Bill Metheny Director of Field Operations Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) South Dakota Coalition for Military Families Military Symposium Department of Labor Preparing Veterans for Better Jobs 1

22 Filename/RPS Number Office of Economic Policy 2 Veteran Unemployment Rates 21.2M veterans in the BLS statistics (2014 average). Roughly 80% are 45 years old or older, compared to 50% of non-veterans. Roughly 64% are 55 years old or older, compared to 32% of non-veterans. Unemployment rates tend to be lower for older populations. 3.8% 72,030 Veterans in South Dakota 3.8% Veterans Unemployment Rate in SD 3,674 Unemployed Veterans in SD

 Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) o Coordinates Agency efforts  Employment & Training Administration (ETA) o National Workforce System (AJCs) o UCX, Office of Apprenticeship, WIOA, Grants  Office of the Solicitor (SOL) o Employment law expertise including enforcement in U.S. veteran discrimination cases.  Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) o Continuously monitors and analyzes U.S. veteran employment statistics  Chief Evaluation Officer (CEO) o Evaluates effectiveness /efficiency of Veteran employment programs  Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) o Focuses on disability-related policies that benefit veterans  Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) o Affirmative action provisions of VEVRAA  Woman’s Bureau (WB) o Develops policies, advocates for equality and economic security and promotes quality work environments for working women/veterans  Wage and Hour Division (WHD) o Military Family Leave (FMLA) Integrated Approach to Serving Veterans 3 Regional Locations: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, San Francisco

VETS’ Mission We prepare America’s veterans, service members and their spouses for meaningful careers We provide them with employment resources and expertise We promote their employment opportunities We protect their employment rights 5

VETS - Moving our service delivery to the left of transition VETS’ Engagement with Transitioning Service Members/Veterans/Employers Student (VA) Employee (DOL) American Job Centers - Priority of Service - Gold Card/Intensive Services Technical Training Registered Apprenticeships Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) American Job Center (AJC) National Labor Exchange (NLX) Veteran Transition GPS (TAP) Employers Entrepreneur (SBA) “Good Careers for Veterans” TSMs AJC Services Apprenticeships Dislocated Workers 6

Transition GPS / TAP Transition Assistance Program Pre-Separation Counseling (DoD) months prior / - 24 months (retirement) Core Curriculum: - Resilient Transitions (DoD) - MOC Crosswalk (DoD) - Financial Planning (DoD) - Employment Workshop (DOL) - Benefits Briefing (VA) Specialized Tracks - Career Technical Training (VA) - Assessing Higher Education (DoD) - Entrepreneur (SBA) Capstone Key points: - Teach mechanics of getting a job - 3-days/class size: max 50 - Tangible products: Individual Transition Plan Skills assessment/Job search Resume/Cover Letters FY ,697 workshops/ 206 locations - 207,000 participants - 9,000 Guard and Reserve The services, training, tools and support a transitioning service member needs to meet career readiness standards.  Annual curriculum review ongoing  Available on-line/any-time at: 7

Who Can DVOPs Serve Pre-Separation ? Transitioning members of the Armed Forces who have been identified as in need of intensive services; service members who receive this warm handover, or who produce a DD-2958 signed by their commander documenting that they have not met Career Readiness Standards transitioning service members ages 18-24, regardless of whether they meet Career Readiness Standards active duty service members being involuntarily separated through a Service reduction-in-force. Members of the Armed Forces who are wounded, ill, or injured and receiving treatment in military treatment facilities or warrior transition units The spouses or other family caregivers of such wounded, ill, or injured members Service members who are being discharged from service, either voluntarily or involuntarily, are eligible for dislocated worker services under the Workforce Investment Act 8 What is a DVOP?

