WASHINGTON – Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi today announced an agreement with The Home Depot, in which the nationwide firm pledges to reach out to service-disabled veterans for the 100,000 jobs it expects to fill this year.
"America's veterans are one of this nation's economic treasures," Principi said. "I salute the leadership of Home Depot for realizing the talent, maturity and professionalism that veterans can bring to any job."
Principi took part in a press conference today with Robert Nardelli, president and CEO of The Home Depot, Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao and Defense Department Under Secretary David Chu.
Under the agreement, Home Depot committed itself to encourage service-disabled veterans to seek employment with the company. The firm also pledged to consider service-connected disabled veterans in issues affecting promotion and job mobility.
The agreement provides for regular contact between Home Depot stores and VA’s vocational and rehabilitation staffs at its state benefits offices. VA offers job skills training and educational and employment counseling to disabled veterans.
Founded in 1978, the Home Depot is the world’s largest home-improvement retailer with more than 1,800 stores and 300,000 employees. The company last year hired nearly 10,000 veterans and expects to surpass that number this year.
