July 11 Event: Software.org and Blue Star Families Announce New Partnership to Help Military Spouses Get Software Jobs
WHAT: There’s an enormous opportunity to train military spouses to succeed in software jobs that can be done from almost anywhere in the world.
- The software industry has more jobs than it can fill—and the availability of tech jobs is greatly outpacing the supply of talent.
- Active duty military spouses face a 24% unemployment rate. Military families relocate 10 times more often than civilian families, making it difficult for spouses to keep their employment. In fact, 41% of spouses say the greatest challenge in seeking employment as a military spouse is companies not wanting to hire someone who may be moved.
Software.org: The BSA Foundation will host a lunch event featuring Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) to announce a partnership with Blue Star Families that will connect military spouses with an aptitude for tech positions to Software.org’s skills training portal TransformYourTrade.org.
A panel of experts will discuss: How can we work together to ensure that military spouses can re-skill themselves into roles that are more compatible with military life, and help fill the nearly 1.3 million open tech jobs across the country?
WHO: Remarks from:
- Senator Mark Warner, Vice Chairman, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
- Victoria Espinel, CEO, Software.org: the BSA Foundation
- Kathy Roth-Douquet, CEO, Blue Star Families
- Panel to discuss industry efforts to help train military spouses, featuring:
- Niki Christoff, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Government Relations, Salesforce
- Danny Chung, Chief of Staff for Military Affairs, Microsoft
- Beth Conlin, Senior Advisor for Careers, Blue Star Families
- Bobbi Rossiter, USMC Military spouse, Program Manager, The Resume Place
An audience Q&A will follow the panel discussion. Lunch will be served.
Speakers will be available for press interviews directly following the panel’s Q&A discussion.
WHEN: Thursday, July 11, 2019 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: G11 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC
MEDIA RSVP: Please RSVP to Riley Smith at riley@allisonpr.com or 202-591-1125 or Ani Matson at amatson@bluestarfam.org.
About Blue Star Families:
Blue Star Families builds communities that support military families by connecting research and data to programs and solutions, including career development tools, local community events for families, and caregiver support. Since its inception in 2009, Blue Star Families has engaged tens of thousands of volunteers and serves more than 1.5 million military family members. With Blue Star Families, military families can find answers to their challenges anywhere they are. For more information, visit bluestarfam.org.