[House Hearing, 113 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
WHAT CAN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT LEARN
FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR'S SUCCESSFUL AP-
PROACH TO HIRING VETERANS?
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014
__________
Serial No. 113-50
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
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COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
JEFF MILLER, Florida, Chairman
DOUG LAMBORN, Colorado MICHAEL H. MICHAUD, Maine, Ranking
GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida, Vice- Minority Member
Chairman CORRINE BROWN, Florida
DAVID P. ROE, Tennessee MARK TAKANO, California
BILL FLORES, Texas JULIA BROWNLEY, California
JEFF DENHAM, California DINA TITUS, Nevada
JON RUNYAN, New Jersey ANN KIRKPATRICK, Arizona
DAN BENISHEK, Michigan RAUL RUIZ, California
TIM HUELSKAMP, Kansas GLORIA NEGRETE MCLEOD, California
MIKE COFFMAN, Colorado ANN M. KUSTER, New Hampshire
BRAD R. WENSTRUP, Ohio BETO O'ROURKE, Texas
PAUL COOK, California TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota
JACKIE WALORSKI, Indiana
DAVID JOLLY, Florida
Jon Towers, Staff Director
Nancy Dolan, Democratic Staff Director
Pursuant to clause 2(e)(4) of Rule XI of the Rules of the House, public
hearing records of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs are also
published in electronic form. The printed hearing record remains the
official version. Because electronic submissions are used to prepare
both printed and electronic versions of the hearing record, the process
of converting between various electronic formats may introduce
unintentional errors or omissions. Such occurrences are inherent in the
current publication process and should diminish as the process is
further refined.
C O N T E N T S
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Page
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
What can the Federal Government Learn From the Private Sector's
Successful Approach to Hiring Veterans?........................ 1
OPENING STATEMENTS
Hon. David P. Roe, Acting Chairman............................... 1
Prepared Statement........................................... 33
Hon. Mike Michaud, Ranking Minority Member....................... 2
Prepared Statement........................................... 35
Hon. Bill Flores
Prepared Statement........................................... 35
WITNESSES
BG Gary M. Profit (USA, Ret), Senior Director, Military Programs
Wal-mart....................................................... 3
Prepared Statement........................................... 37
Mr. Sean Kelly, Senior Staffing Director, Cloud and Enterprise
Group ` Military Recruiting Microsoft Corporation.............. 5
Prepared Statement........................................... 38
Ms. Maureen E. Casey, Managing Director, Military and Veterans
Affairs, JPMorgan Chase ` Co................................... 7
Prepared Statement........................................... 46
Mr. Jim Amos, Chairman Tasti D-Lite and Planet Smoothie, On
Behalf of the International Franchise Association.............. 8
Prepared Statement........................................... 50
Mr. Ross Cohen, Senior Director, Hiring Our Heroes, U.S. Chamber
of Commerce Foundation......................................... 10
Prepared Statement........................................... 53
WHAT CAN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT LEARN FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR'S
SUCCESSFUL APPROACH TO HIRING VETERANS?
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Tuesday, January 28, 2014
U.S. House of Representatives,
Committee on Veterans' Affairs,
Washington, D.C.
The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:57 a.m., in
Room 334, Cannon House Office Building, Hon. David Roe
presiding.
Present: Representatives Roe, Flores, Denham, Benishek,
Wenstrup, Walorski, Michaud, Brown, Takano, Brownley, Titus,
Kirkpatrick, Negrete McLeod, Kuster, O'Rourke, and Walz.
OPENING STATEMENT OF ACTING CHAIRMAN DAVID P. ROE
Mr. Roe. Good morning. The committee will come to order.
Chairman Miller regrets he is unable to be here today but I
will be standing in for him during his absence, and welcome.
As we begin the committee's work for the second session of
the 113th Congress I believe it is appropriate to examine one
of the top priorities of this committee since 2011, improving
employment opportunities for veterans. According to the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics the unemployment rate for all
veterans in December of 2013 was 5.5 percent. This is in sharp
contrast to December of 2010 when the unemployment rate for all
veterans was 8.3 percent. This equates to a difference of over
369,000 jobs and more veterans finding work.
While I believe that programs like the G.I. Bill and VRAP
have helped to position veterans to obtain the skills needed to
get a job in today's tough economy, the most significant factor
in the drop in the unemployment rate has been that American
corporations, and most importantly small businesses, have truly
stepped up to the plate and have made it a priority to recruit,
hire, and retain veterans. These companies and trade
associations have made hiring veterans a priority not out of
charity but because it is simply a good business decision. They
have learned that the soft and hard skills as well as the
incredible work ethic that veterans bring to the table are
unmatched and make them excellent employees.
Today's panel of witnesses represent companies and
associations that are among the best of the best when it comes
to hiring and promoting the hiring of veterans. These companies
have not only launched initiatives to train and hire veterans
but they have worked within their own industries and across the
private sector to bring innovative approaches to increasing
employment in the veteran population. I hope that listening to
their testimony and having the opportunity to ask some
questions will give members a better understanding of the
commitment these companies have to veterans and countless
others who share this commitment in each of our districts.
I am also very interested to hear the panel's opinions on
federally funded training and hiring programs for veterans that
Congress funds every year. As many of you know improving the
performance of these programs has been and will continue to be
a focus of this committee, and I am looking forward to learning
what programs if any the private sector finds to be the most
successful, in short what works and what does not work.
While great strides have been made in reducing veterans'
unemployment rate I think that we all agree that much more is
needed to create the best environment for job creation and
growth as our men and women continue to transition from active
duty service into civilian life. I remain concerned that over
taxation, crushing business regulations which increase costs
and reduce competitiveness, as well as well documented concerns
and uncertainty surrounding the implementation of the
Affordable Care Act threaten the hard work of our panelists and
many others in making it a priority to hire our veterans. I
look forward to hearing from each of our panelists today of how
Congress can promote pro-growth policies that will help create
new jobs for veterans and all Americans alike.
At this time I yield to the distinguished Ranking Member
Mr. Michaud.
[The prepared statement of Chairman David Roe appears in
the Appendix]
OPENING STATEMENT OF MIKE MICHAUD, RANKING MINORITY MEMBER
Mr. Michaud. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, for having
this very important and timely hearing this morning. Providing
veterans with an opportunity for employment is a top priority
of this committee. In the tough economy we want to make sure we
are doing everything that we can to help our veterans succeed
in making that transition from active duty to serving the
communities and making employment gains in their respective
areas.
This is especially important as we look to future
servicemembers leaving the military in greater numbers. Any
employer should be proud to have the employee with the
resiliency, leadership, and collaboration, and ability to do
the fundamental part of their job. Far too often these
experiences are not readily translated and to match the needs
of the private sector. It takes imagination and a bit of work.
