Loyalist College engages military families in new entrepreneurship transitional employment study

Adapting programs to support transitional and remote work

Belleville, Ontario, February 3, 2021 – Loyalist College is seeking participants to engage in a new study that examines information on assisting transitional employment opportunities for military families. Due to the needs of the service, military families often find themselves in situations of unemployment or underemployment.

First Flight Discovery, named after its affiliation to 8 Wing/Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Trenton, is a Loyalist College research project which examines the nature of employment challenges faced by the military family community. With funding from the Government of Ontario and supported by 8 Wing/CFB Trenton and the Trenton Military Family Resource Centre, Loyalist College has established a team to assess the need and scope for entrepreneurship training for military families.

“The employment landscape has significantly changed as a result of the pandemic, and workplace adaptations are evolving to plan for a completely different post-pandemic future,” said Dr. Ann Marie Vaughan, Loyalist College President and CEO. “Loyalist College’s study will look at this new agile environment, assess the needs of our local CFB Trenton community and evaluate our postsecondary programs. It is our hope that this report provides recommendations for meaningful transitional or remote working opportunities for military families who are so valued and appreciated.”

On average, military families move two to six times in a member’s career. According to the study, ‘The State of Military Families,’ conducted by Military Family Services, there is an average of 966 moves into and out of the CFB Trenton region each year. Nationally it is estimated that over 10,000 families are relocated each year (8,000 of these moves are to different provinces).

“Canadian military families move often, experience regular family separation and frequently have loved ones at risk,” said Tamara Kleinschmidt, Executive Director, Trenton Military Family Resource Centre. “No other occupation in Canada experiences these three factors at the same intensity as military families. The impact on a spouse’s career is profound. Understanding the scope of employment challenges and providing transitional and entrepreneurial opportunities will support the wellbeing of military families.”

Military families are constantly facing the impacts of moving, including; new schools, finding medical services, and employment. “In one 2018 study, it was found that for many, this is a negative impact – approximately half of families (43 percent of military members and 52 percent of spouses) who relocated felt their financial situations became worse after the move.” (Manser, 2018b)

An entrepreneur with a military partner based at CFB Trenton, Sarah Rozema-Seaton, started her marketing business over five years ago. After seven moves and seven deployments, she needed to adapt and look at how she could maintain continuous employment. Since becoming her own boss, her business has grown and includes working with military spouses across Canada.“Having moved multiple times, I looked at how to adapt my career,” said Rozema-Seaton. “I found it frustrating to have to start at the bottom every time we moved. Sometimes employment opportunities were not available. With almost 20 years in the industry, I adapted and started my own company that focuses on the digital space. We now provide employment opportunities to other military and RCMP families. My husband has been posted three times since I started the business five years ago and I have seen little to no impact on my company.”

For more information, please contact Elizabeth Cameron, Team Lead, at ecameron@loyalistcollege.com.

About Loyalist College

Ranked one of Canada’s top 50 research colleges, Loyalist College empowers students, faculty, staff, and partners through experiential, industry cluster-based education, training and applied research programs. As Ontario’s Destination College, Loyalist College provides job-ready graduates for, and knowledge transfer to, industry and the community. Of 2017-18 Loyalist graduates, 88.5 percent were employed within six months after graduation. Located on more than 200 acres in the beautiful Bay of Quinte region, the College is perfectly positioned between Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. Loyalist College offers more than 70 full-time diploma, certificate and apprenticeship programs in biosciences, building sciences, business, community service, health and wellness, media studies, public safety, and skilled trades. Continuing education options are available through LoyalistFocus.com, including hundreds of online, distance and in-class courses, and through the College’s 100+ university transfer agreements. Loyalist College is a key driver of social and economic health in eastern Ontario. It contributes 3.7 percent of the Gross Regional Product, representing $382 million annually to the regional economy – based on a March 2020 report by Emsi. For more information on Loyalist College’s Belleville, Bancroft and Toronto campuses and Port Hope satellite location, visit YoureGoingPlaces.com.

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Contact: Kerry Lorimer, Director, Marketing, Communications and Recruitment
Loyalist College, klorimer@loyalistcollege.com, 613-969-1913, ext. 2536