Do you know a veteran? Are you a veteran, and are you now fighting to find a job and a new direction for your life in the civilian world?
Many veterans are finding that they have to re-establish themselves in the workplace when they leave the battlefield and arrive back home. Things are different now. Companies may have down-sized in their absence and they may no longer be able to offer former jobs back to their veteran employees. Some companies are concerned that veteran employees may be deployed again so it’s a risk to hire them. We need to change their mindset, remind our employers that veterans are a good risk. They understand commitment and they’re dedicated, hardworking, and trustworthy people. They’re skilled; they’re disciplined; they’re talented. They’re good leaders and great managers. These qualities are what companies are looking for, and the candidates employers seek are available and ready to get to work.
One of the difficulties facing returning veterans is how to transfer skills they acquired in military service into meaningful civilian jobs. Part of the problem is that skills obtained through training and certification programs completed in the military, such as training as a combat infantryman, are not readily transferable to civilian employment in related fields. There’s a great website that helps veterans make the transition — www.military.com. The website allows veterans to plug-in their military job codes and then translates the skills used in those jobs to jobs in the civilian world!
Workforce Solutions also helps our veterans search for jobs. Its job-matching database, WorkInTexas.com, puts a 48 hour hold on all new job postings in the system, giving veterans first priority to any job offering.
Additionally, in cooperation with Microsoft® and the U.S. Department of Labor, Workforce Solutions is proud to offer U.S. military veterans and their eligible spouse access to no-cost IT skills training and certification designed to help build the skills employers want. Through the Elevate America veteran’s initiative, veterans and their eligible spouses can receive no-cost online training to build their skills in selected Microsoft technologies, plus industry-recognized certification exams to demonstrate their skills to employers. Visit any Workforce Solutions office to apply.
Workforce Solutions works hard to find qualified jobs for our veterans and qualified veterans for our employers. We believe our veterans fought for our nation, and they should not have to fight to get a job!
As we celebrate Veterans Day to honor all military personnel who have served the United States, we are thinking especially of the young men and women who answered our country’s call under very difficult circumstances. It is up to us to make it possible for them to use their talents in the civilian world to make this a better state and a better nation. Workforce Solutions can help our veterans make the transition from one great job to another.
Tim Lopas is the Office Manager at Workforce Solutions – Pasadena. He has been in Workforce Development for seven years. His career began in the hospitality industry where he was manager of guest services. Tim is a native Houstonian whose passions include mentoring youth and going fishing.
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