Discover 6 Employment, Education Opportunities

Various agencies and groups are offering classes, scholarships and even free museum entry to military family members this summer. 

Free tax course for military spouses: The Employment Readiness Program (ERP), in partnership with H & R Block, will provide vouchers for military spouses to enroll in the H & R Block tax school.

The tax school, which costs about $300, is free to military spouses of active duty, reserve, deceased and retirees of any branch of the service. This program allows military spouses to attend the tax training school at no cost to them. Students who pass will be certified as tax professionals and perhaps work for H & R Block during tax season. 

This training creates seasonal employment as well as a portable job for military spouses. Spouses should stop by the ERP to receive a voucher, to enroll in the course and get additional information. 

Please do not sign up on the H & R Block website without speaking to a staff member at the Employment Readiness Program first. For more information please contact the ERP office staff at (910) 396-2390/ 396-1425.

'How-to' seminars for those seeking positions with the Secret Service: The Employment Readiness Program, in partnership with Homeland Security Secret Service Division and the Army Aluminum Program, will provide two seminars on Aug. 2 that explain how to apply for positions in the Secret Service.

The first session will be directed toward the transitioning soldier from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. A second session, for military spouses, will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Homeland Security/Secret Service is in Room 1-C-105a&b, 1st Floor, of the Soldier Support Center on Normandy Drive. The Aug. 2 sessions will be held on the 3rd floor at the Soldier Support Center. For more information please contact the ERP office staff at (910) 396-2390/ 396-1425.

Methodist College offers scholarships for the military: Methodist University is a participant in the Yellow Ribbon Program for full-time students who have served on active duty for at least 36 months since Sept. 10, 2001. 

The Department of Veteran Affairs has begun processing applications for the John David Fry Scholarship. The scholarship is worth more than $100,000 for education expenses. To be eligible, applicants must have lost a parent who was serving on active duty since Sept. 11, 2001. To learn more about the Fry Scholarship and to download an application, visit the Veteran Affairs website.

Hundreds of museums offer free entry: Military families can get free entry to hundreds of museums from Memorial Day to Labor Day through the Blue Star Museum program, sponsored by Blue Star Families and the National Endowment for the Arts. As part of the program, more than 1,300 museums across America offer free admission to families with a parent or spouse serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, especially focusing on the approximately 1 million children who have had at least one parent deployed. This program offers these families a chance to visit museums this summer when many will have limited resources and limited time to be together.

 AFTB (Army Family Team Building) offers classes: These free classes offer a great opportunity to learn about military lifestyle, enhance personal growth, and develop leadership skills. There is limited free childcare available to those who call in advance. Dee Ann M. Rader, AFTB Program Manager 910-907-3393. For more information, visit the Army MWR website.