Employment Initiatives for Veterans
Veterans Employment Network
President Obama believes that no veteran should have to fight for a job at home after they fight for our nation overseas.
The American Jobs Act includes two tax credits that would benefit firms that hire unemployed veterans and veterans with service-connected disabilities. But our unemployed veterans can’t wait for Congress to act, so the Obama Administration has created resources to help veterans translate their military skills for the civilian workforce, built new online tools to aid their search for jobs,and partnered with the Chamber of Commerce and the private sector to make it easier to connect our veterans with companies that want to hire them:
The National Resource Directory (NRD) provides access to services and resources at the national, state and local levels that support recovery, rehabilitation and community reintegration.
Veterans Job Bank
The Veterans Job Bank powered by NRD.gov provides Veterans with a central source for identifying Veteran-committed employment opportunities and assists America’s employers in identifying qualified Veterans. A key part of the White House’s ongoing commitment to improve access to employment opportunities for transitioning Service Members and Veterans, it facilitates access to hundreds of thousands of private-sector job openings specifically targeted at Veterans.
The Veterans Job Bank returns job opportunities based on search criteria entered by the user. Powered by a Google search, jobs are drawn from various job boards that have posted or specifically tagged jobs for Veterans.
Begin your job search by visiting the Veterans Job Bank powered by the NRD.
Adding Your Jobs to the Veterans Job Bank
If you are an employer wishing to hire Veterans and add your job listings to the Veterans Job Bank, please visit our Instructions for Employer Participation page.
Veterans Job Bank Widget
In support of this initiative, the Veterans Job Bank Widget was created, which allows access to the Veterans Job Bank directly from other websites. An easy to implement feature that any individual or organization can use, the Veterans Job Bank Widget allows Veterans to quickly and easily conduct a targeted job search without ever leaving the website they are on.
To make things even easier, the Veterans Job Bank Widget requires no maintenance. As jobs are added to the Veterans Job Bank, the widget automatically updates.
A highlight of the tool’s job search function is a military occupational code (MOC) translator that converts the user’s military experience into related civilian job skills – which can then be used to match specific skills or jobs. In addition, users can search by keyword and location.
You can get the Veterans Job Bank Widget for your website by visiting the Job Search Widget page.
My Next Move for Veterans
My Next Move for Veterans is an easy-to-use online tool created by the Department of Labor that allows veterans to enter information about their experience and skills in the field, and match it with civilian careers that put that experience to use. The site also includes information about salaries, apprenticeships, and other related education and training programs.
Veteran Gold Card
The Veteran Gold Card provides post-9/11 veterans with extra support as they transition out of the military. Once a veteran has downloaded the Veteran Gold Card, he or she can access six months of personalized case management, assessments and counseling at the roughly 3,000 One-Stop Career Centers located across the country.
The Gold Card provides unemployed post-9/11 era veterans with the intensive and follow-up services they need to succeed in today’s job market. The Gold Card initiative is a joint effort of the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS).
An eligible veteran can present the Gold Card at his/her local One-Stop Career Center to receive enhanced intensive services including up to six months of follow-up. The enhanced in-person services available for Gold Card holders at local One-Stop Career Centers may include:
- Job readiness assessment, including interviews and testing;
- Development of an Individual Development Plan (IDP);
- Career guidance through group or individual counseling that helps veterans in making training and career decisions;
- Provision of labor market, occupational, and skills transferability information that inform educational, training, and occupational decisions;
- Referral to job banks, job portals, and job openings;
- Referral to employers and registered apprenticeship sponsors;
- Referral to training by WIA-funded or third party service providers; and
- Monthly follow-up by an assigned case manager for up to six months.
Hiring Our Heroes
Business Steps Up: Hiring Our Heroes. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is committed to Hiring Our Heroes, and are sponsoring 100 hiring fairs for veterans and military spouses in local communities across the country between March 2011-March 2012. They have also created strategic partnerships to deal with specific populations of veterans and their unique challenges in three other areas to include: a Wounded Warrior Transition Assistance Program, a Post 9-11 Student Veteran Internship and Employment Program, and a Women Veterans and Military Spouses Employment Program.
Milicruit’s virtual recruitment center
Milicruit’s virtual recruitment center allows service members, veterans, and military spouses the opportunity to meet and interact with military friendly employers in real time, and for anywhere they are located with an internet connection. Visit employers in their virtual booths, view/apply for jobs, and chat with recruiters all from the comfort and convenience of home. Register today and you will have immediate access to the virtual environment. You can also check the calendar of upcoming national or regional virtual career fairs at www.veteranscareerfair.com
Military Spouse Employment Partnership
The Military Spouse Employment Partnership http://www.msepjobs.com/ (MSEP) is a comprehensive web-enabled recruitment and career partnership solution connecting military spouses to employers seeking a 21st century workforce with the skills and attributes possessed by military spouses. MSEP provides a digital recruiting platform for vetted FORTUNE 500 PLUS employers who have committed to identifying and promoting career employment opportunities for military spouses, posting job openings on the MSEP web portal, and to offering transferrable, portable careers to relocating military spouse employees.
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The White House
* The above story is adapted from materials provided by The White House
