February 2019

Resources to Assist Services in Rural Areas

Organizational Author(s): WorkforceGPS Team
Every state has rural areas. And providing workforce services to these areas is challenging due to long distances and in many cases, a lack of support services and infrastructure like broadband and affordable transportation.
This month, we are highlighting successful practices, programs and services in rural areas.  We have created a resource page that provides you with quick access to these resources.  We will continue to add links to this page as we hear about more materials that showcase services to customers in rural areas.
We are also pleased to share with you several new reports and resources that have been posted on the global site and various WorkforceGPS Communities.

Relevant WFGPS Communities:

Resources

Organizations

Apply to the HIRE Vets Medallion Program Award Today!

Did you know that employers of all sizes can receive an Award from the U.S. Department of Labor for their efforts to recruit, employ, and retain America’s Veterans?

The 2019 HIRE Vets Medallion Program is now accepting applications! Learn more and apply online at www.HIREVets.gov.

  • The Award highlights companies and organizations committed to hiring and retaining America’s veterans in good, family-sustaining careers
  • The HIRE Vets Medallion Award is the only federal-level veterans’ employment award that recognizes job creators
  • The application deadline is April 30, 2019
  • Award recipients will receive a certificate and digital images of the medallion for use as part of their marketing and promotional activities

For more information, visit www.HIREVets.gov, follow @VETS_DOL, and join the conversation using #HireVets Are You New to the Jobs for Veterans State Grants (JVSG) Staff? This Primer Will Prepare You for the Job

As announced in Veterans Program Letter (No. 01-19), “Training Requirements and Reference Tool for Newly Hired Jobs for Veterans State Grant (JVSG) Staff”, the National Veterans’ Training Institute (NVTI), in collaboration with Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) and state grantee employees, produced a Jobs for Veterans State Grants (JVSG) Primer to provide newly hired Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program (DVOP) specialists and Local Veterans’ Employment Representative (LVER) staff the essential information on the basic Federal requirements associated with their jobs. This desk aid was designed to provide commonly used job resources for DVOP specialists and LVER staff. 

All newly hired DVOP specialists and LVER staff must satisfactorily complete the required JVSG courses delivered by NVTI within 18 months of employment. Consolidated Position staff who serve a dual role as a DVOP specialist and LVER staff must satisfactorily complete five JVSG courses. This desk aid will give newly hired JVSG staff an easy tool to reference as they learn and apply the Federal requirements of the job before they begin to complete the mandatory training.The standard content of the JVSG Primer is organized around seven major areas, including:

  1. What is the Department of Labor, Veterans’ Employment and Training Service?
  2. What are the Jobs for Veterans State Grants?
  3. What is it like to work in an American Job Center?
  4. What legal and regulatory guidance affects my work?
  5. What additional guidance exists to help me get started?
  6. What is the National Veterans Training Institute?

What Resources Might I Find Useful to Reference? The JVSG Primer is available in two electronic document formats and may be accessed by going to https://www.nvti.org/resources. The Adobe Acrobat version of the JVSG Primer is a high-quality, professional document that cannot be edited or customized for other purposes. The JVSG Primer is also available as a Microsoft Word version that can be customized for state or local use to include additional guidance like standard operating procedures. NVTI will update both versions annually with current information.Recent VA Resources

Below are some resources that may be of interest to Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program (DVOP) Specialists and Local Veterans’ Employment Representatives (LVER).

  1. The National Veterans Outreach Office is holding a Facebook Live event on February 12th at 2 p.m. EST to promote VA Programs to End Homelessness. Visit this page for more information.
  2. The Veterans Business Administration (VBA) Education Line of Business (LOB) is interested in partnering with groups to present information on the Education GI Bill Benefits. Contact Tammy Hurley at tammy.hurley1@va.gov for more information.
  3. The VA Office of Small & Disadvantaged Business Utilization is holding two events in the upcoming months:

Event: 2019 Government Procurement Conference
Date: April 19, 2019
Location: Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt. Vernon Place NW, Washington, DC 20001
Purpose: To foster business partnerships between the federal Government, its prime contractors, and small, minority, SDVOSB, VOSB, HubZone, and WOSBs.
POC: Bob Jefers (301) 535-4230 bj1@fbcdb.com
Event: 14th Annual Veterans Business Conference
Date: March 19th, 2019
Location: Army Navy Country Club, 1700 Army Navy Drive, Arlington, VA 22202
Purpose: To provide education, networking, and business opportunities for the military community who continue to serve and strengthen our country with their small business endeavors and entrepreneurial spirit.
POC: Charles McCaffey (703) -4569-9890 charles@cbponline.org

  1. The VA Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiative is holding an Informational Roundtable on February 26th, 2019 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at 810 Vermont Avenue NW, Washington DC. Contact Trulesta J Pauling at Trulesta.Pauling@va.gov for more information.
  2. The Veterans Employment Services Office (VESO) is holding a few events in the upcoming months. Contact Zelda Davis at zelda.davis@va.gov for more information.
    1. February 14th, 2019: Recruit Military Veteran Job Fair, Richmond, VA
    2. February 19th, 2019: DoD Operation Warfighter Internship Fair, Fort Belvoir, VA
    3. February 21st, 2019: Recruit Military Veteran Job Fair, Baltimore, MD
    4. March 11th, 2019: VESO Facebook Chat with the EEOC (Reasonable Accommodations Part II)
  3. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Office of Rural Health (ORH) released new fact sheets, a brochure, and videos at https://www.ruralhealth.va.gov/newsroom/background.asp.
  4. The VA Privacy Service will be holding Speaker Series events on March 27th and May 22nd, 2019. Contact Rebecca.chisholm@us.gt.com for more information.

Veterans at Work Certificate Program by SHRM

A new certification program released by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) provides Local Veterans’ Employment Representatives (LVER) with more resources when advocating for the hiring and retention of veterans. The program, called Veterans at Work Certificate Program, was released in November 2018 and is targeted at HR professionals, hiring managers, and front-line supervisors.

LVERs can also promote this certification to the organizations they work with, empowering their HR professionals with knowledge of the value of hiring veterans and how to engage and integrate veterans into their organizations. The program’s content is based in part on The Recruitment, Hiring, Retention & Engagement of Military Veterans by Deborah Bradbard, PhD and James Schmeling, JD (SHRM Foundation, 2018), a new guidebook that makes the business case for hiring veteran candidates.

To earn the Veterans at Work certificate, participants must complete several program components, including content review, online training, brief quizzes, and pre- and post-participation surveys. Ten professional development credits (PDCs) toward recertification are available to SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP credential-holders.

The program is free and open to all HR professionals. To find out more and register for the program, visit https://www.shrm.org/foundation/about/pages/veterans-at-work-certificate-program.aspx

Use of the links on this page to find training information, resources, and a multitude of other information to assist you with your important mission. This project is funded by Department of Labor Veterans' Employment & Training Service (DOL-VETS) contract number DOL-OPS-16-D-0022. It does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The U.S. Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership. This product is copyrighted by the institution that created it. Internal use by an organization and/or personal use by an individual for non-commercial purposes is permissible. All other uses require the prior authorization of the copyright owner. Contact Management Concepts at NVTI.ManagementConcepts@ManagementConcepts.com for information on re-use permission.