FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 5, 2011
Contact Maj. Kimberly Holman (805) 340-7301

NATIONAL CITY, Calif. – Unemployment looms on the horizon for thousands of California National Guardsmen returning home from deployment, and volunteers in San Diego have come up with a special event aiming to ease this difficult transition.

The first-ever “Employment Summit” will be held at the National City Armory on April 13. This all-day event organized by Employer Support for Guard and Reserve (ESGR) is intended to be a blueprint for future events to be held all over the state at National Guard units where unemployment is an immense issue, according to ESGR officials.

“This event is different from any other employment event because it is tailored to fit the needs of each individual Guardsmen,” said Patrick Morrissey, Military Outreach Coordinator for ESGR. “Unlike a job fair, our ESGR volunteers have gathered specialized key assets to come together in one place and help prepare for life after deployment–whether they aim to find a new job, go to school, use unemployment benefits or any combination of those—we will get them ready.”

On April 13, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Guardsmen will channel through the National City Armory classroom and drill floor area in groups of about 20 for a few hours of career counseling and resume tweaking. The individual needs of each person which will be assessed upon their arrival to the armory to customize their Employment Summit experience. Troops will receive on-the-spot help with resume writing, hone their interview skills, and will see immediate results from online job searches with Jobing.com and Employer Partnership with the Armed Forces (EPAF). All results of the job search and the resume will be placed on a CD provided for each Guardsman to take home. Representatives from Employment Development Department and the Veteran’s Administration will be present to explain benefits including health-care and accomplish registration. Representatives from college and university programs to include Ashford University, Martinsburg Institute, and Argosy University will be present for those who choose to take advantage of benefits for school being offered to the National Guard.

Media are invited to attend this event. For more information, please contact Maj. Kimberly Holman, public affairs officer for Joint Task Force Sierra at (805) 340-7301.