Veterans unemployment has been an important issue for the current administration, as well as for many members of Congress.
When you see that young servicemembers have an unemployment rate of 22%, more than twice the national average, it’s hard come to terms with the fact that this is statistically on par with non-veteran males of the same age. This is making some economists wonder if focusing attention solely on hiring veterans is worth the effort.
David Loughran, a senior economist with the RAND Corporation, points out that veterans generally have lower unemployment on average than the rest of the population. It’s the younger group — the 18-to-24 year olds — for whom the reverse is true. Loughran suspects this is primarily because veterans in that age group are likely to have recently left the military and to be out looking for new work at much higher rates than their peers. And, well, it takes time to find a job.
President Obama has a different perspective:
“Our incredible servicemen and women need to know that America values them not simply for what they can do in uniform, but for what they can do when they come home,” the president said. He then announced proposals to offer tax credits to companies that hire vets and to create a kind of “reverse boot camp” for separating soldiers as they transition to civilian life.
For the record, Military Officers Association of America currently supports the following pieces of related legislation under discussion:
Department of Defense’s Transition Assistance Program (TAP), administered by the Office of Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy (WWCTP), has begun offering a series of virtual learning opportunities to transitioning Service members and families.
The free online classes are available to any servicemember worldwide, and cover essential employment search topics such as resume writing and interviewing. The classes are recommended for any Service members looking enhance their practical, real-world employment search and transition skills. The webimnars are a great resource for members of the National Guard and Reserves who don’t have access to the same transition services as their active duty counterparts. The classes are also open to military family members.
The live classes are offered weekly and Service members can register for them at www.TurboTAP.org. Some of the classes that have been offered are:
Building Better Resumes
Decoding Military Skills for Civilian Employers
Landing a Federal Job
Common Job Hunting Mistakes
Acing the Interview
Social Networking and the Job Search
This week’s webinars are:
Accept, Adjust, Repeat: Strategies for Transition Success – Tuesday, August 23, 9:00 pm EST
Combat to College – Thursday, August 25, 8:00 pm EST
Since launching in late spring, more than 3,000 Service members, from Anaheim to Afghanistan, have registered for these classes.
Are you using your VA or other educational benefits?
Do you want to continue to serve your country?
The Vets to Feds (V2F) Career Development Program for Student Trainee (Contracting) is sponsored by the Interagency Council on Veterans Employment. This new program is designed to recruit and support the development of our Nation’s Student Veterans for careers with the Federal Government. The program will offer you the opportunity to pursue valuable experience related to the contracting career field while pursuing your education. Trainees who complete the program will transition into Federal Contract Specialist positions – one of the Government’s most mission critical positions.
Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced a competition for grants totaling more than $5 million through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program to provide approximately 3,000 homeless veterans with job training and other services to help them succeed in civilian careers.
“No one should face homelessness. But statistics reveal that a disturbingly large percentage of our homeless population is made up of veterans,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “The Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program will help these veterans prepare for and obtain meaningful employment so they can establish a more stable civilian life.”
Funds will be awarded on a competitive basis to state and local workforce investment boards, local public agencies and nonprofit organizations, including faith-based and community-based organizations. Grantees must be familiar with the areas and populations to be served and demonstrate that they can administer effective programs. They will coordinate their efforts with other local, state and federal social service providers to provide homeless veterans with occupational, classroom and on-the-job training, as well as job search and placement assistance, including follow-up services.
Administered through the department’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service, the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program is the only federal program that focuses exclusively on the employment of veterans who are homeless.
Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense agency, announced the 15 recipients of the 2011 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. The Freedom Award is the DoD’s highest recognition given to employers for exceptional support of their employees serving in the Guard and Reserve. The 15 employers stood out from a field of 4,049 nominations submitted by Guard and Reserve service members or their families.
The 2011 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award recipients are:
3M Company – St. Paul, Minn.
Ameren Missouri – St. Louis, Mo.
Burt County Sheriff’s Office - Tekamah, Neb.
CSX Transportation – Jacksonville, Fla.
Electrical Contractors Inc. – Omaha, Neb.
Ford Motor Company – Dearborn, Mich.
Hanson Professional Services Inc. - Springfield, Ill.
Orange County Sheriff’s Department - Santa Ana, Calif.
Principal Financial Group - Des Moines, Iowa
Qwest Communications, Denver, Colo., acquired by CenturyLink, Inc. - Monroe, La.
St. John’s Lutheran Church – Yankton, S.D.
State Employees’ Credit Union – Raleigh, N.C.
Town of Gilbert - Gilbert, Ariz.
Wells Fargo & Company - San Francisco, Calif.
Freedom Award recipients distinguish themselves by going to extraordinary lengths to support their military employees. These employers exceed what is required by law, putting into place formal and informal initiatives that include providing the difference between military and civilian salary during deployments, continuing full benefits, sending care packages and providing personal support to the families of employees called away from home.
“To stand out among the many thousands of employers who firmly support our Citizen Warriors is a testament to the remarkable efforts of these 15 recipients,” said Dennis McCarthy, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs. “On behalf of the Department of Defense, I congratulate the 2011 honorees and thank them for serving as outstanding partners in our nation’s defense.”
On behalf of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, a selection board comprised of senior DoD officials, business leaders and prior awardees selected the 15 recipients. The 2011 honorees will be recognized in Washington, D.C. at the 16th annual Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award Ceremony on September 22, 2011. Since 1996, only 145 employers have been presented with the Freedom Award. Last year’s recipients met privately with Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates prior to the ceremony.
Buy Veteran is a national campaign spearheaded by the National Veteran-Owned Business Association (NaVOBA) to bring the success and momentum of the National Veteran Business Movement to all of America’s 3 million veteran-owned businesses.
