Legion, other stakeholders tackle veteran unemployment barriers
Representatives from The American Legion and the Department of Veterans Affairs, and community partners in the veteran employment arena met Aug. 3 to identify priorities they will focus on in the future to combat unemployment amongst veteran communities in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia.
During the “Bridging the Gap to Veteran Employment” forum hosted by the VA, human resources professionals, VA social workers, Department of Labor Disabled Veteran Outreach Program specialists and homeless veteran program managers formed a working group, sharing their resources and programs with each other. The group also honed in on identifying major barriers to veteran employment, how to overcome those barriers, identifying veteran employers and how to support veteran-friendly employers.
“Oftentimes when veterans are seeking employment, they are having a hard time securing jobs due to certain obstacles in their life,” said Kevin Morton, D.C. VA medical center’s health care for homeless veterans coordinator. “By bringing in workforce developers and service providers, we can start to eliminate some of the obstacles that made finding employment difficult.”
For one attendee, the opportunity to network was invaluable. “For me, this is all about getting the word out about my company and helping the veterans that need the most help – veterans with disabilities and other barriers,” said Chad Rodgers, a veteran vocational specialist with Skookum Contract Services. Rodgers stressed the significance of veteran hiring efforts, especially for those who have overcome personal and professional challenges.
“The biggest goal is to ensure veterans are getting jobs,” Morton added. “In the past, employment events like workshops and job fairs taught them how to get ready for interviews and dress for success, but the veterans weren’t getting hired at the end. We want to take a more proactive approach to this.”
Donna Woods, the Legion’s assistant director of Human Resources, noted how invaluable the contacts are that she gained during the event. “I was able to receive resumes for open positions that we are trying to fill and learned that the difficulty we are experiencing finding job openings, matching veterans with jobs and placing them is not just a Legion issue – we are seeing this all across the board."
Morton said he hopes the day’s open forum will inspire a new wave of hiring initiatives and events aimed at getting veterans hired on the spot.
“We would like to get veteran service organizations more involved,” he said. “We rely on collaborative efforts from The American Legion and others to provide us with additional expertise and the resources we need.”