But in the end the effort is worth it. Businesses can get
access to highly skilled and motivated individuals and veterans
can build careers that can benefit their families and their
communities.
This morning I look forward to hearing about the successes
and challenges our witnesses have faced and their
recommendations when it comes to hiring veterans. I look
forward to hearing how public and private entities can better
work together to provide a better transition to the
servicemembers entering the workforce. I look forward to
hearing from our witnesses regarding best practices and how
they can be used to inform the private and public sectors in
helping veterans find jobs. But most of all I look forward to
hearing from our friends in the private sector about how our
country's veterans are continuing to serve this nation by
contributing their skills and talent as they move forward in
helping these companies be prosperous companies.
Maintaining our nation's economic leadership in the decades
ahead will require highly skilled and educated employees who
will lead the technology change. Veterans have proven their
leadership and can-do quality in service to our country. They
represent an untapped resource to provide the next generation
of employees.
Our job on this committee and in this Congress is to find
ways to explore new and innovative ways to assist veterans and
the businesses that hire them. This includes identifying what
works and what does not work; what can be modified and what
must be looked at differently. So I look forward to hearing all
of the witnesses today. And Mr. Chairman, once again thank you
very much for having this very important hearing today. And I
yield back the balance of my time.
[The prepared statement of Hon. Michael Michaud appears in
the Appendix]
Mr. Roe. I thank you, Mr. Michaud. At this time I would
like to introduce our first and only panel today, and I want to
thank each and every one of you for being here with us this
morning.
First we have Retired Brigadier General Gary Profit, Senior
Director of Military Programs at Wal-mart . And thank you for
your service. Mr. Sean Kelley, Naval Academy Graduate, Senior
Staffing Director for the Cloud and Enterprise Group as well as
Military Recruiting at Microsoft Corporation. And Ms. Maureen
Casey, the Managing Director for Military and Veterans Affairs
at JP Morgan Chase. We next have Mr. Jim Amos, Captain Amos, I
think two tours in Vietnam, the Chairman of the Tasti D-Lite
and Planet Smoothie. A little cool for that today, Captain, but
I would take one if you offered it. He is here on behalf of the
International Franchise Association. Lastly we have Mr. Ross
Cohen, the Senior Director of Hiring Our Heroes at the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Each and every one of you,
thank you for being here.
Your complete written statements will be made part of the
hearing record and each of you will be recognized for five
minutes. And we will not cut you off right as the red light
goes off, but try to begin wrapping up your testimony at that
time. Let us begin with General Profit, sir. You are now
recognized for five minutes.
STATEMENT OF GENERAL GARY M. PROFIT
General Profit. Chairman Roe and Ranking Member Michaud,
and members of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, on
behalf of Wal-mart Stores, Inc. I want to thank you for the
opportunity to join you today to talk about veteran hiring.
Wal-mart has a rich history with veterans, those continuing
to serve, and military families. Arguably it begins with
Captain, U.S. Army, Sam Walton, who founded Wal-mart over 50
years ago. Through the years the legacy has been enriched by
countless others and the 100,000 veteran associations and
150,000 veteran and military family associates who are part of
the current generation at Wal-mart . At Wal-mart we are
thankful for their service and sacrifice and we strive to
support their heroism. Right now we know that one of their
biggest needs is employment and gaining the tools necessary to
prepare for a career outside of the military.
Besides being the right thing to do, veteran hiring is also
good for business, as you said Mr. Chairman. We believe
veterans and military families represent the largest diverse
talent rich pool in the world and are an essential of the next
generation at Wal-mart . Their value begins with a rock solid
foundation, a proxy for which might be the seven Army values I
lived for over 31 years: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless
service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. It is
complimented by the nation's huge investment in skills training
and leader growth and development. Frankly, who would not want
to hire them?
But there must be a sense of urgency associated with all of
that. 2.6 million post-9/11 veterans have left the service and
in the next five years one million more will leave. About half
of them are between the ages of 18 and 34 and unemployment for
these younger veterans has often been more troubling than for
their non-veteran counterparts.
So at Wal-mart we decided to do our part and launched the
Veterans Welcome Home Commitment last Memorial Day. Veterans
who meet the job requirements and have been honorably separated
from active duty within the last 12 months have a job at Wal-
mart if they want one. Wal-mart has a host of opportunities at
our stores and clubs across the country as well as select
opportunities in our distribution centers and main offices. If
you served and sacrificed for your country you should not have
to fight for a job when you get home. We believe that in the
course of the next five years we will hire more than 100,000
veterans.
Since full implementation on Memorial Day we have hired
nearly 30,000 veteran associates. These jobs range from part-
time hourly, to salaried management, from Wal-mart stores and
Sam's Clubs, to distribution centers and transportation
offices, and to the corporate headquarters.
One aspect of this commitment of which we are most proud is
the Veteran Champion Program. This program is a six-week
onboarding process to support the transition and integration of
the new veteran associates into their new work environments. It
is guided by an associated drawn preferably from a similar
experiential portfolio.
In addition to employment we also strive to understand and
address some of the specific and special unmet and undermet
needs faced by veterans and families. Through the Wal-mart
Foundation we are committed to a $20 million campaign through
2015 and are focused on access to education, job training, and
reintegration resources. Additionally as part of our holiday
giving we announced on Veterans Day a $1.5 million grant to
Operation Homefront Home for the Holidays Program and a
$500,000 grant to the Fisher House Foundation Sponsor a Family
Program. The grants provided toys, meals, and lodging to
military families in greatest need of support and helped
hundreds of active duty servicemembers come home for the
holidays.
We salute America's heroes. We are honored to have the
opportunity to employ them, to learn from them, and to support
them and their families in every way we can. Through career
training and job opportunities we are helping prepare our
troops for successful professional lives both during and after
their service to the military.
Thank you and I appreciate your leadership and for holding
this hearing. I appreciate the opportunity to testify and am
prepared to answer any questions.
[The prepared statement of Gary M. Profit appears in the
Appendix]
Mr. Roe. Thank you, General Profit. Mr. Kelley, you are
recognized for five minutes.
STATEMENT OF SEAN KELLEY
Mr. Kelley. Thank you, Chairman Roe, Ranking Member
Michaud, and members of the committee. It is an honor to
testify today to discuss how companies like Microsoft partner
to maximize civilian career opportunities for our returning
veterans.
My name is Sean Kelley and I am the Senior Staffing
Director for the Cloud and Enterprising Engineering Group at
Microsoft and the leader of our company wide military
recruiting efforts. As a military veteran and third generation
Navy family member I share this committee's passion and
commitment to support employment opportunities for military
veterans.
Microsoft has had a longstanding commitment to supporting
veterans. Our military community has grown into a vibrant
organization which now boasts seven chapters nationwide. This
organization advises Microsoft leadership on broad ranging
topics, from benefits for our Guard and Reserve employees, to
special events. This spirit of community has fueled the success
of our military recruiting initiative, which we have branded We
Still Serve.
