12
Boots on the Ground:
A Look at Soldier for Life – Transition Assistance Program at Fort Hood , Texas
Sandy Artman, T2TL Program Manager with Robert Schumacher, Fort Hood Soldier for Life Marketing Coordinator and Transition Services Specialist
Our T2TL Program Manager, Sandy Artman recently attended a mega-career fair hosted by the Soldier for Life – Transition Assistance Program in Fort Hood, Texas. Sandy sat down with Robert Schumacher, Marketing Coordinator and Transition Service Specialist to learn about the Soldier for Life program in action at Fort Hood.
Sandy: How many Soldiers/Veterans/Spouses attended your MEGA event on Tuesday, 26 Jan? How many employers?
Robert: 3,500 was the job seeker count. We do not break it out by categories, but we average 75-85% active military, 5-10% veterans, and the remainder civilians. We had 161 employers and 13 support agencies.
Sandy: How difficult is it to schedule these events and ensure Soldier participation?
Robert: It's not difficult to prepare and execute the event -- it just takes a great deal of time, energy and planning. Soldier participation simply happens. We market and communicate the event widely, but the event's reputation is well known, so mass emails and Facebook posts get the word out. We also have a radio and print marketing campaign.
Sandy: What do you see as the biggest challenge for Veterans at these events?
Robert: They need to think outside of the box. Most see employers by their brand. They see a large police department and say "I don't want to be a cop." The reality is only a portion of a police department's staff are officers.
Left: Members of the Fort Hood community line up to talk to companies at an SFL career event at Fort Hood. Fort Hood represents the largest transition point for the Army.