DLA employees recruit service members for Operation Warfighter

Photo By Staff Sgt. Daniel Garas | Dianne Ryder, a secretary in the Joint Contingency Acquisition Support Office and a member of the DLA Corporate Recruitment Cadre, speaks with a service member about interning at DLA during an Operation Warfighter event Dec. 12 at the USO Warrior and Family Center at Fort Belvoir, Va. (Photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Dan Garas)  

FORT BELVOIR, VA, UNITED STATES

12.31.2014

Story by Tonya Johnson 

Defense Logistics Agency   

FORT BELVOIR, Va. - Internships at the Defense Logistics Agency are not just for college students.

Employees may not know that service members who are recovering from a medical condition can work as interns through the Operation Warfighter program.

DLA employees attended an OWF outreach event Dec. 12 at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, to recruit service members who are cleared to participate in the program. The employees are members of the DLA Corporate Recruitment Cadre, a group of employees from around the agency that attends various events to recruit people to work for the agency. About 15 federal agencies attended the event, which was held at the USO Warrior and Family Center.

Operation Warfighter is a Department of Defense temporary assignment and internship program that provides wounded, ill and injured service members with opportunities for meaningful activity outside of the hospital environment while they wait to return to active duty or transition to the civilian world. Service members’ salaries are paid for by their service branches while they work at DLA or another federal agency.

“This is a great opportunity to help get the word out about DLA’s mission, especially to service members,” said Dianne Ryder, a secretary in the Joint Contingency Acquisition Support Office volunteered at the event. “By participating in events like this, it gives employees a chance to give back to warriors who have served our country and help them explore opportunities to enlarge their skill set.”

Although there is no guarantee that service members will be hired after the internship, they can learn new job skills and develop relationships with mentors who can provide career advice and resume assistance.

“Although there is no promise or guarantee of placement, the program can serve as a pipeline for future employment,” said Hettie Holmes-Carter, DLA’s program manager for OWF and the Corporate Recruitment Cadre. “By providing internship opportunities, supervisors are helping recovering service members attain employment skills they can use once they transition from the military.”

Jennifer Anderson, the Operation Warfighter regional coordinator for the National Capital Region, coordinates these fairs at Fort Belvoir and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. She said some service members do get full-time jobs after the program and are often hired under the Schedule “A” hiring authority, which allows agencies to hire individuals with disabilities non-competitively. She said the internship fairs alternate between both locations and are typically held once a month. About 50 service members attend on average, and 15-20 agencies participate.

“There are so many federal agencies who want to provide internships for these service members,” Anderson said. “Service members get to pick and choose from a variety of good choices, and I always thank all of the agencies, including DLA, for making these types of internship opportunities available.”

Anderson said about 90 percent of the service members who participate in OWF obtain an internship, and some take multiple ones depending on how long they are in the program.

DLA supervisors can participate in the program by identifying opportunities and providing agreed upon time frames, which can last from six weeks to a year. Service members can be placed in any area, including human resources, logistics, intelligence, finance and more.

“Agency representatives like to attend, because they find great people for an internship before they leave the military,” Anderson said. “These individuals often did similar jobs to the ones they intern in, but often in harsh conditions such as in combat.”

Anderson said she has heard many positive comments from service members who have participated in OWF.

“Service members say they like participating in the program because they learn what it’s like to be a civilian before they actually become one, so this is a good transition for them. These recovering service members have so much to offer,” she said.

Holmes-Carter said she has also received positive feedback based on surveys from service members who have interned at DLA.

“The responses have been positive, with comments such as ‘I love coming to work. Everyone is very professional and very helpful, and there is so much to learn every day about the job. … I highly suggest DLA to anyone eligible for the program,’" she said.

For more information about DLA’s participation in OWF, contact Holmes-Carter at 767-5358.

• Date Taken: 12.31.2014
• Date Posted: 12.31.2014 11:39
• Story ID: 151278
• Location: FORT BELVOIR, VA, US