Introduction
Ladies and gentlemen, it's an honor and privilege to welcome you to the Patriot Podcast. My Name is Chris Obermeyer, I'm the sponsor of Patriot and the host of this podcast. Today I have the pleasure of hosting United States Air Force MSgt and Farm Credit Services of America's SkillBridge Intern, Lalaine Flores. Before we learn all about Lalaine, I want to take some time and showcase who Patriot is, highlight some previous events we held, and provide insights on what this podcast is about.
Transition
Transitioning from the military is often stressful, whether you have served 4 years or 20. While there are resources available, they are often delivered as a crash course, leaving service members with many questions. Learning from years of feedback, the Department of Defense created the SkillBridge program.
SkillBridge
- Each year approximately 200,000 service members, stationed in more than 140 military installations in the U.S. and overseas, will separate from active duty.
- History tells us that too many of these transitioning Service Members will struggle to find employment after leaving the Military.
- 35,000 represents that amount of service members who are stationed within the area Farm Credit Services of America and Frontier Farm Credit serves.
- 6,000 is the number of servicemembers who will separate or retire annually within our Farm Credit Services of America and Frontier Farm Credit’s 5 state footprint.
- For Example: 76% Vets say their transition was stressful.
- 52% Say it was confusing.
- And More staggering is the employment gaps, especially between women and men.
- This data tells us that there’s room for improvement!
- Transitioning from the military is no different and In 1991, The DoD Created the TAP program. Which consists of a 2-day crash course for separating service members and the tracks cover numerous topics that include: how to pursue additional education, finding a job, starting their own business and various others tracks but the interest of time, I will not go into the details for each.
- So, recognizing there was a need to do more, The Department of Defense wanted to fill the transition gap and created SkillBridge to provide focused emphasis on assisting members with their transition to civilian opportunities.
- This program provides retiring and separating Service members the opportunity to participate in industry training programs while transitioning out of their Military careers.
- Military members can participate in SkillBridge during the last 180 days of service, and Spouses may take part while their partner serves on Active Duty.
Transition to Lalaine
With that being said, it’s time to get to the heart of this podcast and give you an opportunity to learn about our special guest, United States Air Force MSgt, and SkillBridge intern, Lalaine Flores.
Lalaine, welcome again!
To get started, let's give our listeners the opportunity to learn about you and your journey to Farm Credit Services of America.
- Where are you from originally?
- In the Philippines, did you have any exposure to Agriculture?
- Why did you decide to join the military?
- Did you have any Military influence, such as family members who served?
- How long have you been in?
- In the A.F., everyone has the opportunity to attend Basic Training at Lackland AFB, in San Antonio, TX. What was your most memorable time in Basic Training?
- Please tell us about your current role in the Air Force?
- What other jobs have you held?
- What's your daily routine like?
- Where have you been stationed?
- What was your best assignment? And Why?
- Did you go on any Deployments? If so, where?
- In the military, you train all the time, what was the best training you received?
- What motivates you?
- What does being a veteran mean to you?
- What challenges do you feel veterans face today?
- Something people may not know…you speak 4 languages
- Favorite hobbies?
- How have your kids benefited from your service?
Transition to SkillBridge
Lalaine….Let's talk about your transition to Farm Credit Services of America
- How did you hear about us?
- Please describe the process for getting approval from the Air Force to participate in SkillBridge?
- How did you get selected to Farm Credit Services of America?
- When did you start with us and how long will you be here?
- What team have you been working with?
- What HR programs and processes have you been exposed to and have had the opportunity to work on?
- What are some things that are like your role in the Air Force? What's different?
- Were you given the opportunity to take any ODL classes? If so, what were they?
- Overall, what's your experience been like?
- How would you describe our culture
- How well do we embody our "We are Statements"
Closing
Lalaine, thank you so much for your time and I’d like to thank everyone for listening and please be on the lookout for episode 2…you’re not going to want to miss it!
