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Photo Information

Sgt. Zachary Thornton, right, and Sgt. Arthur Rucinski, center, speak with a representative from Edward Jones Investments during the career and education fair at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., Nov. 7, 2014. Thornton and Rucinski are a a fixed-wing aircraft mechanics with Marine Attack Squadron 223.

Photo by Cpl. J. R. Heins

Marines prepare for life after Corps

14 Nov 2014 | Cpl. J. R. Heins Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point

Service members enrolled in the Transition Readiness Seminar at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., had the opportunity to meet and network with potential employers and college representatives during a career and education fair, Nov. 7.

Career and education fairs are held each month at Cherry Point. Before the fair, the service members attended the five-day Transition Readiness Seminar to learn about veterans benefits, interview skills, resumé writing, education and job services geared toward helping former service members begin planning for life out of uniform.

“The biggest advantage that this career fair gives the service members is a chance to network with different staffing agencies for free,” said Patrice Bryant, a family member employment specialist with Cherry Point’s Marine Corps Community Services.

Many employers and colleges attended the event to meet with transitioning service members.

“During the fair the transitioning service members have a chance to put everything they learned in TRS together by touching base with different opportunities that interest them,” said Bryant, a native of New Bern, N.C.

According to Gwen Williams, a transitions and family member assistant with MCCS, service members can attend TRS up to 14 months prior to leaving active duty and are required to complete the seminar before their end of active service.

“The best part of this fair is that it works,” said Williams, a native of Lansing, Mich. “There have been several occasions when service members who attended the event left with interviews and others who left with job offers.”

TRS, coupled with the Career and Education Fair, helps transitioning service members understand the available opportunities after leaving the service, said Williams.

“Structured, punctual, hardworking employees are what employers are looking for,” said Williams. “Companies travel from all over the states to meet quality men and women like these service members.”

Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point