In the community we have been early participants in public
private partnerships seeking solutions to the challenges of
veteran unemployment. Through our Elevate America Initiative,
Microsoft partnered with six non-profit organizations to
provide skills training, job placement, and support services to
veterans and their spouses. Microsoft's commitment to this
effort totaled $12 million in cash, software, and other
services.
Also, Microsoft partnered with the U.S. Department of Labor
to distribute 10,000 free technology skills training and
certification packages to veterans around the country. These
industry recognized certifications provide portable job
credentials.
But what I am most excited about today is Microsoft's
Software and Systems Academy. Any career transition is
difficult but as veterans approach the end of their military
careers it is not always clear to them how their skills will
apply to jobs in the private sector. Thanks to the Vow to Hire
Heroes Act of 2011 sponsored by Chairman Miller and Senator
Murray, servicemembers may begin the transition process before
their separation from the military, much sooner. The Microsoft
Software and Systems Academy is designed to meet such demand.
The goal of the academy is to create a seamless and
successful military to employment transition at no cost to the
servicemember. It provides industry certification testing and
college credit for those in service while they are still in the
early phase of transition from their military to their civilian
careers. For the curriculum Microsoft partnered with a local
university to create a rigorous 16-week technical training
course that military members are enrolled in while still on
active duty. Soft skills, interview practice, and resume
preparation are taught, and each student receives a mentor from
a corporate sponsor and exercises to practice their new skills.
MSSA operates on base in conjunction with DoD education and
transition program partners. With command authorization
servicemembers attend the course at their place of duty during
their transition phase.
I am happy to report that servicemembers who completed the
MSSA pilot program were offered high paying career
opportunities, many six figures, at either Microsoft or Launch
Consulting, a veteran-owned business partner. Alternatively
some graduates use their new skills to find technology jobs on
their own or to pursue a four-year degree in computer science.
As the program reaches additional bases around the country
we will guarantee job interviews to those who successfully
complete it, a critical step between acquiring any
certification and acquiring meaningful employment. We are
confident that graduates of the program will be well prepared
to compete for jobs in the vibrant growing sector of the
economy.
Each time I look into the eyes of a transitioning
servicemember I am that much more motivated to find new ways to
open doors to technology for my fellow veterans. Here are a few
recommendations to enhance the private sector's ability to
employ more of our veterans, which I explain in detail in my
written testimony.
First, enhance the G.I. Bill language and funding for STEM
and computer science related degrees. Provide access to contact
information of veterans attending college on the new G.I. Bill
through a confidential opt in solution to encourage stronger
employment opportunities and alignment to STEM degrees. Broaden
the impact of programs like MSSA around the country by
encouraging top down support from all service branches for on
base programs. Encourage uniformity in tuition assistance
across military branches to reduce the complexity and road
blocks for servicemembers.
In closing let me emphasize that military veterans are a
national treasure. Microsoft is fully committed, as am I, to
continue to innovate, invest, and participate in the circle of
solutions that bring our military veterans to family waged
careers of the future. Now is the time to act to accelerate
progress by aligning our resources behind proven concepts that
lead to high paying jobs in the new economy.
Thank you for your commitment to veterans. I look forward
to answering your questions, and I thank you for allowing me to
share my story and Microsoft's commitment to our nation's
veterans.
[The prepared statement of Sean Kelley appears in the
Appendix]
Mr. Roe. Thank you, Mr. Kelley. Ms. Casey, you are
recognized for five minutes.
STATEMENT OF MAUREEN CASEY
Ms. Casey. Thank you. Chairman Roe, Ranking Member Michaud,
and distinguished committee members, thank you for the
opportunity to testify about JP Morgan Chase's military and
veteran employment initiatives. There is no group our firm
holds in higher regard than servicemembers and veterans. We
cannot thank them enough for their service.
This hearing comes at a critical time. Given the rising
tide of transitioning servicemembers, JP Morgan Chase has
dedicated significant resources to build a comprehensive
program focused on veteran employment, education, and housing.
Since 2011 JP Morgan Chase is extremely proud to have hired
more than 6,300 veterans, and still counting. The private
sector has learned a great deal about the benefits of hiring
veterans and we are delighted to share four lessons we have
learned about how we do it.
First, public and private sector collaboration is crucial.
Second, it is critical to bridge the knowledge gap between
civilian and military cultures. Third, we must help newly hired
veteran employees develop a connection to our firm from the
very start. And lastly, education and training are critical to
employment success. I will summarize these points from my
written testimony.
First, collaboration is critical. JP Morgan Chase launched
the 100,000 Jobs Mission in March, 2011 with ten other
companies. Our goal to hire 100,000 veterans by 2020 has
already been surpassed. In less than three years the coalition
has hired nearly 117,500 veterans. Given the momentum we have
doubled our goal to 200,000 hires by 2020. Today the coalition
is 131 companies strong, representing virtually every industry.
Our goal is to significantly grow the coalition and the
response has been overwhelmingly positive. Employers can join
by visiting our veteranjobsmission.com, where leading practices
can also be found.
Second, bridging the knowledge gap. JP Morgan Chase's
veteran employment program focuses on the entire continuum,
recruiting, mentoring, and retention. To bridge the knowledge
gap we established a military recruiting team, many of whom are
former military and current Guard and Reserve members. This
team helps to translate applicants' experience and offer
interview advice. Public sector programs are also very
important to our recruitment strategy. We work with national
and state programs through the Departments of Defense, Labor
and Veterans Affairs, the service branches, and the National
Guard and Reserve. While not an exhaustive list we have hired
candidates through each of these partnerships. Notably JP
Morgan Chase recently hosted a constructive private sector
coalition meeting with Defense Secretary Hagel to discuss ways
to better align transitioning servicemember initiatives.
Thirdly, developing an organizational connection from the
start. Mentorship programs are vital to successful transition.
JP Morgan Chase programs include our employee networking group
``Voices for Employees that Served'' where veterans help
veterans understand corporate culture; Pathfinder, inspired by
military specialists who navigate unknown terrain to help
veterans establish career goals; Body Armor to Business Suits,
to help new hires build an immediate connection to our company.
Importantly our employee programs include military spouses who
also shoulder the servicemember's sacrifice. And we know the
knowledge gap is a two-way street, so we developed Military 101
to teach our civilian colleagues, including senior leadership,
about military culture.
Finally, supporting veteran education is another key
element to our strategy. JP Morgan Chase co-founded Syracuse
University's Institute for Veterans and Military Families. The
program offers tuition free training and certification in
technology, human resources, and other studies.
