Free Career Training for Military Spouses: All Programs Guide

Bottom Line Up Front

Multiple organizations offer completely free career training to military spouses—no loans, no repayment, no cost to you. Programs range from tech bootcamps to professional certifications to full fellowships with corporate partners. Combined, these resources represent millions of dollars in training available exclusively to military families. This guide lists every major free program, eligibility requirements, and how to apply.

The Military Spouse Career Challenge

Free training removes the biggest barrier to career advancement. Why pay for education when these options exist?

What's Available for Free:

• Tech training and bootcamps
• Professional certifications
• Corporate fellowships with job placement
• Skill-building courses
• Career coaching and support

The Catch: Most programs have limited spots, competitive admission, or specific eligibility. Apply early and to multiple programs.

Major Free Training Programs

Hiring Our Heroes Programs

Hiring Our Heroes Corporate Fellowship Program

What It Is: 12-week fellowship at major corporations with salary and job offer potential

Cost: Free (you receive a stipend/salary)

What You Get:

• 12 weeks at host company
• Real work experience
• Mentorship
• High conversion to job offers (80%+)
• Full salary during fellowship

Companies Include: Amazon, Microsoft, Humana, USAA, and 100+ others

Eligibility:

• Active duty spouses
• Must be able to complete full fellowship
• Competitive selection process

How to Apply:

• hiringourheroes.org
• Applications typically open quarterly
• Multiple tracks (tech, business, skilled trades)

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Military Spouse Fellowship Program

What It Is: 6-week remote fellowship matching spouses with companies

Cost: Free

What You Get:

• Virtual work experience
• Networking and mentorship
• Professional development
• Potential job offer

Eligibility:

• Military spouses (active duty, Guard, Reserve)
• Career-ready (some experience)

How to Apply: hiringourheroes.org

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Syracuse University IVMF Programs

Onward to Opportunity (O2O)

What It Is: Free career training in high-demand fields

Cost: Completely free

Training Tracks:

• IT and Cybersecurity
• Business Management
• Customer Service
• Project Management
• Data Analytics
• And more

Certifications Included:

• CompTIA (A+, Network+, Security+)
• Google Career Certificates
• SHRM
• PMP preparation
• And others

What You Get:

• Full training program
• Certification exam vouchers
• Career coaching
• Job placement support

Eligibility:

• Military spouses
• Veterans and transitioning service members
• Guard and Reserve

How to Apply:

• onward2opportunity.org
• ivmf.syracuse.edu

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Google Career Certificates

Google Career Certificates (Grow with Google)

What It Is: Professional certificates in high-growth fields

Cost: Free for military spouses (through partnerships)

Certificates Available:

• IT Support
• Data Analytics
• Project Management
• UX Design
• Digital Marketing
• Cybersecurity

What You Get:

• Self-paced online training
• Google-recognized certificate
• Employer consortium access
• Job search support

Free Access Through:

• Merit America (free for qualifying applicants)
• Coursera for Military (discounted/free)
• Hiring Our Heroes programs

How to Apply:

• grow.google/certificates
• Check military spouse scholarship availability

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Microsoft Programs

Microsoft Software & Systems Academy (MSSA)

What It Is: 17-week technical training with Microsoft

Cost: Free

Tracks:

• Cloud Application Development
• Server & Cloud Administration
• Cybersecurity Administration

What You Get:

• Intensive technical training
• Microsoft certifications
• Interview with Microsoft and partners
• Job placement support

Eligibility:

• Transitioning service members
• Veterans
• Some locations accept military spouses

How to Apply: military.microsoft.com

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LinkedIn Learning Military Spouse Access

What It Is: Free access to LinkedIn Learning courses

Cost: Free (through partnership)

What You Get:

• 16,000+ courses
• Professional skills training
• Certificate of completion
• Self-paced learning

How to Access:

• Through Military OneSource
• Some installations offer free access

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Amazon Programs

Amazon Career Choice for Military Spouses

What It Is: Education benefits for Amazon employees' military spouses

Cost: Free (if your spouse works at Amazon)

What You Get:

• Tuition coverage for certificates and degrees
• Career coaching
• Multiple approved programs

Eligibility:

• Spouse of Amazon employee
• Amazon's Military Spouse program

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AWS re/Start

What It Is: Free cloud computing training program

Cost: Free

What You Get:

• 12-week full-time program
• AWS Cloud Practitioner preparation
• Interview skills
• Job placement support

Eligibility:

• Unemployed or underemployed individuals
• No prior tech experience required
• Military spouses often prioritized

How to Apply: aws.amazon.com/training/restart

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Other Corporate Programs

USAA Pathfinder Program

What It Is: Development programs for military spouses

Cost: Free

Focus: Financial services career preparation

How to Apply: Check usaa.com/careers

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Starbucks Military Spouse Program

What It Is: Career development and ASU partnership

Cost: Free degree through ASU for Starbucks employees

What You Get:

• Full tuition coverage at ASU Online
• Career development
• Scheduling flexibility

How to Access: Work for Starbucks, then apply for benefit

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Tech Training Organizations

Operation Code

What It Is: Free coding mentorship and resources

Cost: Free

What You Get:

