Today it's critical for our returning troops and veterans to get good jobs and to utilize their experience in military service to make the significant contributions they can. Likewise for military spouses. But as important as getting a job is, I'm not sure we take the time to consider the factors that support finding, getting, and keeping a job: Being successful on the job. Enjoying and growing with the job. Making the most of one's potential in the workforce. What are the conditions and services that support this wider view of workforce and employment development? What does an integrative approach to veteran employment look like? Why does it matter? Aren't the hard numbers regarding training, placement and retention all that are important?
Most of us know that things are interconnected, but we forget. The song Dry Bones presents those famous lyrics: "The ankle bone connected to the shin bone, The shin bone connected to the knee bone, The knee bone connected to the thigh bone, The thigh bone connected to the hip bone, the hip bone connected to the back bone, The back bone connected to the shoulder bone, The shoulder bone connected to the neck bone, The neck bone connected to the head bone."
Then comes a line I'd forgotten: "Them bones got up and the walked around." There's a whole person there! But how easy it all gets lost amidst the silo-based employment, housing, mental health, resilience, reintegration, transition assistance, financial, legal, benefits and other services.
Now "one stop" service centers are an up-and-coming model. User-friendly, holistic career development, and employment support and education should be part and parcel of workforce development. In a recent study of thousands of reintegration programs, the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and TBI, (DCoE), mandated by Congress to study, identify and disseminate best practices, identified eight. The Coming Home Project was the only reintegration program that met the DCoE's core criteria - integrating psychological, behavioral, social-family, and spiritual dimensions - while also having significant research data to demonstrate effectiveness.
The study also recommended completely revamping transition assistance programs and addressing multiple elements in one setting. Yes, employment, benefits, housing, education and mental health, but also wellness, resilience and family support. And I would add peer support (not simply peer counseling). DCoE valued programs, like Coming Home Project, that welcomed service members, veterans and families, together under one roof, and members of all military branches, at varying stages of deployment.
The Coming Home Project is a finalist in WILL Interactive's "Simulate a Better World Challenge." WILL Interactive has developed a uniquely successful training tool where users become the lead character in an interactive movie simulation. If we win, WILL and Coming Home plan to hone this proven technology to create a powerful, state-of-the-art interactive learning platform to assist veterans find jobs and employers find, connect effectively with, and hire them. As the only veteran services organization among the four finalists, we need your vote in order to develop this leading-edge veteran employment training and support tool to integrate into our nationally recognized whole-person focused reintegration programs. All it takes is one vote a day.
To vote, simply click here and select "Veteran Transition and Reintegration into the Workforce - Coming Home Project," then click "Submit."
Follow Joseph Bobrow on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Coming_Home
No Revenues {especially private capital investments for economic growth, free market capitalism, not being followed} = Still No Sacrifice = That's Called 'Support' For The Troops = DeJa-Vu all over again!!
Now a decade and counting, told to go shopping, use patriotic meme's and symbols of support and wave them flags, added to the previous decades of under funding the VA, while the peoples reps Still try and lay blame on the Agency, after rubber stamping wars and costs of and those represented cheer on these wars!
While the wealthy and other investors garner their booty, still, from both and many have the chutz·pa to call themselves more patriotic{?} then others wrapped in those false flags, using false slogans and various cheap symbols of and then seek one day events or parades to wave all that patriotism, call it "Supporting the Troops", then go home and either ignore or forget about those that actually sacrificed for the country!
USN All Shore '67-'71 GMG3 Vietnam In Country '70-'71
Contact center jobs like tech support, account management and data processing are great career entry points for our returning veterans. We salute organizations like WorkSpace Warriors, Hire-a-Vet and Wounded Warrior Project in making this a reality by assisting companies with this transition. With all the federal and state tax credits the cost per hour is just slightly above offshore cost. If the majority of companies in the USA bring back 10% for our veterans we would see a dramatic decrees within the unemployment rate of our veterans.
Let’s bring these jobs back to America One veteran at a Time.
I doubt your plan will get traction, there's too much staked in laying claim to 1/3-1/2 of everyone's income, can't have rich people losing money.