As we know, veterans can face unique challenges in
educational settings. With this in mind I am extremely proud to
announce today that JP Morgan is committing $1 million to
expand veteran programs at educational institutions. Initially,
grants are being awarded to Florida State College at
Jacksonville, the University of Texas at Arlington, University
of South Florida, and San Diego State University.
Ultimately our collective success will be measured by how
well the private and public sectors can work together to help
transitioning servicemembers and veterans. JP Morgan Chase
looks forward to continuing our work with Congress to position
veterans and their families for long term success.
Thank you very much for your attention to this important
and timely issue. I look forward to your questions.
Mr. Roe. Thank you, Ms. Casey. And Captain Amos, welcome
home. And you are recognized for five minutes.
STATEMENT OF JIM AMOS
Mr. Amos. Thank you very much, Chairman Roe, Ranking Member
Michaud, members of the committee. Thank you for inviting me to
testify today on successful private sector programs for hiring
veterans. My name is Jim Amos. I am Chairman of Tasti D-Lite
and Planet Smoothie. I am a veteran of the franchise industry
with past experience as CEO of Mailboxes, Etc., now the UPS
Store, and other franchise companies. I am also a military
veteran, a former Marine Corps Captain with combat tours in
Vietnam, and past Chairman of the International Franchise
Association. And it is on their behalf that I am sharing these
comments with you this morning.
With nearly one million veterans transitioning out of the
military service over the next five years, it is more important
than ever that we help veterans reintegrate into the civilian
economy. It is both an economic necessity and a moral
obligation for our country, in my view. Franchising is a large
and diverse business community that operates using the
franchise business model or business format franchising. And
franchising entrepreneurs open their own businesses and they
purchase the rights to use trademarks, products, and business
strategies of a proven franchise business. Franchise owners are
typically highly motivated individuals who are natural problem
solvers and successful franchise owners normally exhibit
excellence in the execution of business plans. Above all else
veterans possess the leadership skills and the ability to
execute plans that are necessary to run a successful business
and incidentally to persevere through difficult economic times,
as we have recently experienced.
For nearly 40 years I have been privileged to both create
and support programs for hiring veterans. And what I have
learned is that these young men and women are clear examples of
American exceptionalism. They are true American heroes who
bring back security clearances and training and character and
passion and dedication and a get it done mentality that frankly
any company should appreciate and want to have as a human
asset. I have learned in my own career that spreadsheets and
net present values can tell you the history of a company when
you are doing due diligence on the business itself. But it is
the people that is going to tell you its future.
Recognizing that franchising is a great fit for
entrepreneurial veterans the International Franchise
Association launched the Veterans Franchising Initiative, or
VetFran, in 1991. VetFran is an industry wide initiative to
encourage franchise companies to both hire veterans as team
members and recruit them as franchise owners. As part of
VetFran 618 franchisors offer special incentives to qualified
veterans who purchase franchises. And these incentives can
range from thousands of dollars in inventory to special
financing for equipment, discounts on initiative franchise
fees, and many other broad benefits. As an example, when I
first became Chairman and CEO of Mailboxes, Etc. I followed the
guidance put in place by VetFran and as a result we focused on
hiring programs and programs to create benefits and incentives
for veterans. And as a results hundreds of veterans became part
of the MBE/UPS community.
So before I go into the general results I would like to
offer a couple of things just to level set the problem. There
are roughly 23 million veterans today in our country, 3.7
million are under the age of 39, and 1.5 million roughly are on
active duty, another 1.2 million in the Guard and Reserve.
There are 2 million children in these households with 95
percent being under the age of 12. And I can tell you as all of
the folks sitting here on this panel that repatriating these
men and women, the challenges that are associated with it, and
the needs within their family levels are just absolutely
enormous. A survey of VetFran members reveals that the program
itself has achieved some significant results. In 2011 IFA
launched Operation Enduring Opportunity that campaigned to hire
and recruit as franchise business owners 85,000 veterans,
wounded warriors, and their spouses by 2014. In a report on
Veterans Day in 2013 we saw that the franchise industry had
nearly doubled its hiring target and since 2011 we have hired
over 151,000 veterans that have started careers in franchising
including 5,192 veterans that have been recruited as franchise
owners.
To assist veterans in opening franchise small businesses,
Congressman Bill Flores introduced the Veterans Entrepreneurs
Act of 2013, legislation that provides a tax credit to
qualified veterans worth up to 25 percent of the initial
franchise fee. When coupled with the incentives offered by
franchise systems as part of VetFran, this tax credit will go a
long way towards helping veterans open new businesses. The
franchise community has already demonstrated a record of
success in implementing veterans hiring programs and this
legislation will help veteran entrepreneurs realize their
dreams of owning a small business.
The franchise community has been successful in hiring and
recruiting veterans but there is still a great deal of work to
do to serve these veterans who have served us honorably. Far
too many veterans are unemployed and others lack the support
they need to successfully transition into the civilian economy.
It is an imperative that the private sector continue to build
on its recent success and work as best it can with policy
makers here in Washington to improve hiring veterans.
And then I just might add as an aside that for my brothers
and sisters that came home from Vietnam, we came home to a
nation that was really interested in leaving an unpopular War
behind, and by proxy we left the veteran behind. And I do not
think we should ever do that again. And that really is what the
focus of these program in my view should be. I want to just
thank you for the opportunity to testify today and I look
forward to answering any questions you may have.
[The prepared statement of Jim Amos appears in the
Appendix]
Mr. Roe. Thank you, Mr. Amos. I now recognize Mr. Cohen for
five minutes.
STATEMENT OF ROSS COHEN
Mr. Cohen. Good morning, Chairman Roe, Ranking Member
Michaud, and distinguished members of the committee. My name is
Ross Cohen. I serve as the Senior Director of the U.S. Chamber
of Commerce Foundation's Hiring our Heroes Program, and am an
Army veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom. Thank you for
providing us this opportunity to share our experiences
regarding successful approaches to hiring veterans and military
spouses.
Since 2011 Hiring Our Heroes, working with many of the
partners who are testifying with me today, have connected more
than 21,600 veterans, transitioning servicemembers, and
military spouses to meaningful jobs through more than 660 job
fairs hosted in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and
Puerto Rico. Through employment workshops at these fairs we
have provided expert job search and readiness training to 8,000
more men and women.
In March, 2012 we launched the Hiring 500,000 Heroes
Campaign with a goal of getting business of all sizes to commit
to hiring half a million veterans and military spouses by the
end of 2014. I am pleased to report that more than 1,400
businesses of all sizes have committed to hire 361,000 veterans
and spouses and to date 247,000 hires have been confirmed.
We are also developing a suite of online services to assist
in the transition to the civilian sector. From our resume
engine and eMentor programs, to Fast Track, and our military
spouse LinkedIn networks, these tools make it easier for
veterans to identify and achieve career opportunities.
