The Buzz Archive - Past Buzz Items from 2013
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• Grants for Homeless Female Veterans - The U.S. Department of Labor announced the availability of up to $5 million to fund 16 or more Homeless Female Veterans and Veterans with Families grants. Approximately 1,900 veterans will receive job training and related services to help them succeed in civilian careers.

  "Much too often, those who have given so much to the nation face a difficult transition to civilian life and struggle to find a job that matches their talents," said acting Secretary of Labor Seth D. Harris. "The grants announced today will help provide support and job assistance for veterans and their families, and open doors for career opportunities."

  Funds for the grants are being awarded on a competitive basis to state and local workforce boards, local public agencies and nonprofit organizations, tribal governments, and faith-based and community organizations. Grantees must be familiar with the areas and populations to be served, and have demonstrated that they can administer effective programs and coordinate their efforts with various local, state and federal social service providers. Homeless female veterans and veterans with families may receive occupational, classroom and on-the-job training, as well as job search and placement assistance, including follow-up services.

  The solicitation for grant applications is available at http://www.grants.gov. Potential applicants seeking more information should visit http://www.dol.gov/vets or contact grants officer Cassandra Mitchell at 202-693-4570.

• Working for Our Veterans: A Recap of the #VetsJobsChat - On May 13, 2013, acting Secretary Seth Harris and representatives of the American Legion hosted a Twitter town hall to discuss Veterans employment issues. Other federal agencies jumped in, too. Here’s a look at the conversation (with Q’s & A’s) as well as some resources that were shared. [Read more...]

• US College Grads May Lack These Skills, but Veterans Have Them - A recent article published on the Bloomberg.com site noted that many recent college graduates seem to lack professionalism. From the article:

  "Employers call it an “employability skill” -- work ethic, timeliness, attendance and so on -- and they deal with it every day. Whenever the National Association of Manufacturers administers its “Skills Gap” surveys to members, failings in this area are as likely to be cited as complaints about inadequate technical and verbal skills.

  In 2001 and 2005, the association’s members rated employability skills as a crushing deficiency in their workforce, and more respondents urged schools to instill better behavior than did those who demanded more training in reading and math.

  Even after the 2008 financial crisis, poor conduct remains a top complaint. In the 2011 survey, 40 percent of employers cited “inadequate basic employability skills” as a reason for why they can’t hire and keep workers."

  We know Veterans have the basic skill sets and attributes that employers want: work ethic, time awareness, attendance, respect for leadership, etc. These are characteristics Veterans have had solidly instilled through their military experience.

  [Read article...]

• Inspiring Thought - "The greatest glory of a free-born people is to transmit that freedom to their children." ~ William Havard

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