Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Naval Station Mayport, and Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay became the first Navy installations to offer the Department of Defense's SkillBridge program called Onward to Opportunity (O2O). The program provides career skills training to transitioning service members and active duty military spouses up to six months before their transition date by combining industry training, partnerships, and career placement services. All 50 states have now taken action to smooth licensing for military spouses moving between states for their professions. The Fleet and Family Support Centers in San Diego reached 100% registration of ombudsmen in the registry system for the first time, covering Naval Base San Diego, Naval Base Coronado, and Naval Base Point L

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August 2016
Staff Connections
Onward to Opportunity (O2O)
Navy Installations Kick off First DoD SkillBridge Program
The Department of Defense’s Skill-
Bridge program allows private sector
companies and organizations to provide
career skills training to transition-
ing Service members and active duty
military spouses. Recently, under the
guidance of Commander, Navy Region
Southeast, Naval Air Station Jackson-
ville, Naval Station Mayport, and Naval
Submarine Base Kings Bay became the
first installations to offer the SkillBridge
program known as Onward to Oppor-
tunity (O2O). The first cohort convened
on June 27 at the Navy College Office
aboard Naval Station Mayport.
O2O brings civilian career training to el-
igible service members up to six months
before their transition date. The program
combines industry-validated curricula,
strong partnerships, and comprehensive
career coaching and placement services
to match participants with civilian job
opportunities. Spouses of active-duty
military members can also participate in
O2O, regardless of where their partner is
in their military career.
ResourcesandUpdatesforMilitarySpouses
Military Spouse Licensing Initiative
In July, first lady Michelle Obama and
second lady Dr. Jill Biden announced
that all 50 states have taken action to
smooth military spouse professional
licensing. See the first lady’s Q&A with
Military Times for more information.
The interview may be found at https://
www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-of-
fice/2016/07/02/fact-sheet-first-lady-
michelle-obama-and-dr-jill-biden-an-
nounce-all-50.
While all states have adopted them,
licensing rules do differ from state to
state. For additional information on
the new rules in each state, visit: http://
www.usa4militaryfamilies.dod.mil/.
New Spouse Orientation
A friendly reminder: efer Navy spouses
to the New Spouse Orientation (NSO)
train-ing, which is available on demand
24/7. NSO is beneficial to spouses who are
new to, or are soon to be introduced to,
the military lifestyle. The curriculum
contains tools and resources that will help
spouses navigate the transition from
civilian to military life successfully as they
familiar-ize themselves with
administrative details, customs, language
and resources that are all a part of military
life.
Link: http://learning.zeiders.refineddata.
com/course/view.php?id=4502
Military Spouse Employment
Partnership (MSEP)
The Military Spouse Employment Part-
nership Facebook page has recently ex-
panded to cover all things related to the
Spouse Education and Career Oppor-
tunities program. It is now easier than
ever for military spouses to get connect-
ed, find support and work toward their
goals. If you work with military spouses,
be sure to share this link: https://www.
facebook.com/DoDMilSpouse/.
San Diego FFSC
Reaches Ombudsman
Registry Milestone
On May 1, the Fleet and Family Support
Centers’ Metro San Diego Ombudsman
Program reached a historic milestone of
100 percent registration of all ombuds-
men in the CNIC Ombudsman Registry.
This is the first time in the Ombudsman
Registry history that San Diego has
reached this mark.
The FFSC San Diego Ombudsman
Coordinator, Ashley Camac, assisted
by Samantha Hatch, a volunteer at the
FFSC, worked with all commands in the
area to ensure their ombudsmen were
registered. The 100 percent registration
for San Diego includes all three San
Diego installations: Naval Base San Diego
(NBSD), Naval Base Coronado (NBC) and
Naval Base Point Loma (NBPL). Congrat-
ulations to Ms. Camac and Ms. Hatch for
their hard work and dedication!