the Marine Corps is looking to retain qualified men and women with competitive bonuses.

Appearance Counts - A great PFT won't cut it anymore! You now have to look like a Marine, which means that your body fat percentage better be ship-shape.

The Osprey - Expect to meet the MV-22 Osprey if you deploy this year. The goal in Iraq is to eventually replace the CH-46E and the CH-53D.

Running Suit - Your sea bag may contain the new green running suit by the end of the year. Enjoy!

In the area of military education benefits in 2008, Marines can continue to take advantage of 100% Federal Tuition Assistance (TA), which pays up to 100% of tuition and fees for military distance learning courses. When leathernecks begin preparing for their military to civilian transition, civilian education courses will prove invaluable. Marines can also earn bonus points for promotion as part of this marine program education.

In addition, married Marines can now help their husbands or wives when they use Marine Spouse Scholarships at Allied Schools. When they enroll, their Marine spouses can enroll in a select course at no charge. This is military spouse education at its best. Tuition assistance for military spouses allows marine spouses to get career training that will pay dividends when they're hunting for a civilian job.

Labels: , ,

more>>

Posted by Allied @ 2:41 PM • 0 comments

Navy Spouse Group Offers Support, Mentoring

The Navy's all-volunteer spouse support group "Compass" held a training conference in December 2007 at the Fleet Anti-Submarine Warfare Base in San Diego, Calif.

The conference was titled "Compass Connections" and included Compass teams from around the world. As reported in Navy Compass newspaper, the "purpose was for Compass team leaders and trainers to get to know one another while going over the teaching curriculum and teaching new ideas."

Compass, a division of Naval Services FamilyLine, is a 12-hour program taught by Navy spouses for Navy spouses. The program is designed primarily for new Navy spouses and seeks to help them integrate into the Navy culture. New spouses are mentored by spouses who have been part of the Navy for a longer time - helping them navigate the procedures, jargon and lifestyle that are unique to Navy culture.

"All spouses are welcome. There are no ranks, no communities; we come in here with our first names only, no last names, "Compass director Rosemary Ellis told Navy Compass. "The only reason that you're in the room is that you are married to a Sailor. That's what we all have in common."

In addition to meeting a network of Navy spouse peers, participants in Compass learn among other things, naval history, customs, pay scales, resources and benefits.

And when it comes to benefits, military spouses now have an increasing number of education and career training resources available to them from the Navy, the federal government and private schools.

Some educational institutions that work with military personnel have created military spouse tuition assistance programs. Some schools offer discounts on military spouse education, while a few select schools have even begun offering no-charge tuition for military spouses when their spouses enroll using their Tuition Assistance benefit. Program education for military spouses is an essential part of any effort to address the high unemployment rate that plagues many military spouses.

Labels: , , ,

more>>

Posted by Allied @ 2:34 PM • 0 comments

Military Spouses Push for a Memorial Honoring their Legacy

Americans rightly acknowledge the sacrifices and heroic deeds of those who serve in the military, but all-too-often the contributions and sacrifices off military spouses are overlooked. This may soon change, however, if a military widow and a military spouse are successful in their goal to have a military spouse monument built in the Washington, D.C., area.

Karie Darga, the widow of a Sailor who made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq, and Navy spouse Nicole Alcorn have spearhead the memorial effort. Their efforts got a boost this summer when Rep. Thelma Drake, R-Va., introduced a bill in the House to authorize construction of the monument on public property.

Supporters of the monument expect it to be funded entirely with public funds, with the cost expected to be between $30 and $50 million.

The memorial would be a fitting tribute to the men and women who are truly the backbone of the American service member. During long deployments overseas, military spouses maintain the family finances, care for the children and often work to bring in additional income - all without the daily support of their husbands or wives. Their sacrifices make it possible for military personnel to focus on their mission with the confidence that their family is well-taken care of.

Hope for a memorial coincides with the Army unveiling its new Army Family Covenant, which among other things, acknowledges the sacrifices of military spouses and lays out plans to help them improve resources in the areas of child care, education and career training.

When it comes to education, military spouses can take advantage of tuition assistance for military spouse programs at many schools. Military spouse education is an important element in helping military spouses meet the career and educational goals they set for themselves. Military spouse tuition discounts can be found at many schools serving the educational needs of military spouses.

Labels: ,

more>>

Posted by Allied @ 1:49 PM • 0 comments

Marine Spouses to Get Boost from MCFTB Budget Increase

When we think of long wars, we naturally think of the impact on troops and equipment, but the military family is equally strained when conflicts continue for multiple years. With this in mind, Marine Corps officials have announced a $30 million budget increase to a USMC program that looks to strengthen both Marines and the Marine family while the longest all-volunteer war in our nation's history continues.

Like the Army's recent "Army Family Covenant," the Marine Corps Family Team Building (MCFTB) program recognizes that military families are the warrior's true support system. Marine Corps leaders understand that current family programs are still based on the realities of a peace-time Corps, and as a result, they've committed to increasing the MCFTB's resources.

The MCFTB offers programs that, among other things, offers spouse-to-spouse orientation for spouses new to the Marine Corps, personal and professional growth workshops for spouses, Military OneSource resources, marriage and relationship seminars and religious enrichment programs run by Navy chaplains.

The impact of this funding will reportedly be seen early this year during the first fiscal quarter and is supported on all major Marine installations by the Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS).

In addition to the MCFTB programs, Marine spouses can also take advantage of military spouse education opportunities by pursuing military spouse scholarships and searching online for schools that offer military spouse tuition discounts. The Navy-Marine Corp Relief Society offers scholarships to Marine spouses - information can be found at their site www.usmc-mccs.org/ - while many online schools offer some form of tuition assistance for military spouses.

