Legislation to be introduced in Congress on Wednesday would
require all U.S. service members to undergo job-skills training before
leaving the military, a measure that supporters say is aimed at cutting
the high unemployment rate among veterans of the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
About 27 percent of veterans age 20 to 24 are unemployed, according to recent statistics from the Labor Department. Many
veterans returning from service in Iraq and Afghanistan are finding
themselves at a competitive disadvantage when they look for civilian
employment in the difficult economy because they lack job-skills
training, according to Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the bill’s sponsor.
“One of the biggest barriers they face upon returning is finding a job,” Murray, who is chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs,
said in an interview Tuesday. “With their training, leadership
abilities and skills, they should be at the top of the list for jobs,
and too often they go to the bottom of the pile.”
The legislation,
called the Hiring Heroes Act of 2011, would require all departing
service members to participate in the Transition Assistance Program,
which is administered by the Labor Department in partnership with the Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The training, which is now voluntary, includes job-search techniques, resume writing and interviewing tips.
“They’ve been out of the workforce, and that puts them at a disadvantage,” said Paul Rieckhoff,
the executive director and founder of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans
of America, which is supporting the legislation. “This is a good way to
soften their landing. These folks shouldn’t have to face high
unemployment rates when they return. They shouldn’t be coming home to
unemployment checks.”
As many as one-third of departing service
members do not participate in the program, according to Murray’s office.
Commanders do not always set aside time to allow demobilizing service
members to take advantage of the training. In other cases, service
members are given little or no information about the program, or do not
want the training.
Many service members do not receive the
training “primarily because they don’t have to,” Rieckhoff said. “They
may think it’s not for them. But it’s good for them, and good for
employers.”
The bill would require the government to contact each
veteran within six months of his or her completion of the training
program and every three months thereafter for the first year after they
leave the service to check on their job status.
The legislation
also would require the Defense Department, the Labor Department and the
VA to jointly sponsor a study that would identify how to eliminate
barriers in translating military jobs into civilian employment. Military
medics, for example, are often unable to get certification that would
allow them to get civilian positions despite their training. “They have
tremendous experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, and they come home and
they can’t drive an ambulance,” Murray said.
The Congressional
Budget Office did not have an estimate yet on the potential cost of the
legislation. The bill is drawing support from the Veterans of Foreign
Wars, the Military Officers Association of America and the Disabled
American Veterans.
Murray said the numbers of unemployed young
veterans might grow as more troops return from Afghanistan. “Twenty
years from now, it will be on the conscience of our country if we don’t
do something to address this problem,” she said.
– The Washington Post
English 
Spanish