From the beginning we knew that our success hinged on two
critical factors. First, the effort had to be driven at the
community level. And through the Chamber's vast federation of
state and local chambers of commerce we were able to reach
employers of all sizes throughout the nation. Second, we had to
work closely to bring these communities together by working
with a wide array of public, private, and non-profit entities,
including partners across multiple federal agencies and local
governments, and other non-profit veteran and military family
service organizations. Indeed we have forged key partnerships
with the White House's Joining Forces Initiative, the U.S.
Departments of Veterans Affairs, and Labor VETS, and several
Department of Defense entities, including the Military Spouse
Employment Program, the Army's Installation Command, and many
others. More recently we collaborated with the VA to create a
National Guide to Hiring Veterans that points employers to the
most valuable resources available to assist them in the process
of hiring and retaining veterans and military spouses.
The value of these partnerships becomes evident at our
hiring fairs where the entire community comes together. State
and local chambers work hard to bring jobs from local
businesses. Military officials, including from the Guard and
Reserve components, frequently open up their facilities to host
these events. The VA plays a critical role by making sure that
veterans are utilizing their benefits. DOL and the American Job
Centers provide ongoing assistance. And the Employer Support at
the Guard and Reserve, the American Legion, and so many others
provide invaluable resources in every state. And together we
are making a difference.
When we began our work in March, 2011 the employment
situation was bleak. Post-9/11 veterans faced an unemployment
rate greater than 12 percent. For veterans under 25 it was
closer to 30 percent. One in four military spouses was
unemployed. There is no doubt that for some the situation has
started to improve. We have seen post-9/11 veteran unemployment
fall below 10 percent, and unemployment for veterans under 25
is down 10 points to approximately 20 percent. According to a
2012 Department of Defense report, however, one in four
military spouses remain unemployed. Indeed, we have a long way
to go. The fact is 800,000 veterans were unemployed at the
beginning of 2013 and we are about to see an unprecedented
number of departures from the military, not including spouses.
So the private sector needs to step up even more. Hiring Our
Heroes is ready to answer this call. Not only will we host more
than 200 hiring fairs across the country this year, we will
focus our efforts by targeting communities with the greatest
need and by continuing to develop our suite of online services
so that veterans and employers anywhere in the world can
utilize them. We will also strengthen our private public
partnerships.
One upcoming example is occurring next week where we will
take part in a two-day veterans job summit at Fort Bliss,
Texas. Hosted by the Army and in partnership with the VA and
Department of Labor, the summit will feature seminars on the
transition process, tools and best practices for employers
looking to hire, and presentations from key private sector,
military, and governmental agencies. The summit will culminate
with a job fair for transitioning soldiers, veterans, and their
spouses.
Over the last three years Hiring Our Heroes has been proud
to serve as a community catalyst bringing together our partners
and our common mission. We will continue working together to
achieve change in veteran and military spouse unemployment.
Chairman Roe, Ranking Member Michaud, and members of the
committee, I thank you again for the opportunity to testify and
look forward to answering your questions.
[The prepared statement of Ross Cohen appears in the
Appendix]
Mr. Roe. Thank you, Mr. Cohen, and all the panelists for
your testimony. I will now yield myself five minutes. And I
want to start just by reading a paragraph of Mr. Amos'
testimony. ``When my brothers and sisters returned from Vietnam
we were met by a nation so anxious to leave an unpopular War
behind that by proxy we left the veterans behind as well. We
should ensure that this never happens again.'' Amen to that
statement.
And I think it is not. I think this is a testimony to the
fact that it is not. And I thank you all. Many times I will
come to these hearings and leave in a depressed mood. This
actually has elevated my mood and in Washington, that is doing
something if you can elevate somebody's mood.
I thank you for what each of your companies and the
coordination you are doing with other companies that are not
here that are equally responsible for that. I guess a couple of
things that I want to ask about, and it is going to start sort
of from the back door because as I left to be deployed I left a
wife and a 12-week-old child behind. And you know, if I had not
had some family support, so the spouses are an integral part.
And much of the problem I think we have with PTSD and other
issues are family issues and money issues. And a spouse having
a job, or a veteran having a job, those problems go away. Many
of those issues just go away. So I think that what you all are
doing speaks volumes.
I think one of the things that I, through all the testimony
I read, that are the spouses not wanting to work? Or they
cannot find work? Or they do not have the skills? Could
somebody, maybe Mr. Cohen, you mentioned it twice, that that is
the one thing that had not moved, the needle had not moved on
the spouses. And I think that is where when you are deployed a
lot of family issues begin to erupt and so forth. So anybody
can take that question.
Mr. Cohen. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I think that it is a
core issue that the private sector has really taken up in the
past year, two years, this issue of military spouse employment.
I would not put myself as an expert on the issue but I think
some of the core issues are frequent moves and having to, as
you said, sort of take care of the family while your loved one
is deployed makes it more challenging. But I do think this is
being, it is noted and I think being addressed aggressively
now.
Mr. Roe. Okay. Could any of you all take this question?
What programs have we as a Congress passed that you all find
very effective? And which are the ones that are not effective
and maybe should as we go through this next year's
appropriations process move the resources around to things that
actually work? So I will just open it up to anybody that wants
to jump on that.
General Profit. If I could follow, sir, on Ross' comment.
First of all, I would be remiss in not telling you, if I did
not talk about military spouse and family issues I probably
could not go home to my wife of 42 years who followed me around
the world for many years and struggled to maintain a career
despite the same kind of values foundation and skills clearly
that I had. And one of the things that we have done at Wal-mart
is to institute something that we try to take jobs for military
families to careers and it is called the Military Family
Promise. And basically it says that if your spouse is moved as
a result of a military permanent change of station, we will
find you a new job at that location. And I think what the
attempt has been with the breadth of our corporate footprint to
turn those military spouse jobs into actual careers. And one of
the things that, a face on that is a young woman who has been
with us for I think 18 or 20 years now and has served in
different Wal-mart roles from Hawaii to New York. And so I
think that that is testament to a commitment to those spouses
and families that also serve our nation.
Mr. Roe. Thank you. Anyone on the programs that we
currently have out there? What you think is working and not
working?
Ms. Casey. Yes, Mr. Chairman, I would take that question.
One of the programs that we at JP Morgan Chase are working with
is Department of labor VETS and their American Job Centers. I
think one of the things that as you have heard my colleagues
speak to is really understanding what the challenges and needs
are, whether we are talking about transitioning servicemembers,
veterans, or spouses, and then trying to connect them to the
opportunities that exist. So what we have done is through our
work with the Department of Labor VETS looked at key
opportunities that JP Morgan Chase may have, whether we are
talking about in Texas or California or Florida, or Arizona,
providing them with those key jobs. They will then utilize the
resources that they have in those centers that are dedicated to
veterans to scan the pool of talent that is there and then make
referrals to us so that we can then connect them to
opportunities in our company.
