Hire a Hero begins staffing effort to create path to construction, trade jobs for veterans

Hire a Hero, a program designed to transition former U.S. soldiers to the civilian workforce, has not been enough to get veterans into jobs such as those in construction, says the Armed Forces Support Foundation. which runs the program.

“The current transition assistance from military to civilian life is inadequate and our veterans are not being hired,” says AFSF. The reasons are many. AFSF cites a 69-company study conducted by the Center for a New American Security, which found:

• Companies don’t understand military terminology and positions. This becomes a sticking point when companies use software to search for key words on resumes.
• If hiring personnel have never been in the military, they may feel applicants with military backgrounds will be too rigid or formal. Post-traumatic stress syndrome is also a worry.
• Former soldiers may not be trained in the exact skills companies want.
• If the applicant is still a Guardsman or Reservist, there may be concerns about future deployments.

To address this, AFSF says it will introduce Staff a Hero later this year to serve as a staffing company, creating temp-to-hire positions and providing additional training for veterans.

Assignments can range from a few hours to a few years, giving veterans the opportunity to view corporate cultures from the inside, and find the work they enjoy. Staff a Hero says it will provide free training, including tools and classes, to veterans.

Those who are interested in the initiative can contact Rob Barr, executive director of Hire a Hero, [email protected].