Recent nationwide polling revealed that it’s not just the government and large corporations that want to Buy Veteran – the average American consumer wants to Buy Veteran too! In fact, two-thirds of respondents said they’d rather purchase from a veteran-owned business than a non veteran-owned business.
This is where the Buy Veteran campaign comes in. Buy Veteran helps every day consumers find veteran-owned businesses in their area, and helps the veteran grow their businesses by capitalizing on the respect and gratitude Americans feel for their counterparts in the military.
Want to find a veteran-owned business near you? Visit BuyVeteran.com to search local listings!
The National Veteran Small Business Conference is open to both government and non-government personnel. For more information and to register for the conference, go to www.nationalveteransconference.com.
The Department of Veterans Affairs will host the upcoming National Veterans Small Business Conference and Expo, Aug.15-18 in New Orleans. It will be the largest nationwide conference of its kind focused on helping Veteran-owned businesses succeed in winning federal contracts.
“Veteran-owned businesses provide world class services and expand employment opportunities for some of our Nation’s most highly-trained and motivated men and women,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “That is why VA is proud to host this annual conference to help better prepare these veteran-owned businesses to compete and win contracts with the federal government.”
The conference, scheduled for the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, will provide Veteran-Owned and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned small businesses of all sizes with an opportunity to learn, network, and market their businesses.
The conference will offer a variety of new training sessions on navigating the federal acquisition process, including finance, compliance, business development, marketing, strategy, contract management, human resources, technology, and program management. The conference track sessions will be targeted for a variety of businesses from new business owners just back from theater to well-established Veteran-owned businesses looking to expand opportunities or increase market share.
An open house has been added to the event to give Veterans from both the conference and local region the opportunity to experience the wide range of resources available to the Veteran community.
AOL, Inc. announced the launch of “Military Families Week” in support of a White House initiative calling on Americans to honor, recognize, and support military families. As part of the project, AOL Huffington Post Media Group is launching a wide-range of ongoing initiatives dedicated to spotlighting military veterans and their families and providing them with employment and career resources.
They kicked off efforts with a special AOL “You’ve Got” Video featuring First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden:
In an effort to help support the military families who have served this country so generously, AOL will provide them with tools to connect with each other and to access the services they need. For example, AOL and Huffington Post Media Group sites will feature a career development and job placement hub and an intensive, weeklong spotlight on nonprofits helping service families.
AOL will also launch “Patch Military” this spring, an extension of its mission to offer in-depth coverage designed to improve residents’ lives and connect them with neighbors, events and services in their communities.
AOL will use its powerful platform to encourage users to get involved by highlighting nonprofits helping military families. Thru Sunday, the Daily Impact module located on the AOL.com homepage will highlight organizations helping in areas such as wellness, education and career development and make it easy to donate to leading organizations that benefit veterans and their families.
Want to get involved? AOL Huffington Post Media Group recognizes a soldier’s commitment to serving their country and the impact it has on us all. You can show your support for our troops and their families by sharing a support badge during Military Families Week. For each badge you share, AOL will donate to Hire Heroes USA, a non-profit organization that offers job support to military families.
Walmart announced its Military Family Promise as part of First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden’s “Joining Forces” military support announcement in Washington D.C. The commitment guarantees a job at a nearby store or club for all military personnel, and military spouses, employed at Walmart and Sam’s Club who move to a different part of the country because they or their spouse have been transferred by the United States military.
In addition, through Walmart and Sam’s Club’s Military Family Promise, associates called to active military duty will continue to be paid any difference in their salary if the associate is earning less money during their military assignment.
On Veterans Day 2010, the Walmart Foundation announced a five-year, $10 million commitment to support military and veteran employment and entrepreneurial opportunities. Now, the company announced two new Foundation grants that continue that commitment:
$1 million to the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) Program, which will send 300 veterans with disabilities to entrepreneurship bootcamp at one of seven major university partners, as well as facilitate the expansion of the program to two additional schools. The funds will also support small business training for more than 100 military family members.
$500,000 to the SCORE Foundation to support their new “Veteran Fast Launch” initiative. The program will help accelerate veterans’ ability to start a business and succeed as small business owners. In 2011, SCORE will provide mentoring and training services to over 16,000 veterans, yielding an estimated 3,000 business start-ups. Training and mentoring will also be available to the families of veterans.
Walmart also announced a partnership with NASCAR to produce several public service announcements that will recognize military families for the sacrifices they make and inspire Walmart customers to support the needs of military families in their own communities. The announcements will feature NASCAR drivers and will be featured in more than 500 Walmart stores throughout the country starting this Spring.
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently released an online tool, REALifelines, to assist Veterans, Service Members and their family members by providing quick and easy access to resources to support them as they transition into the civilian workforce and community life.
The REALifelines: Veterans Employment and Career Transition Advisor offers guidance on finding a new job, Veterans’ rights when returning to a pre-service employer, opportunities for Federal employment, benefits and other support services, and assistance for family members. It also offers specific information for Wounded Warriors, including guidance on job accommodations and other disability employment issues.
For Veterans seeking employment and training, the Advisor provides links to state-specific resources, such as available employment and training services and guidance on how to file for unemployment insurance. All state-specific information is integrated with the National Resource Directory (NRD), a web-based directory of thousands of resources updated on a daily basis. The NRD is managed collaboratively by the U.S. Departments of Labor, Defense and Veterans Affairs.
The REALifelines: Veterans Employment and Career Transition Advisor is one of a series of elaws (Employment Laws Assistance for Workers and Small Businesses) Advisors developed by DOL to help employers and employees understand Federal employment laws and resources. To access it, visit the elaws website at www.dol.gov/elaws. To learn more about DOL’s efforts to assist Veterans and transitioning Service Members, visit the VETS website at www.dol.gov/vets.
