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Nonprofit helps Marines find careers

You could call it a transition immersion program.

James Hiler just calls it “awesome.”

Not only did the new Marine Civilian Development Program put the former Marine through a free weeklong program to jump start his transition to the civilian professional world, the program paid for his transportation, meals and lodging.

And through its network of 19 companies that want to hire former Marines, the not-for-profit corporation put him in touch with Phelps Dodge, a copper mining company in Arizona, where he now works as a senior quality analyst.

The Marine Civilian Development Program, funded by private donations, is sponsored by Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner and retired Gen. Charles Krulak, the 31st commandant of the Marine Corps. Its unique mission complements the Marine Corps’ official transition assistance program for those leaving the service.

When a Marine battalion that had suffered a number of injuries returned to Cleveland, Lerner was concerned about helping any Marines who planned to leave the service, said Sharon vanNeerden, business manager for the Marine Civilian Development Program. The initial idea was to help them make contacts with companies but Lerner broadened the mission to provide extra help with transition.

Hiler was one of 39 Marines who took part in two pilot programs the organization offered last fall. Deemed a success, the course will be offered on both coasts, in New Bern, N.C., and San Diego, from March through October this year. Beginning in 2008, it will be offered all year, vanNeerden said.

Marines may apply for the program as soon as they have decided to leave the service, to allow enough time to process the application — ideally three to six months before their separation dates.

The program does not compete with or replace the Marine Corps’ retention efforts or other transition assistance programs, vanNeerden said. Marines can get more information and may apply at the program’s Web site, www.marinecdp.org.

Hiler, 31, said he went through the Marine transition assistance program after he attended the Marine Civilian Development Program. He found the programs complement each other well.

“A lot of things they talked about in [the Marine transition program] we had covered in the Marine Civilian Development Program, so I was able to contribute more in that class,” said the former first lieutenant, who was also prior enlisted.

Hiler praised the training, led by a group of professionals who are former Marines themselves. “Listening to some of their experiences and how it applied was very helpful,” he said. “It was very professionally done. From arriving to leaving, everything was planned and put together.

“It was some awesome training,” he said. “They help you know what to expect in your transition and understand the perception civilians have of you, and that you have of civilians. They also talked about situations you encounter when you’re in the work force.”

For example, he said, “Marines are trained for direct obedience to an order … so there is no hesitation and you don’t get killed. With civilians, there is a different method in getting things done.”

Marines must provide a recommendation from their supervisor with their application. Although the Marine Corps helps by providing this screening, Marine Civilian Development Program officials personally interview candidates and make selections, vanNeerden said.

The courses are four days for high school graduates and six days for college graduates. After completion, Marines are referred to the MCDP’s national network of Fortune 500 companies for possible employment, but they are not obligated to accept a job offer from these companies.

Spouses are also offered a 1½ day course to help them understand the transition process and help their Marines through it — and child care is provided.

“The majority of the classes focus on adjusting to the changes and providing support to make it less stressful,” said 1st Lt. Veronica Jacobs, whose husband, John, took the training at the North Carolina pilot program last fall.

“Most important was the overview of the things my husband was going to learn.”

She attended the orientation in San Diego.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been part of a training group where so many people with so many skills gave so much individual attention,” she said. “Every minute of instruction is relevant. It’s amazing.”

She said her husband’s decision to leave the Marine Corps, to spend more time with his family, was a difficult one. During the weeklong course, she said, her husband “called excited every night to tell me about it. He was an infantryman for 14 years and is not easily excited. I had never heard him so excited about a class.”

While the course covered all the basics, from résumé writing to job interviews to dressing for success, it went far beyond that, she said.

“He came back with a whole new confidence about transitioning to civilian life. It can be very hard to make that transition unassisted. The program prepared John so well and made him so successful in getting a job that I’ll be able to stay home with our children while they are little,” said Jacobs, who also plans to leave the Marine Corps.

“They do everything a headhunter group does — for free,” she said.

Her husband found his job through a placement agency he had been working with, she said.

“He took everything he learned, applied it, and did the rest on his own,” she said.

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