Contemporary narratives of ADF families focus on the sacrifices families make, the support they provide ADF members, and the role that plays in defence capability. After decades of peace, followed by wars on foreign shores, the “homefront” has become narrowly defined as the homes of ADF families. However, during times of war and other national … More Partner employment and national security
Last month I travelled to Washington DC to attend the 9th annual Military Spouse Employment Summit hosted by Hiring Our Heroes at the US Chamber of Commerce. It is always inspiring and invigorating to be surrounded by the Hiring Our Heroes team and their network of supportive employers. It makes me feel like things can … More Hiring Our Heroes Military Spouse Employment Summit
The knowledge that career development is good for individuals, families, communities, employers and the economy (and in this context, good for defence and national security) becomes the foundation for identifying and creating a suitable ADF partner career development strategy and framework and designing, developing and investing in suitable career development policies and programs. Rather than a problem-focused … More ADF partner employment: it’s more about asset and opportunity than problem solving
This article originally appeared on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/partner-employment-military-civilian-transition-amanda-mccue-cf/ Employment is a key feature of military transition programs. Here in Australia we have job search preparation workshops, coaching, supportive employer programs and even an employment awards program at the highest level of government. There is broad understanding that employment is an essential part of veteran wellbeing. According … More Partner employment and military to civilian transition
When it comes to families we generally don’t think that the rank of the member matters. And family support initiatives are tri-service (or purple) in their approach. But when it comes to partner careers it’s more nuanced than that. Because careers are where personal factors meet contextual ones. For ADF partners these contextual factors include where and how much our ADF members work, and how much of the unpaid family work we’re performing as a result. So it’s with interest that I look at the data from the 2019 Defence Census to find out how the ADF workforce is working in terms of service, rank and gender, and what implications it has for partner employment. … More Rank, gender and working arrangements of ADF members: results from the Defence Census and implications for partner employment
The intent and the content of current partner employment programs raises some interesting questions about what partner employment support in Australia should look like. I’m a big fan of the current Partner Employment Assistance Program (PEAP) but I have written before about how and why it is not enough on its own. What I find … More The confusing message of ADF partner employment support
This is a copy of the speech I presented as guest speaker at the Defence Families of Australia annual dinner in August 2018. Note it is not a transcript and I may have ad-libbed on the night! My main message that evening was that supporting the career development of ADF partners benefits families AND Defence. … More 2018 Speech to Defence leaders and stakeholders on ADF partner employment
I was honored and humbled to be awarded the Career Development Association of Australia Award for Excellence in Policy (Individual) at the 2019 CDAA Conference held in Canberra last month in recognition of my policy work involving military spouse career development. CDAA’s vision is a career development profession recognized for excellence and valued by all … More CDAA Awards for Excellence 2019
Defence industry can benefit from recruiting from the ADF partner talent pool as part of efforts to grow its workforce to meet the demands associated with the government’s $200 billion investment in defence capability Read more about why ADF partners are a workforce solution for Australia’s Defence Industry. Link to the article in Defence Connect.
Career stories from ADF partners. #1 Amelia McInerney – Author … More A Force To Be Reckoned With #1
