By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2014 – First Lady Michelle Obama
announced today that more than 100 construction industry companies have
committed to hiring more than 100,000 military veterans over the next five
years.
Obama and Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez delivered remarks
at the National Symposium on Veterans’ Employment in Construction, hosted at
the Labor Department.
The event brought together construction industry officials,
government leaders and education professionals to highlight hiring commitments
throughout the industry, and it addressed employment challenges and
opportunities for transitioning service members and veterans.
The first lady called the commitment to veterans “a huge
deal,” adding, “It’s days like today that remind me why Dr. [Jill] Biden and I
started Joining Forces in the first place.”
Joining Forces is a national initiative championed by the
first lady and the vice president’s wife to engage all sectors of society to
give service members and their family members opportunities and support.
“We did this because we wanted to inspire businesses and
organizations across the country to ask themselves one simple question: … What
more can we do to honor and support our veterans and military families?” the
first lady said.
“And today all of you answered that question with this
incredibly strong commitment,” Obama said. “I know that you all have made this
commitment not just because it is the patriotic thing to do, … [but also]
because you know that America’s military turns our some of the highest-skilled,
hardest-working employees this country has ever seen.”
The kind of work men and women in uniform do every day
includes building cities in the middle of deserts halfway around the world,
building schools in remote villages, and repairing complex machinery in combat
zones in the middle of the night, she said.
“Our troops have taken on some of the most challenging
projects in some of the most inhospitable places under some of the toughest
deadlines and constraints,” the first lady said. “So when it comes to the
attitude and the experience needed to thrive in construction jobs, our men and
women in uniform are second to none.”
As part of Joining Forces, the first lady and Dr. Biden
issued a call to 50 U.S. governors to take executive or legislative action to
streamline state licensing for service members, veterans and their spouses by
the end of 2015. Today, 44 states have passed legislation that streamlines the
process for service members and veterans to obtain civilian certification and
licensure, according to a White House fact sheet.
In his remarks, Perez noted that the Labor Department’s
latest employment report indicates the private sector has created 8.5 million
jobs over the last 47 months. The construction industry showed one of the most
dramatic growth rates, he said, adding more jobs in January than in any month
since March 2007.
The construction industry is expected to create more than
1.5 million jobs by 2022, Perez said, adding that the industry has long
maintained a proven training and employment infrastructure.
“Through apprenticeships, certification and credentialing
programs provided by labor unions and individual employers, veterans can
translate their skills into in-demand civilian occupations,” the secretary
said.
“Nearly 8 percent of all registered apprentices are veterans,”
he added, “while 23 percent of apprentices are active military members learning
skills in over 120 occupations ranging from airframe mechanics to
firefighters.”
The first lady said she and President Barack Obama believe
the nation’s men and women in uniform should be able to start pursuing such
careers the minute they hang up their uniforms but that the transition from
military to civilian life can be difficult.
“Too many of our troops … get excellent training [but] they
don’t always know how to translate that military experience into good civilian
jobs,” she said. “That’s why in 2012 my husband launched the Department of
Defense Military Credentialing and Licensing Task Force, and we’re already
starting to see results.”
Today, she added, service members nationwide participate in
apprenticeships and accredited civilian training programs near their bases, and
the Defense Department is working to help them apply military training toward
earning civilian credentials, particularly in high-demand fields like plumbing
and heating, ventilation and air conditioning.
The president has assured that veterans can use their
Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to pay for career and technical training in
construction and other industries, the first lady said, and veterans and
companies can find jobs and qualified employees in 2,600 American job centers
across the country.
Today’s commitment is about putting highly skilled
individuals to work in high-paying careers and providing U.S. companies with
the very best workers, but it’s also about “modeling a certain set of values
for our communities and for our country,” she said.
“By making these kinds of commitments … you all are sending
a clear message that in this country we honor those who’ve sacrificed for us,”
the first lady said to company representatives in the audience.
And to service members and veterans in the audience and
watching online, she said, “Please know that America has your back, and if you
ever need to be reminded of how thankful we are for everything you’ve done for
us, take a look around this room.
“You’ve got representatives from some of the leading
companies in America,” the first lady added, “many of whom have traveled a very
long way to be here. And they’re all here because they want to serve you as
well as you’ve served this country.”
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