Mr. Roe. Okay, I have just one brief thing and no answer
because my time is expired. Is that one of the things is how do
we make sure that the transitioning veterans that are going to
separate know about this? Because I can tell you when Captain
Amos and I left the military they said, ``Son, be sure the gate
does not hit you, you know, where on the way out the front
door.'' Nobody said where are you going, what are you doing, do
you have a job, is there anybody home? Nothing. So we have got
to be sure that we have a way to make sure that the separating
servicemember knows where to get this incredible amount of
resources that are sitting in front of our committee. My time
is expired. I now yield to Ranking Member Michaud.
Mr. Michaud. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This question is for
Mr. Kelley. And I want to thank all the panelists once again
for your testimony today. How many locations does Microsoft
anticipate establishing an MSSA program?
Mr. Kelley. Well Congressman, our current intention is that
by the end of this calendar year we would be in five locations
around the United States. We are currently looking at how do we
take this program to be a program that through the community
college system and online could also be accelerated to, you
know, far reaches of the U.S. that perhaps are not collocated
with a base location.
Because we are in the early phase right now what we were
concentrating on in the pilot was to prove the concept that we
could train members before they exit the service and employ
them all, which we accomplished in the first cohort. And now we
are looking at how fast can we replicate the model and take it
nationwide.
Mr. Michaud. Thank you. In your testimony today each of you
described outstanding and highly successful programs that
support veterans employment. Most of these programs you
discussed are new programs. While veterans issues are at the
forefront today in people's minds here and in Congress' mind,
these programs, you know, will endure while they are at the
center. But what happens when veterans fade away and are no
longer on the front page of the papers? You know, the federal
government, you know, has not, as you heard earlier, has not
treated our veterans kindly, particularly the Vietnam Era
veterans. And once it is no longer on the front page my big
concern is what will happen beyond the current Wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan? And what does the industry feel that we should do
in Congress, or what should the industry do to make sure that
Congress does not let our veterans fall behind and become a
back page story instead of a front page story? And I would ask
each of the panelists if they could briefly make a comment.
General Profit. Well first of all I share your concern and
the sense of urgency that we should all feel about achieving
something that certainly we did not do when those returned from
Vietnam. If I could offer one I believe that we would be well
informed by a national strategy that better leverages the very
real complementary value that the private and non-profit
sectors bring to the public private partnership and the
responsibility to support those who have served and sacrificed
for all of us. And despite the real advances in robusting that
partnership, I do not believe we have achieved an optimum level
of integration and synchronization that would actually support
our interest in renewal in the economy and the interests of
those who have served and sacrificed so much for this nation.
Mr. Kelley. Congressman, there are two suggestions that I
have and both of them come from my lens as a talent acquisition
leader in the technology industry. And I would say first
continue to focus on investment in education. So any G.I. Bill
enhancements, support for STEM education that would encourage
long term pipelining of talent into what really is all
industries are becoming technology industries now, and I think
that that has a long term payoff, that education investment.
The second is upon transition I believe that the military
veterans are the most codified human resource asset we have on
the planet. And today we still allow that resource to walk out
the door and we lose this amazing asset of information that
could drive the economy. The specialties that people have
learned, the education, their experiences. And if we could find
a way to harness that and channel our veterans over the long
term toward high paying jobs, ways to contribute to the
nation's success and economic prosperity we think those would
be two areas that would have big payoff.
Ms. Casey. Congressman, thank you. I think hearings such as
this are a great opportunity to continue the dialogue and
highlight this issue. I think the other thing that we need to
remember is that servicemembers and their families do not come
home to a federal agency, they come home to our communities.
And JP Morgan Chase, we are in 25 states. We have 5,400
branches nationwide. And we know that these servicemembers and
their families are coming home to our communities. So what can
we do to continue to raise awareness? Mr. Chairman, you spoke
about that awareness issue. How do we ensure that they are
informed consumers and also that our communities are prepared
to provide the support and services that they need when they
return? So we are trying to do that throughout all of our
markets to really take it down to the branch level and work
within our communities to make folks aware that things like
veteranjobsmission.com exist, where 131 companies have
committed to hiring veterans. And that there are resources
available to spouses. But I think that all of the work that you
do in forums like this is very helpful to keep it on the front
pages. Thank you.
Mr. Amos. Congressman, I would like to thank you for the
question because I think it is the seminal question. And I
think the needs are both organizational and they are about
communication. Nearly 40 years ago when I walked out the back
gate at Quantico, Virginia I felt like Captain America on one
side of the gate and on the other side I did not know who I was
or where I was going. I do not think we had the technology
capacity to track a veteran, specifically to your question, at
that point. But I will tell you this, I had a conversation with
General Shinseki just a few months ago and we do not have that
capacity today. We still cannot find these young men and women
when they leave to help them meet some of the challenges that
they have.
So I would say this having spent the last 35 years in
meetings and listening to veterans, their spouses and children
in programs, there are hundreds, hundreds of organizations
trying to meet the individual needs of returning veterans
around this country, including what our government is doing.
They are all disparate. They are all funded separately. Some
are non-profit, some are profit. There are egos involved. There
are organizational egos involved. So there are a lot of
challenges to really, truly meeting the need of the veteran.
Because this cause sounds great to everybody, and everybody
wants to participate until, as Chairman Roe pointed out, the
guns go silent. And then often the support goes silent.
And so what I would suggest like Mr. Reagan did in 1982
with small business, hold a summit. Pull all these disparate
pieces together and talk about coordinating this effort so that
there is a clearinghouse that when a veteran walks out the gate
he or she can press a button and find all the needs there in
terms of someone to talk to. The needs we are talking about for
these families? When we deployed, we deployed for 13 months at
a stretch. During World War II it was for the duration. Now
these young people are going back five and six tours at a time.
You talk about jobs for the spouses and homes that they go to,
I moved eight times in nine years in the Marine Corps. Now they
are doing that, I mean, it is just so difficult to hold these
families together. They need jobs, number one. They need career
counseling. They need marital counseling. They need a lot of
help. And I think we need to try to coordinate the organization
and the communication for these people in one place if at all
possible so they can get that immediate need. Thank you.
Mr. Cohen. Thank you. Congressman, I will conclude by
saying I am cautiously optimistic. And the reason I am
cautiously optimistic that when the guns go silent we will
still have the energy to address this issue. Because the folks
who are on this panel here representing some of the largest,
most influential companies and associations in the country. And
the experiences of the past 2 years, I think to some of the
points made, I think cannot be lost. So our challenge is, our
opportunity is, for all of the reasons people have said, this
is not a hard sell. People want to hire veterans. They know
that veterans and military spouses make outstanding employees.
And we have learned a lot of lessons over the past several
years, over the past decades. The challenge we have now is
making sure that those lessons get deeply, deeply embedded in
local communities across the country over the next months and
years to come.
