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Ready to hire a vet? Here’s where to turn

There are a variety of national, state, and regional programs focused to one extent or another on hiring veterans. This list provides a starting point, focusing on the top national programs from the public and private sector.

By Bob Vavra February 13, 2014

Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW)
This program is operated through the VA. Employers who hire and train service-disabled veterans may qualify for incentives and tax credits. The Special Employer Incentive (SEI) program provides assistance to employers who hire veterans. The SEI program connects qualified veterans with a specific role at your organization. Veterans who success-fully complete the hiring program are expected to stay on at your organization. With this program, you can hire a qualified trainee at an apprenticeship wage. Employers are reimbursed for up to half the veteran’s salary to cover certain supplies and equipment, additional instruction expenses, and any loss of production.

Get Skills to Work
A collaboration of more than 190 manufacturers, including GE, which helped spearhead the program, as well as collaboration with The Manufacturing Institute and the National Association of Manufacturers. The goal is to provide expanded career opportunities for U.S. veterans in advanced manufacturing.

America’s Heroes at Work
A U.S. Dept. of Labor program that addresses the hiring of veterans through its Veterans Hiring Toolkit, but also calls attention to specific issues, such as post-traumatic stress disorder among returning veterans.

Workshops for Warriors
A grass-roots effort based near San Diego, it has received support from the Association for Manufacturing Technology, the National Tooling and Machining Association, the National Institute for Metalworking Skills, and other organizations. It provides a training facility for those veterans leaving service in San Diego, which has both U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps bases nearby.

Hire Heroes USA
Headquartered in Alpharetta, Ga., Hire Heroes USA assists unemployed veterans in their search for jobs. The management team is a mixture of military veterans, many with combat experience in Iraq and Afganistan, and experienced business veterans.  That mix of military and civilian experience has proven essential to effectively training veterans in the skills of self-marketing and then networking them into good jobs with great companies.

U.S. Manufacturing Pipeline
U.S. Manufacturing Pipeline assists veterans searching for a job in manufacturing. Veterans can create a resume, earn manufacturing credentials, and search for manufacturing job openings. 

Hire a Hero
Part of the Armed Forces Support Foundation, the website provides job openings and resources “committed to assisting our armed service men, women and spouses transitioning back into the civilian world.”


Author Bio: Bob is the Content Manager for Plant Engineering.