DoD SkillBridge  Promotes civilian job training available for transitioning Service members  Service members meeting certain qualifications can participate in civilian job and employment training, including apprenticeships and internships starting up to six months prior to their separation from Active Duty  Training must offer a high probability of employment and be provided to the Service member at little or no cost  Through DoD SkillBridge, tremendous potential exists for Service members, companies, trade unions, and others to leverage this talent pipeline to meet state, regional, and industry workforce needs 9

Apprenticeships 10  American Apprenticeship Initiative will significantly increase apprenticeship opportunities for job seekers and workers including veterans and transitioning service members  Both OJT and apprenticeship training programs are available for veterans using their Post-9/11 GI Bill – Eligible veterans may qualify for a monthly stipend in addition to the wages they receive in an apprenticeship  Moving to competency based apprenticeships gives veterans an advantage

 Sec. 237, VOW Act - Enhancement of Credentialing Program on Credentialing and Licensing of Veterans  Required the Assistant Secretary for Veterans' Employment and Training in consultation with ETA to carry out a two-year demonstration project on the credentialing and licensing of veterans  March 2015, NGA Center for Best Practices “Veterans’ Licensing and Certification Demonstration: Interim Project Report”  National Credentialing Summit (April 2015) “Call to Action”  Dislocated Worker status for transitioning service members and spouses Licensing & Certification 11

American Job Centers = 2,

American Job Center (AJC) Job Seeker Services  Determination of eligibility for services  Outreach, intake and orientation  Initial assessment of skills, abilities, aptitudes and service needs  Job search and placement  Provision of workforce information  Job placement follow-up  Comprehensive and specialized assessments of skills and service needs  Development of individual employment plans  Employment counseling and career planning  Case management  Prevocational or pre-training short-term skill development services  Occupational skills  Skill upgrading and retraining  On-the-job training  Workplace training combined with related instruction  Entrepreneurial  Job readiness training  Adult education and literacy Intensive ServicesCore Services Training Services  Veterans receive “priority of service” at all Department of Labor employment and job-training programs, including AJCs  Other than Dishonorable discharges are eligible for DVOPS services; those with a dishonorable discharge can use normal American Job Center services  Post-9/11 Era Veterans are eligible to receive Gold Card services (6 months)  Dislocated Workers: Service members with a separation date may qualify for dislocated worker programs operated by AJCs In FY 14 DOL served approximately 17 million participants, including 1.1 million veterans 13 Career Services:

Employer Outreach  Enhanced employer outreach to facilitate veteran hiring – Two Regional Veterans’ Employment Managers at national office – Six Regional Veterans’ Employment Coordinators – Goal: Make it easier for companies to find and hire veterans and military spouses by coordinating and leveraging federal, state, and local employment resources and programs  Increased social media and web presence 14 “Getting closer to employers, so employers get closer to Veterans”

 Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) Provides job training, counseling, and placement services to expedite the reintegration of homeless veterans into the labor force In PY14, VETS awarded 155 grants, totaling $36.5 million Will start dual enrollment in PY16. Means we will capture HVRP clients & data in the workforce system for better comparability VETS’ Employment Services for Homeless Veterans 16 PY14 HVRP ResultsValue Participants Enrolled17,039 Total Number Placed into Employment11,699 Average Hourly Wage at Placement$11.84 Average Earnings (6 months)$12,079 Placement Rate68.7% 1 Those results in blue will be finalized by 10/31/15. Those results in green will not be finalized until April 2016.

 Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) VETS enforces U.S. veterans’ re-employment rights to return to civilian employment once tour of duty concludes  Veteran’s Preference in Federal Employment VETS protects veterans’ rights by investigating and attempting to resolve Veterans’ Preference complaints USERRA/Vets Pref Claim:  VETS 4212 Collaboration Between VETS & OFCCP Requires contractors to submit annual data on U.S. Veteran hiring VETS-4212 Filing: Protecting Service Members’ Employment Rights 17

Key Points  DOL offers incredible, free resources to help transitioning service members & veterans secure meaningful employment.  Leaders and service providers in communities need to know about these resources and recommend them to veterans.  CNA Report: “Encourage all transitioning Service Members and veterans to actively seek employment services from their local American Job Centers.”  DOL is focused on increasing utilization of DOL and AJC services by transitioning service members and veterans and increasing employer engagement, resulting in better overall employment outcomes 18

U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) American Job Centers Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) Veterans’ Employment Center 19