Photo By Melissa Buckley | During the Transition Assistance Program’s Hiring Fair Oct. 12 in Nutter Field...... read more read more
FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — Leaving one job for another can be a nerve-wracking experience, especially when trying to transition from a military to a civilian career. That is why the Fort Leonard Wood Army Transition Assistance Program hosted a Career Fair Oct. 12 in Nutter Field House.
Set to leave his Army career in less than two years, Master Sgt. Colin Kerr, senior combat devotional noncommissioned officer for the Field Force Integration Directorate at the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence, said he came to the event to help him plan for his future.
“Retiring is not an easy thing. It can be scary, especially if you don’t know what you are going to do,” Kerr said. “I wanted to be here to check out my opportunities. There are so many great businesses here.”
According to Alfredia Williams, a transition services specialist for TAP, 45 employers, such as city, county, state and federal law enforcement, Lake Regional Medical Health Systems, Waynesville School District, Kirby-Smith Machinery, United Rentals and the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, participated in the fair. participated in the fair.
The face behind one of those employers was former Soldier, Jonny Moschos. He is the fleet maintenance manager for St. James Transports.
“I was an 88M Motor Transport Operator right here at Fort Leonard Wood,” Moschos said. “I feel the need to continue to support the military, so I came here to help out.”
In addition to supporting his fellow Army family members, he said he likes to hire former service members because they bring their military habits with them.
“They are dependable. If I give a veteran a job, I know they are going to get it done. They are reliable,” Moschos said.
He said he is hoping to offer truck drivers wanting to stay in the area a local option.
“We stay local. Most of the major carriers will not accept military experience, but we do,” Moschos said. “We take the military experience into consideration and they will start at a higher pay rate. We are family oriented and we work with our employees. We take our employees needs into consideration with dispatching and planning, too.”
Kerr said he was impressed at the employer options at the event.
“A lot of these businesses are local, and some have branches world-wide. It all depends on where my family and I are going to end up, but it is nice to have options,” Kerr said. “Networking is key. The ability to have all these great opportunities in one stop is a huge help.”
According to Williams, this hiring fair, which 121 people attended, is just one of four career fairs the Fort Leonard Wood TAP team hosts each year.
“The largest event (we host) is the Hiring Our Heroes Career Summit; that event is scheduled for August 2024,” Williams said.
| Date Taken: | 10.12.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 10.20.2023 08:44 |
| Story ID: | 456197 |
| Location: | FORT LEONARD WOOD, MISSOURI, US |
| Web Views: | 46 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Hiring fair sets transitioning service members up for success, by Melissa Buckley, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