• Mentorship from software professionals
• Slack community with job opportunities
• Coding resources and support
• Scholarships to bootcamps

Eligibility:

• Veterans
• Military spouses
• Active duty

How to Join: operationcode.org

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VetsinTech

What It Is: Tech training and job placement

Cost: Free

What You Get:

• Tech training programs
• Bootcamp scholarships
• Networking events
• Job placement support

Eligibility:

• Veterans
• Military spouses
• Transitioning service members

How to Apply: vetsintech.com

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Merit America

What It Is: Free tech and business training for underemployed adults

Cost: Free (if you qualify)

Programs:

• IT Support (Google Certificate)
• Data Analytics
• Java Development

What You Get:

• Full training program
• Career coaching
• Job placement support
• No cost ever

Eligibility:

• Must earn under $50,000
• No bachelor's degree in related field
• Military spouses often qualify

How to Apply: meritamerica.org

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Free Online Learning Platforms

Coursera for Military

What It Is: Discounted/free access to Coursera courses

Cost: Free or heavily discounted

What You Get:

• University courses from top schools
• Professional certificates
• Unlimited course access

How to Access:

• Through veteran/military programs
• Some installations have licenses

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LinkedIn Learning (via Library)

What It Is: Free access through public library cards

Cost: Free (with library card)

What You Get:

• Full LinkedIn Learning catalog
• Certificates of completion
• Skills assessments

How to Access:

• Check your local library
• Many libraries offer free access

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edX / Coursera Auditing

What It Is: Audit university courses for free

Cost: Free (certificate costs extra)

What You Get:

• Course content from Harvard, MIT, etc.
• Self-paced learning
• No certificate unless you pay

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Government and Military Programs

Military OneSource Career Services

What It Is: Free career counseling and resources

Cost: Free

What You Get:

• Career coaching (unlimited sessions)
• Resume review
• Interview preparation
• Transition support

How to Access:

• militaryonesource.mil
• 1-800-342-9647

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DoD Spouse Education and Career Opportunities (SECO)

What It Is: Career resources for military spouses

Cost: Free

What You Get:

• Career exploration tools
• Training resources
• Job search support
• Networking opportunities

How to Access: myseco.militaryonesource.mil

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USA Learning (OPM)

What It Is: Free federal government training

Cost: Free

What You Get:

• Federal job preparation
• Professional development courses
• Self-paced learning

How to Access: usalearning.gov

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Scholarships for Paid Training

If you need training not covered by free programs:

National Military Family Association (NMFA)

• Up to $2,500/year for education
• militaryfamily.org

ThanksUSA

• $3,000+ scholarships
• thanksusa.org

Pat Tillman Foundation

• Up to $10,000/year
• pattillmanfoundation.org

Scholarships for Military Children

• $2,000 awards
• militaryscholar.org

How to Apply Strategically

Application Strategy

1. Apply to Multiple Programs

   • Most are competitive
   • Different timelines and deadlines
   • More applications = more opportunities

2. Start with Federal Benefits

   • MyCAA if eligible
   • GI Bill if transferred
   • These are guaranteed for eligible spouses

3. Add Corporate Programs

   • Hiring Our Heroes fellowships
   • Corporate scholarship programs
   • Often include job placement

4. Supplement with Free Resources

   • Online courses (Coursera, edX)
   • LinkedIn Learning
   • YouTube tutorials

Timeline

• 3-6 months before training: Research and apply to competitive programs
• 1-3 months before: Apply to less competitive programs
• Ongoing: Use free online resources while waiting

Success Stories

Amanda, Army Spouse - O2O to Tech Career "I went through Onward to Opportunity's IT track. Got my CompTIA A+ and Network+ certifications—completely free. The career coaching helped me land a remote IT support job at $52K. Total cost to me: $0."

Marcus, Navy Spouse - Hiring Our Heroes Fellow "The Corporate Fellowship Program placed me at a Fortune 500 company for 12 weeks. I was paid the whole time, got real work experience, and they offered me a full-time job at the end. $78K salary with benefits—all from a free program."

Priya, Air Force Spouse - Google Certificate "I got the Google Data Analytics certificate through a military spouse scholarship. The whole thing was online, self-paced, and free. Now I work remotely as a data analyst making $65K."

Resources

Major Programs:

• Hiring Our Heroes: hiringourheroes.org
• Onward to Opportunity: onward2opportunity.org
• Operation Code: operationcode.org
• VetsinTech: vetsintech.com
• Merit America: meritamerica.org

Corporate Training:

• Microsoft MSSA: military.microsoft.com
• AWS re/Start: aws.amazon.com/training/restart
• Google Certificates: grow.google/certificates

Military Resources:

• Military OneSource: militaryonesource.mil
• SECO: myseco.militaryonesource.mil
• MyCAA: mycaa.militaryonesource.mil

Free Learning:

• Coursera: coursera.org
• edX: edx.org
• Khan Academy: khanacademy.org
• LinkedIn Learning: (via library)

This Website:

• Training Programs
• Scholarship Guide
• militarytransitiontoolkit.com

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Free career training exists in abundance for military spouses—if you know where to look. These programs represent millions of dollars in education funding that requires nothing but your time and commitment. Apply broadly, start learning immediately, and transform your career without debt.