August 27, 2004

We are asking for your support in getting our veterans back to work and in helping employers obtain skilled workers. The U.S. Department of Labor and the President’s National Hire Veterans Committee are kicking off a nationwide campaign entitled “Hire Vets First” on September 9, 2004.  This campaign will heighten employer awareness of the diverse capabilities, broad range of skills, excellent training, and proven character of our veterans.

The campaign, through its Web site, www.hirevetsfirst.org, and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Toll-Free Help Line 1-877-US2-JOBS (TTY: 1-877-889-5627), will refer employers to local One-Stop Career Centers for assistance in connecting to veterans. Businesses that contact One-Stop Career Centers during the campaign will want to tap into the veteran labor pool by utilizing the comprehensive services offered at One-Stop Career Centers. Please note the www.HireVetsFirst.org website will not be live until the campaign is kicked off on September 9, 2004.

To better meet the needs of these employers, we encourage a coordinated approach to service delivery that includes One-Stop Career Center business representatives, Local Veterans Employment Representatives (LVERs), Disabled Veterans Outreach Program (DVOP) staff, and other staff in One-Stop Career Centers. The Hire Vets First campaign provides us with an opportunity to showcase the quality business services offered by One-Stop Career Centers while providing priority of service to our nation’s veterans.

We ask for your assistance in building awareness about the Hire Vets First campaign among local employers through existing partnerships and outreach efforts. We encourage you to think strategically about how to coordinate the efforts of all program staff to best assist employers in connecting to veterans through the public workforce system.

As you can imagine, an effort of this magnitude requires strong partnerships and hard work. Workforce Investment Boards and One-Stop Career Centers are well-suited to support this special effort.  Enclosed you will find a fact sheet on the Hire Vets First campaign for use by One-Stop Career Center staff and veterans representatives. Additionally, we have attached a list of resources and an outline of the support we can all provide in our unique roles to make this important campaign a success.

We are excited about this critical campaign and look forward to working with you to provide an incredible asset to employers and assist those women and men who have served our country. 

Sincerely,

Emily S. DeRocco Frederico Juarbe, Jr

Assistant Secretary for Assistant Secretary for

Employment and Training Veterans’ Employment and

Training