Labels: ,

more>>

Posted by Allied @ 1:32 PM • 0 comments

Marine Child Care Program Helps Marine Spouses at SC Base

Marine spouses at MCAS, Beaufort, S.C., now have more than a fighting chance when it comes to facing the challenges of wanting to care for children and earn an income.

The Fightertown Marine Corps Community Services' (MCCS) new Home Care program aids Marine spouses in two important ways. First, by providing well-qualified child care providers on base, it keeps children within the Marine community. It also trains Marine spouses themselves to be child care providers, which provides them both an income and a chance to watch their own children. Spouses in the program can watch their own kids, along with other Marine children, with the maximum number capped at six.

For Marine spouses who want to work as child care providers, or to work at jobs off base, this is encouraging news. A 2004 Rand Group study revealed the obstacles military spouses face when it comes to their education and career goals. The study noted that nearly 25% of Marine spouses actively looking for work could not find a job; a figure much higher than spouses in the civilian world.

MCAS Beaufort's Air Station Child Development Center holds one-week child care certification classes to train Marine spouses. The Home Care program is only for military families and the homes and child care providers are monitored by the MCCS - there are up to three unannounced house visits per month.

Marine spouses who place their children in the Home Care program can then go on to work outside the home. This also frees up time for career training at the base education center, at nearby colleges or even online, through distance learning programs.

In terms of military spouse education, online career training gives Marine spouses the opportunity to become, for example, real estate agents, medical transcriptionists or medical administrative assistants; Allied Schools offer Marine spouse scholarships for a number of different vocational careers. Marine spouses can learn more about distance education courses by speaking with the ESO at the military education center. Additionally, spouses should know that some online schools offer special military spouse tuition discounts.

Labels: ,

more>>

Posted by Allied @ 1:12 PM • 0 comments

Scholarship Money for Military Spouse Education

Several years ago the Rand Group surveyed military spouses from four service branches concerning their employment and education opportunities.

In general, the study's findings were disappointing. Among other things, the 2004 study noted that Army spouses were three times more likely than civilian spouses to be unemployed, while 25% of Marine Corps spouses actively seeking work could not locate a job.

Military spouse noted that three major obstacles stopped them from getting career training, and ultimately getting a job: lack of affordable/available childcare, limited education offerings on base at the military distance learning centers and frequent reassignments to new duty-stations, often out of state. The military and the Department of Defense are aware of these issues and have implemented programs to address these needs, for they understand that unhappy military spouses often influence whether an active-duty spouse decides to reenlist.

Click here to learn more about Military Spouse Education and Scholarships



One of the keys to addressing the career woes of military spouses is to make Internet service and computers more available to spouses, opening up the option of military distance learning (online) education, where military spouses can train for a civilian career regardless of where their family is stationed.

One way to help with tuition for online courses is with scholarships from local and national military spouses' clubs. Most bases have a local spouses' club that offers scholarships to dependants and military spouses of service members stationed at their base. Many have websites with deadlines and application information.

Several national organizations also offer scholarships, grants or military education loans; a few examples are included below:

Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society
Army Emergency Relief
Air Force Aid Society
Coast Guard Mutual Aid

Military spouses can use their scholarship money to take military distance learning classes at accredited online schools. Some schools offer military spouse education discounts, so military spouses should be sure to identify themselves when registering for courses.

Labels: , ,

more>>

Posted by Allied @ 1:04 PM • 0 comments

Online Horizon Beckons Air Force Spouses

The scene is being played out on Air Force bases all across the country: a plane with Airmen returning from overseas deployments lands on an airfield; children hop into the arms of Airmen in beige camies, while spouses clutching American flags wipe away tears.

It's a precious time for these families, but somewhere on another U.S. airfield, other Airmen are saying goodbye to their spouses and children and readying themselves for their long separation.

Deployed Airmen generally worry more about their wives or husbands than themselves. They understand the mission will keep them busy most days, while their spouses will struggle to fill the void left by their spouse's absence. There are dozens of things Airmen can do for their spouses, but one of the most important is to get the family's financial house in order. Air Force families should first hold a financial summit meeting, and then work on paying off all credit card debts, outlining a strict budget for the deployment period and setting up a liquid money market account to serve as an emergency savings reserve.

If there are concerns that the family's current income isn't enough, then a serious discussion about a second or increased income might be appropriate. One option for Airmen is to educate spouses about distance education - emphasizing how it can provide a quick and convenient career training. Airmen, like most service members, are familiar with military distance learning online - the military has relied on it for years, but for many civilians, it's a new concept.

It's entirely possible that an Airman's spouse could receive online vocational training, secure a job and then begin making money all in the span of a 12-month deployment. And because the military distance courses are 100% online, spouses can train for a career even if there are young children in the home - military online education can be completed while the kids are napping or after they go to bed.

Airmen looking to help their spouses find a new career can look to the U.S. Department of Labor, which projects that jobs in the medical field will grow 27% from now until the year 2014. Career training for a number of medical office jobs, such as medical transcriptionist, medical administrative assistant and medical coder, can be completed within less than a year. And medical transcriptionists, for one, can ultimately work from home as a contract employee or proprietor of their own medical transcriptionist business - a nice advantage for an Air Force spouse who must accompany her husband or wife to a new duty station every few years.

When helping their spouses choose Air Force spouse education at an online school, Airmen should make sure the institution is accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), offers live student support by phone and provides some kind of job placement assistance. Airmen are advised to contact the ESO at the base military education center, discuss issues concerning air force program education and ask about the reputation of various distance education schools.

Labels: , ,

more>>

Posted by Allied @ 12:58 PM • 0 comments