Mr. Roe. Okay, thank you Mr. Michaud. Mr. Denham, you are
recognized.
Mr. Denham. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Let me first start by
thanking Wal-mart . Two years ago Mr. Walz and I, along with
Senators Manchin and Kirk, started the Veterans Jobs Caucus and
Wal-mart was one of the first companies to step up and really
show a huge impact in hiring veterans. And while we have
250,000 servicemen and women returning home every year for the
next 5years, 100,000 is a huge, huge goal and we thank you for
your commitment in doing that.
Let me ask you, you know, as you are looking at hiring
veterans, what is the generational breakdown that you are
looking at? Are they mostly post-9/11 veterans? Or are you
seeing older veterans that are looking to come to Wal-mart for
the first time and start a new career?
General Profit. Thank you very much for recognizing the
important work that we think we do with the Caucus. As was said
before, we are in this for a long haul. We have been in this
since the company was founded. And I think it is important
work.
Our focus, because we think they are the most vulnerable,
is on those from 18 to 34. With that said, we know that joining
our ranks over the course of time and certainly since the
inception of the Veterans Welcome Home Commitment on Memorial
Day that we have had people from every generation join us. And
so we are not dismissive of any of them. Wal-mart is a really
big place and we essentially have an appetite for talent across
our enterprise. And so we welcome all that think that they can
play a role in the next generation.
Mr. Denham. Thank you. And let me briefly discuss how I
think, at least the vision that I would see as helping our
veterans to find work. You know, when I left active duty I was
amazed to find out that as a crew chief, as somebody who could
work on some of the most sophisticated aircraft in the world
that it was going to take me 3 years of training to be able to
work at any airfield across the nation on less sophisticated
aircraft. Because we just did not credential our military.
Somehow that was going to create a competitive disadvantage for
our recruiting offices.
We passed that bill and I am proud to see that that is
implemented into law. We are credentialing them. We are
allowing them to utilize the skills that they gained on active
duty. But I would say the next part of that vision would be
once you get them credentialed to actually give you guys the
ability to go out and market to those specific career fields.
Understanding which career field you are looking for and
contact those men and women 6 months before they transition. So
I think part of our challenge is we are always trying to find
out where somebody has been discharged, what state they have
been discharged from, and where they go afterwards and do they
come back to our home state? Rather than being able to market
to them before they leave active duty, finding talent and
really I think encouraging those men and women that they are
going to have a job, they are going to have a home, they are
going to be able to have a family as soon as they leave active
duty.
And so I think that is the next step. But I did have a
question for Microsoft. What you are doing is a little
different from what we have been trying to do internally. So
rather than credentialing on the inside you are looking at
private credentials and integrating backwards into that
training process. Could you explain a little bit more on the
differences between the two?
Mr. Kelley. Absolutely, Congressman, thank you. The program
itself, this was actually a very targeted effort around
software testing jobs that, you know, unfortunately we did not
have servicemembers that were ready for that specific
discipline area. And my focus as a recruiting leader was to
find, to bring all of the intangibles that come with military
service, add a thin slice of, you know, essentially a crash
course. And the beauty of this program is in 16 weeks whether
you have a degree or not, regardless of the discipline that you
had in the military, if your aspiration is to be working in the
technology industry this opens that door. And one of our
significant challenges, many servicemembers look at the banner
called Microsoft, or pick any other technology company, and
they do not see themselves as part of this industry. And we
thought this would be a huge paradigm breaker in that regard.
And, you know, with our leadership, to be able to see that we
took a mechanic, to take somebody who is an aircraft commander,
or somebody who was maybe an IT operations person in the
military, and really just concentrate the learning and turn
that into a job has been a breakthrough both just for people's
belief that there are military members who can be participants
in the STEM discipline areas at Microsoft or any other
technology company. But we also have, you know, people get
their Microsoft developer certifications while on active duty,
and we have participated in the White House IT certification
efforts. So that is still another pipeline. We just felt like
there was an opportunity, particularly pre-departure, to put
this polishing on people's technology coding skills, which is a
hard science area that we need for a lot of the jobs that we
have.
Mr. Denham. And if I could conclude with just a brief
follow up, is it a shotgun approach of anybody who is
interested in Microsoft? Or are you looking at ASVAB tests and
specific career fields to say that is somebody that we know
would succeed here?
Mr. Kelley. Well what we, we definitely mapped out the
bases around the nation, looked at more technical areas
specifically and, you know, identified over 30,000 military
members that we believe are, you know, easily able to go into
this program and transition into the technology industry. So we
did have targeting. But we also looked at frontline units that
had very elite selection criteria, Airborne, other units, too,
because we knew that there was rapid learning capability there
for us to be able to target the accelerated learning path that
we were, you know, putting in front of the participants. But we
look at ASVAB scores, math testing, and then a selection
process to get into the program.
Mr. Denham. So an Air Force crew chief might have actually
had a shot?
Mr. Kelley. Absolutely.
Mr. Denham. Thank you, I yield back.
Mr. Roe. Ms. Brown, you are recognized.
Ms. Brown. Thank you. First of all, let me just thank each
and every one of you for your service and your commitment to
our veterans. For decades the Federal Government has been the
key gateway for veterans and good jobs and security but that is
not the case anymore. I am pleased that Ms. Casey and JP Morgan
Chase has announced that my hometown college, the Florida State
College at Jacksonville will be one of the recipients of the
grant to fund higher education programs for the U.S. military.
And I need to do a disclaimer. Before I came to Congress I
worked for the College for 16 years. And I know the community
of Jacksonville's and of course the College's commitment to
veterans. So I want to thank you and I want you to expound a
little bit about that program in a minute. Because one of the
problems that, let us say spouses are experiencing, because
they have to move, maybe they are a teacher or a nurse, and
they are certified in Florida. But if they have to go to
another state, they have to go through the process again. So we
need to work to make sure the certification will transfer. And
of course I want to ask Wal-mart , and thank you all of you for
your employment, but Wal-mart a lot of business, and you have a
lot of private small business, what kind of program do you have
to help those veterans do business with you? Because you buy
everything. And so I am interested in that.
But I cannot let this opportunity go by not to commend one
of the companies in my district, CSX. They have twice been
honored by the Employers Support from the Guard and Reserve for
their hiring commitment to veterans. And in fact the railroad
industry has a great record of hiring veterans. Twenty-five
percent of the industry is veterans. And the Obama
administration, along with the Joint Forces Initiative, and the
VA, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, have started a
program, Veterans Transportation Careers. And you know they
have a lot of the logistical skills. And we are going to work
to translate that to the workforce. So can you answer those
questions? First of all, more about that program initiative,
the education initiative?
