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