As the U.S. manufacturing resurgence grows, veterans will play a critical role in strengthening the core of the manufacturing and technical service industries, which are poised to hire 230,000 workers over the next five years.
Vet2Tech is a nonprofit organization helping military veterans find employment in manufacturing and technical service careers. With the help of Military.com, Vet2Tech trained and employed numerous veterans this year. The goal for 2015 is to find great career opportunities for more than 150 veterans.
Carol Multack, president and CEO of Vet2Tech, started the Chicago-based nonprofit in 2012 to help alleviate the staggering unemployment rate of post-9/11 veterans. "Targeting manufacturing and technical service industries was a no-brainer," she says, "because the resurgence in manufacturing is creating a large number of new jobs that require skills many of our highly trained veterans possess."
Multack sees veterans playing a critical role in strengthening industries involved in manufacturing. "Veterans have been well-trained by the military for many of the mechanical and technical skill sets needed in manufacturing," Multack says, "but most veterans struggle to see the connection between the skills they've obtained in the military with the skills needed in the civilian workforce."
Vet2Tech started as a grassroots organization filling open service technician positions for the commercial food equipment industry with veterans who possess technical aptitude. It was soon apparent that the service side of the industry was not the only sector searching for skilled employees.
Equipment manufacturers started sending requests to fill open positions such as industrial, mechanical and electrical engineers, electrical installers, machinists, HVAC technicians, IT professionals, logistics specialists, and more. All of these positions can be filled with veterans through Vet2Tech.
For more info about how Vet2Tech helps veterans, visit www.Vet2Tech.org. Veterans interested in employment opportunities in either the manufacturing or technical service industries, please send your resume and cover letter to resumes@vet2tech.org. Employers in the manufacturing and technical service industries interested in hiring veteran candidates, please send job descriptions and employment criteria to jobs@vet2tech.org.
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