Military Employment Transition Spouse Program METSpouse

2 Agenda Military spouse demographics Military family realities Military Employment Transition Spouse Program – Program criteria – Benefits of the program

3 Military Spouses in Canada 61,500+ military spouses are located across Canada in every province and territory, from metropolitan areas to remote towns. * Map represents approximate military spouse populations. Please note 9,200 spouses are not included in the provincial numbers.

4 How would we describe the military spouse population?

5 Age of CAF Spouses 67% are between the ages of % are male 77% report English as their first language 23% report French as their first language 82% live off base in civilian homes 64% are the spouse of a Regular Force member 36% are the spouse of a Reservist Diverse 5

6 Educated & Skilled 62.14% have a post-secondary diploma or degree. Reported CAF Spousal Education Military spouses represent a variety of industries and professions 6

Motivated Recent research found that there is an “infusion of a ‘can do’ spirit in overcoming obstacles and impediments among many non-serving partners…” CF Ombudsman Report Military Spouse Top Motivations for Employment Pay bills and cover expenses Achieve personal fulfilment Maintain skills and career status Gain independence “It can be done. You can find the job you want. You can be your own person” – Military Spouse 7

Adaptable and mobile The normal duration of a military posting is 3-5 years; however; postings vary based on circumstance. When surveyed, 20% of military spouses had been in their current location for 3-5 years and 30% for more than 5 years. Top feelings reported by spouses when their partner is deployed:CapableConfident In Control Military spouses are experts at adapting to change. 8

Military Family Realities In order to fully understand the employment challenges faced by military spouses, it is important to understand the military family lifestyle. Today’s families have been asked to do more than in the past, and more often. Canadian military families are similar to civilian Canadian families, but differ in several distinctive ways. 9

10 Military Family Realities MobilitySeparationRisk Military families relocate three times more than the average Canadian family. Military family members face ongoing and sporadic separation from their serving family member due to trainings and deployments. Military families must accept the inherent dangers and risks involved in military training and volatile operations.

11 Military Spouse Employment Challenges As a result of the unique characteristics associated with the military family lifestyle, non-serving military spouses may experiences the following challenges: Limited viable employment opportunities in small towns and remote areas Inability to retain seniority, receive promotions or engage in professional growth opportunities due to recurring relocations Difficulty transferring professional credentials to a new province Trouble re-entering the professional workforce after staying home to care for children for a period of time Under-employed and overlooked by employers due to sporadic work history often attributed to mobility

12 What is METSpouse?

13 METSpouse Program led by Canada Company, supported by MFS and facilitated through MFRCs; Network of national employers committed to promoting employment opportunities to military spouses and exploring portable employment opportunities when a spouse is relocated. A charitable, non-partisan organization that serves to build the bridge between business and community leaders and the Canadian Military Canada Company

14 METSpouse Program Design METSpouse will mirror the existing MET program o Military Family Resource Centre (MFRC) participation o Focus on equal accommodation and employment mobility Recruitment focusing in 7 areas – Halifax, NS; Valcartier, QC; Montréal, QC; Ottawa, ON; Toronto, ON; Winnipeg, MN and Shilo, MN. Employers agree to track: military spouse hires and spouses retained internally across a posting Currently 28 employers Member only online platform

15 METSpouse Employer Partners 15

16 METSpouse In addition to MET Employer Partner Requirements, we ask METSpouse partners to: Provide military spouses with pay equal to their civilian counterparts with the same level of qualifications Explore and support labour mobility opportunities, when possible, if and when a military spouse relocates Charge no fees or costs for military spouse employment opportunities Identify an individual within the organization to act as the primary point of contact for the METSpouse program and who will participate in new employer training Employer Criteria

Provide METSpouse with quarterly hiring data including: hires and hires retained corporately when relocating Ensure partnership information is communicated internally to all hiring managers and leadership (handouts) Sign a Terms of Reference document (or amendment) to demonstrate an organizational commitment to the METSpouse employer criteria 17 METSpouse Employer Criteria

18

19

20 Benefits of METSpouse Promotion of employment opportunities in your area o Hot Jobs o LinkedIn o Career Fairs (in-person/virtual) Best Practices for hiring and retaining military spouses Overall company promotion and advocacy to military community METSpouse

21 Katie Ochin Program Manager- Employment & Entrepreneurship Military Family Services Kerry Wheelehan Senior Business Consultant Canada Company