BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Imagine being afforded an opportunity to pursue a career free of charge. For three Buckley Air Force Base spouses, this opportunity has become a reality.
Trieu Hai-Wen Do, Tateng Yang, and Justin Hufstetler are spouses from Buckley AFB that have been given the opportunity to attend Pickens Technical College in Aurora to complete their Nurse Aide Certification. The program is being provide free of charge for the spouses by the Air Force Aid Society’s Spouse Employment Grant. A grant for active duty spouses is provided by the Air Force Aid Society each year so that spouses can pursue careers free of many of the financial barriers.
“The whole purpose of this is to ensure that we are bringing a program onto Buckley AFB to help develop and strengthen the opportunities for spouses to have portable careers,” said Laurie Webb, 460th Force Support Squadron military work life consultant. “We’ve worked with Pickens Technical College in the past and they continue to be very supportive and accommodating to us and our spouses.”
Each year a grant through the Air Force Aid Society is provided to active duty spouses so that they can pursue a career.
“So far as a military wife, it has been quite difficult to find a career path that'll follow me wherever I go,” said Tateng Yang, a spouse selected for the program. “I've always wanted to pursue a career in the medical field and so I think this is a good start.”
The program looks to make obtaining a career that is portable for military spouses as easy and encumbered as possible so that all barriers to entry are reduced or eliminated.
“This Certified Nursing Assistance program is the starting track to the nursing program in the state of Colorado,” said Webb. “This program will also pay for the spouse’s state certification exam as well.”
The cost is roughly $1800.00 to put a spouse through the program at Pickens Technical College and provides each spouse with 105 hours of classroom time and 5 credit hours.
“My husband sent me an email about this scholarship and I thought why not give it a try since I like to help people,” said Hai Yen Do, a spouse selected for the program. “Being able to go to college again is very exciting for me and I love learning new things.”
Military members looking to inquire about the Air Force Aid Society’s Spouse Employment Grant can reach out to the 460th Force Support Squadron at 720-847-6681.