VCC Magazine Spring 2019

V irginia C apitol C onnections , S pring 2019 30 Each year thousands of men and women leave active duty military service and look to transition to new employment in the civilian world. The Commonwealth is blessed to be the home of so many major military installations. From the Pentagon, Fort Belvoir and Marine Base Quantico in Northern Virginia to Naval Base Norfolk to Joint Base Langley and Oceana in Hampton Roads, Fort A.P. Hill and Fort Lee in Central Virginia and more, Virginia is home to men and women from every branch of service who will be searching for a new job. To fill our state’s growing need for the best employees and keep our state economy running at full capacity, both government and business are working to make it as easy as possible for these transitioning service members and their spouses to find good jobs and make Virginia their permanent home. This is the mission of the Virginia Transition Assistance Program (VTAP) at the Department of Veterans Services (DVS). Over the past two years, DVS and the Virginia Chamber Foundation have worked together through a unique partnership to create HIRE VETS NOW. Virginia leads the nation with its innovative programs such as VirginiaValuesVeterans (V3). Over the past six years, more than 1,000 companies and local and state government agencies have committed to hiring veterans. Many of these employers are Virginia Chamber members. Since its inception, more than 44,000 veterans have been hired statewide. The HIRE VETS NOW initiative works to reach service members before they leave active duty. It does this by sponsoring a series of free networking events that bring together representatives from many of the state’s top employers with soon-to-be transitioning military and spouses. These events are held where the service members are stationed, such as Naval Station Norfolk, Fort Belvoir and Fort Lee. Unlike traditional “job fairs,” the HIRE VETS NOW events allow military personnel to meet with Chamber members, andV3 businesses as well as staff from DVS and the Virginia Chamber to learn more about post service opportunities in a casual and relaxed atmosphere. “The concept for the HIRE VETS NOW initiative grew out of our partnership with the Chamber fromour working together on the annual Chamber workforce conferences each September and from the Chamber and its members’ active participation in our V3 program,” said DVS Commissioner John L. Newby II. “Virginia is dedicated to becoming the best state in the nation for members of our military community,” said Virginia Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Barry DuVal. “The Virginia Chamber Foundation and our Military&VeteransAffairs Executive Committee are pleased to bring together our most military- friendly employers with state and military leaders in expanding career opportunities for veterans and their spouses.” Building upon the initial success of theHIREVETSNOWprogram, this past spring, DVS, and the Chamber Foundation announced a new joint partnership with Navy Region Mid-Atlantic (NRMA) called the HIREVETS NOW Fellowship Program. This innovative SkillBridge venture allows service members with proper command approval to become a “fellow” or intern with a selected V3 Certified Employer within their last six months of active duty service. This give soon-to-transition service members the opportunity to gain valuable private sector experience before separating from service. It also gives employers the opportunity to recruit highly skilled veteran talent. “SkillBridge programs are designed to link transitioning service members with civilian training opportunities, in an effort to enhance the probability of employment post separation,” said the NRMA’s Regional Transition Outreach Coordinator Amanda Slosson. “The HIRE VETS NOW Fellowship program is currently one of the ten approved programs available here in Hampton Roads, but the only one that facilitates opportunities for transitioners to network with Veteran certified employers offering SkillBridge compliant internship opportunities.” More and more employers are signing up to participate in the HIREVETS NOW Fellowship program. They represent a wide variety of industries and career paths from construction and manufacturing to technology, cybersecurity to medical, and law enforcement. HIRE VETS NOW events are already scheduled this spring, summer and fall at Fort Belvoir, Fort Lee, Naval Station Norfolk, Quantico, Joint Base Langley-Eustis and Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. Virginia’s veterans are one of our most valuable resources. We need their proven talents and leadership skills to fill Virginia jobs. HIRE VETS NOW is a great example of how our state government, military and business community are working together to boost our economy and assure that Virginia remains the most veteran-friendly state in America. To learn more about the Virginia Transition Assistance Program and HIRE VETS NOW, visit www.dvs.virginia.gov and www. vachamber/hirevets . Alison Foster is Program Manager of the Virginia Transition Assistance Program at the Virginia Department of Veterans Services. Cyndi Miracle is Senior Vice President for Programs at the Virginia Chamber Foundation. Virginia Chamber Foundation and Department of Veterans Services Partner for HIRE VETS NOW Initiative By Alison Foster and Cyndi Miracle FOSTER MIRACLE V