Yesterday the Congressional Veterans Jobs Caucus hosted its Veterans’ Jobs Day on the Hill, bringing together service members, veterans, legislators, government officials, professional staff, veterans’ advocates and top civilian employers to discuss ways to foster recruitment and retention of veterans in the civilian workplace.
Corporate leaders like Wal-Mart, UPS, and Monster.com participated in a panel discussion alongside the military’s Office of Reserve Affairs to discuss how each company envisioned its long-term hiring and retention programs for veterans and ways to bridge the language gap between military and civilian job fields, as well as break through negative stereotypes about veterans in the workplace. The panelists also addressed questions from the audience, then stuck around to meet face to face with staffers and veterans’ advocates.
The Department of Defense Hero2Hire program was also on hand to discuss the military’s initiatives to support transitioning service members in their job hunt, and the Hero2Hire mobile job site was parked outside the Dirksen Senate Building throughout the day, where legislators and staff members toured the facility and learned about the new kinds of resources available to job-seeking service members.
Yesterday’s event was orchestrated by the military fellows for Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V.; Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill.; Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Calif.; and Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., the co-chairs of the bipartisan, bicameral caucus. The caucus plans to host similar events on a monthly basis moving forward.
Veteran unemployment continues to disproportionately affect Post-9/11-era veterans, which is why advocating for improved veterans’ employment resources remains a top priority for the VFW. VFW advocates will be out in force on Capitol Hill next week delivering this message to every member of Congress. Check back regularly with this blog for updates.
(Image: Brian Ketz, acting chief of staff for Department of Labor Veterans Employment and Training Service, explains some of the resources Labor offers to veteran job-seekers during yesterday’s question-and-answer session. Photo by Ryan Gallucci.)
GySgt H. E. Newell Jr. USMC retired Harold43701@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteAs a retired United States Marine with over twenty (20) years of honorable service, I only hope that this opportunity will be used to bring to the forefront of veterans concerns is the plight of fellow military personnel concerning the water pollution at MCB Camp Lajeune. From the early 1960’s the government knew that the water on this base was contaminated with chemicals from oil saturated soil and pollution of dry cleaning chemicals in the wells. But nothing was done until the 1990’s. Millions of military and dependents drank and bathed in this water and were effected by it. I myself have had cancer and skin problems along with bone deterioration and coronary problems believed to have been brought on by this condition, my wife has had her female organs remover for multiple growths on them, as well as breast cancer, my daughter has had female problems and subsequent removal of her female organs, my son has also experiencing skeletal bone degeneration. Cancer has never been in our family’s history. The medical expense and suffering is untold of how many? I beseech you to push for all of us that have gone and are still going through medical problems caused by this condition that was allowed to go on for so long.