November 2018

Job Creators that Hire Veterans

Created as a result of legislation signed by President Donald J. Trump, the HIRE Vets Medallion Program recognizes job creators that recruit, hire, and retain America’s veterans. On November 8th 2018, the Department announced recipients of the 2018 HIRE Vets Medallion Program Demonstration Award. Honorees include small businesses, community-based nonprofits, and national companies.

Watch these videos to hear why it makes sense to hire veterans.

November 2018

NEW RESOURCES ON INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS

The U.S. Department of Labor has developed a number of resources for organizations interested in learning about industry-recognized apprenticeship programs (IRAPs). These programs were established by President Trump’s Executive Order “Expanding Apprenticeships in America.” A Training and Employment Notice was issued on July 27, 2018, to create the framework for the programs. On September 20, 2018, the Department of Labor began soliciting public comments on the IRAP accreditation application. Comments can be submitted via email to IRAP.PRA@dol.gov by November 19, 2018, to be considered. Learn more at www.apprenticeship.gov.

HIRE Vets Medallion Program Demonstration Award Ceremony

HIRE Vets Medallion Program Demonstration Award Ceremony
The United States Department of Labor recognized organizations that actively recruit, employ, and retain our nation’s veterans with an award ceremony under the Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans Act, or HIRE Vets Act on November 8, 2018. This program demonstration is under the During the ceremony, Department of Labor Secretary Acosta stated that altogether the 239 businesses receiving awards hired 8,230 veterans within the past year alone.
The award categories included two tiers; Gold and Platinum, for large, medium, and small organizations. The program requires that organizations provide an employee veteran organization or resource group to assist new veteran employees with integration into the civilian workforce and a dedicated human resource professional or initiatives to support hiring, training, and retention of veteran employees. Among the recipients, Southwest Airlines runs a Military Ambassador Program that bridges the gap between veteran issues and the resources and tools available to veterans. The Arizona Public Services company has a Veteran Transition and Engagement Network to help service members transition to civilian life. The company Two Marines Moving bases their entire recruitment strategy on hiring veterans and frequents veterans transition seminars to employ service members coming out of the military.

Award recipients with U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Acosta and Congressman Cook
Representatives from each category gave remarks after being presented with the awards by Secretary Acosta. They shared a few best practices in hiring and retaining veteran employees:

  • Nicholas Baucoum of Two Marines Moving shared that connecting veterans to the mission of the company has helped in retaining their veteran employees.
  • Joe Padlo from Veterans Elite Services shared that a best practice was to not just hire veterans, but to work with outside vendors who also hire veterans.
  • Rich Cross of the Independence Fund shared that not only should companies look to hire veterans, but to provide opportunities to veteran spouses and caregivers.

For more information about the HIRE Vets Medallion Program, visit www.hirevets.gov and read more about the ceremony at https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/vets/vets20181108.

After Listening to Veterans, VA Put All Its Services on One Website

Wednesday night, the tech team at the Veterans Affairs Department launched their latest effort to improve the quality of services for former military personnel with the relaunch of VA.gov.

Find out more at www.nextgov.com.

DoD Career Path DECIDE

The Department of Defense (DoD) recently released a tool called Career Path DECIDE that provides Service members with an online advisement tool to support their career exploration and planning. This tool also aids Service members in identifying and making informed decisions about education and professional development opportunities. The graphic below describes the steps for using the tool.

Career Path DECIDE brings together data from trusted Government sources including Department of Labor’s O*NET, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Career One Stop, Department of Education (ED)’s College Navigator, DoD’s Defense Manpower Data Center, and Tuition Assistance DECIDE. These sources are updated as each source data system is updated, which varies by source system.

Find out more at www.careerpathdecide.org. Try it out and be sure to share your experience via the Feedback button at the top of the website.

New Resources for Veteran Job-Seekers

A few new resources have been released to assist veterans find jobs or apprenticeships.

  1. The National Labor Exchange (NLx) has designed and released a new search engine especially for veterans. The website can be found at: https://veterans.usnlx.com/.
  2. The Department of Labor released the apprenticeship.gov website which allows users to search for apprenticeships using keywords and zip code.  
  3. Google has a new search capability to filter jobs based on Military Occupation Specialty (MOS) codes that enables users to search for jobs matching their experience in the military. Simply type “veterans jobs” in the Google search bar and the MOS entry box will appear. The screenshot below displays the MOS entry box on Google.

New Mini-Documentary Highlights How Two Nonprofits Have Partnered to Prepare Veterans for Post-Military Careers

WorkingNation follows Workshops for Warriors and Hire Heroes USA as they equip veterans transitioning into the civilian workforce with advanced manufacturing skills

This is a MUST SEE documentary for all military veterans seeking a sustainable career path after service.

“Salute to Skills” is a new mini-documentary from WorkingNation that follows 23-year-old Zachary Pierobello as he makes the transition from military service to a successful career in advanced manufacturing.

The video is available to view here.

The documentary was produced by WorkingNation, a national nonprofit campaign working to expose hard truths about a skills gap crisis in the United States and bring the country together to create and amplify solutions.

In the 5-minute documentary, we learn how Workshops for Warriors is putting transitioning veterans like Pierobello through an intensive 16-week accredited STEM training program, equipping them with skills that make them desirable candidates for the 2.3 million open jobs in advanced manufacturing.

As part of this unique partnership, Hire Heroes USA also works with the veterans on the soft skills they will need – like resume building, networking and interviewing – for a successful civilian job search.

Together, Workshops for Warriors and Hire Heroes USA are putting these qualified U.S. veterans on a path toward sustainable, good-paying post-military employment.

“Veterans often come out of military service with a particular experience that doesn’t immediately translate to a career in the civilian workforce, and are therefore too often overlooked for civilian careers,” said Hernan Luis y Prado, founder and CEO of Workshops for Warriors. “As the only accredited program in the country providing advanced manufacturing training for veterans, we are building off their valuable career experience in the military and fast-tracking them toward a sustainable, good-paying career in in-demand industries.”

“For many military men and women, the civilian job search process is a struggle,” said Christopher Plamp, chief executive officer of Hire Heroes USA and a decorated Air Force combat pilot. “Through this partnership with Workshops for Warriors, Hire Heroes USA is able to supplement the certifications these veterans receive with the employment guidance and tools they need. We help them translate their success in the classroom into a well-paying job.”

The video is part of WorkingNation’s “Do Something Awesome” series, consisting of heartfelt, human mini-docs that shine a light on programs across the country working to prepare Americans for jobs of the future.

Each episode in the “Do Something Awesome” series highlights a different scalable program that is working to create a more sustainable workforce in a rapidly changing U.S. economy.

Collectively, the episodes illuminate a broader and often difficult to understand narrative facing the United States – that the world of work is changing faster than we ever could have predicted, and we are not ready.

By highlighting these corporations, nonprofits and individuals, WorkingNation is providing a wide audience with information on emerging careers, pathways to steady jobs, and successful programs that other organizations can adapt for their respective communities, across multiple industries.

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.