In a move to provide important job training for homeless female Veterans and Veterans with families and set them up with the opportunity to successfully find civilian careers, the Department of Labor (DOL) recently announced they will be awarding grants equaling over $5 million.
The KRA team commends the efforts of those agencies involved in preparing our Veteran jobseekers for tomorrow’s global economy and providing the opportunity for a better life.
Under the department’s Homeless Female Veterans and Veterans with Families Program, the 22 separate grants represent a continuing commitment by the DOL to U.S. Veterans by helping them to gain the requisite skills necessary to rejoin the civilian workforce and secure employment.
According to estimates by the DOL Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS), some 1,900 Veterans will benefit from this award. VETS “serves America’s Veterans and separating service members by preparing them for meaningful careers, providing employment resources and expertise, and protecting their employment rights.”
The DOL has indicated that the grants are earmarked for services that “include job placement, on-the-job and classroom training, career counseling, life skills and money management mentoring, as well as help in finding housing.”
Being able to demonstrate a track record of effective homeless Veteran program administration is the criteria for grantees receiving the award, with the funds being disbursed to state and local workforce investment boards, NPOs, local public agencies and faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs).
Tom Perez, Secretary of Labor, issued a statement regarding the purpose of the funds:
“These grants will offer the opportunity for a better life, providing the training and skills needed to find a job and housing. Our veterans have sacrificed for our nation, and job training programs offer them a path to participation in society and success in the workplace.”
KRA Corporation concurs with the Secretary’s sentiments. We feel that our Veterans are an important priority in public workforce policy, with only youth employment programming being more pressing.
As Veterans in the workforce advocates, KRA Corporation recently posted an article praising another joint initiative by the DOL and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program, which is designed to help eligible Veterans return to the civilian workforce.
KRA Corporation commends this new initiative, especially given the targeted Veteran group that these funds are serving. As always, we remain dedicated to developing workers and the workforce, and even more so those as deserving as our Veterans.
The successful implementation of this initiative is something that KRA Corporation looks forward to. We also look forward to watching it strengthen the communities in which we live.
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