Ms. Casey. Thank you very much, Congresswoman. Yes, we are
quite excited about this program as well. In developing these
education grants we really looked at what the needs of
transitioning servicemembers and veterans are. So it really
goes back to bridging the gap. How do we make sure that they
are prepared to be students again? Number two, how do we ensure
that they have the support services they need to succeed? And
number three, how do we educate the administration and the
faculty about the needs of returning student veterans? And so
the particular program at Jacksonville is really focused on
professional development for the faculty and administration so
that they can understand the military culture, understand what
some of the needs might be. And then also building out their
support services for veterans to position them for success. So
whether that is additional tutoring services, other kinds of
counseling and support services, anything that will position
these veterans for long term success.
Ms. Brown. Thank you. Wal-mart , businesses?
General Profit. Thank you, Congresswoman, for the question.
First of all one of the elements of the Veterans Welcome Home
Commitment was the notion that Wal-mart can do a lot but Wal-
mart cannot do as much as if we all work together. And we
recognize the importance of our supplier network and those with
whom we do business and I think have importantly begun work in
our supplier diversity function to take a look at veteran-owned
businesses particularly and how we can include them as an
important segment in that particular supplier base. So I think
there is very important work being done both to track them and
encourage them to become our suppliers.
Ms. Brown. Thank you. I think that is about all the time I
have. Once again, I want to thank all of you all for your
service. But as I mentioned before, I want to just share with
you all, I went to a restaurant. Let us just say it was a
waffle house. And someone knew that I was in there and they
told the lady that was serving me. The lady was a veteran. She
told me she was homeless. And it just broke my heart. And she
had no place to stay. And veterans like her need more than just
finding a place to stay. The system is broken. And still, this
lady still has not gotten the kind of help that she needs, even
though I referred her. She needs more than a house. She needs
the counseling component. She needs the educational component.
So it really does take the whole team. So I want to thank you
again.
Mr. Roe. Thank you for yielding. Mrs. Walorski, you are
recognized.
Mrs. Walorski. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I just wanted
to also thank and commend every one of you for sitting here and
for what you are doing to lead the nation in this comeback of
jobs for veterans. I am from Indiana, and we have a
proportionately higher number of veterans in Indiana with the
fourth largest Guard in the country. And Hoosiers definitely
take up the call when called. But one question I have is when
we hear about best practices and we hear a lot about, I call
them P3s, we have used them a lot in Indiana, public private
partnerships, they have worked and I have traditionally been a
huge supporter of them. In our district, in Northern Indiana,
we are heavy manufacturing, one of the largest manufacturing
districts in the country. And 80 percent of those are small
companies. So from your perspective, you folks are all
representing large, huge companies. And I guess what can we
take and translate down to smaller companies that would
incentivize them to be involved? Because in my district many
times when you say I am here, I am from the government, I am
here to help, they are like, no thank you, shut the door, leave
me alone, get off my back, and we will do fine. But when we
talk about things like, the tax credit from Representative
Flores and things like that, is this really something that can
be federally driven? Things that will help incentivize smaller
companies? Or how do you see it, since you are the experts here
in the field? Anybody?
Mr. Amos. Well first of all I would like to point out that
when you talk about franchising although there are
significantly large companies, billions and billions of
dollars, they are all built on the premise of independent
franchise owners. So all of it is small businesses. And all of
the hiring that has been accomplished here through these
VetFran programs have been done at the small business level.
There is some employment that takes place at the corporate
level in these businesses, but clearly the logwood here comes
from small business. So any programs that can provide the
relief for a small business owner, I mean, the Affordable Care
Act was mentioned without discussing obviously the employer and
employee mandate, but essentially if you want to respond
broadly any tax relief at that level, any relief of the burden
on the regulatory level for small business, the ability to
hire, the incentive to hire. If I am a small businessman, or
woman, and it appears to me that I have a Hobson's Choice, as
an example----
Mrs. Walorski. Mm-hmm.
Mr. Amos [continuing]. Between paying a penalty or
providing healthcare at that level, I am obviously going to
matriculate to that place where I have more free capital to
invest in my business that involves hiring as well as many
other things, including opening new locations which create new
employment and new tax dollars and new revenue. It is, to me,
as a relatively simple individual in terms of how small
business operates, that is not rocket science. It is just
opening the way, which is why I talked about the summit on
small business a while ago in conjunction with what we are
talking about here. Because I think that is the way you offer
relief and create incentives----
Mrs. Walorski. Mm-hmm.
Mr. Amos. [continuing]. For hiring to take place.
Mrs. Walorski. Anybody else?
General Profit. And if I could just offer, when Bill Simon
talked at the National Retail Federation a year ago about
American renewal, and he followed that up just the other day by
talking to the U.S. Council of Mayors. And a very important
element of that was our focus on U.S. manufacturing.
Mrs. Walorski. Mm-hmm.
General Profit. And we think that the time is right to put
a special emphasis on U.S. manufacturing and we think we are
investing in it and importantly have some very important goals
that we want to meet. And so I think that to place a special
focus and a special emphasis on that is very well timed. And we
would certainly be willing to join that public private
partnership and frankly think we already have.
Mrs. Walorski. That is great.
Ms. Casey. And I would just offer Congresswoman----
Mrs. Walorski. Yeah?
Ms. Casey [continuing]. That the other half of that
equation goes back to a recurring theme that we have heard here
today is around ensuring that veterans are informed consumers.
We know that more than 50 percent of veterans are going to go
to work in small business.
Mrs. Walorski. Mm-hmm.
Ms. Casey. So how do we do a better job at creating,
matching the supply to the demand? Creating that connection of
those that are transitioning out with knowledge and information
about where the job opportunities are? So I think there is
definitely room for improvement in that regard.
Mrs. Walorski. I appreciate it. And General, let me just
say that one of your colleague institutions, Sam's Club, does a
phenomenal job in my district, in a place called Goshen,
Indiana, they do veteran days. And I was grateful to
participate in one a couple of years ago where it was, you
know, refreshments and discounts and all kinds of things to
attract in veteran families, highlighting things that families
would need and be in need of, that were, you know, specifically
reduced for folks that had a veteran card type thing. And
celebrating that they were a veteran, with red, white, and blue
decorations in the store, and cake, and all kinds of things for
their kids. It was awesome. And it is just one of the ways, I
think, to your point, Mr. Amos, and continually educating and
advocating for veterans coming home that they have done the job
we have asked them to do. So to all of you, I just, I so much
appreciate your comments and how we can translate them back
into our districts. Thanks so much for being here. Thank you,
Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Roe. I thank the gentle lady for yielding. Mr. Takano,
you are recognized for five minutes.
Mr. Takano. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will start off with
Mr. Kelley. Mr. Kelley, as a former community college trustee
for 23 years and also as a teacher in the high schools, you
know, this is where I come from. Do you think our
servicemembers are receiving enough counseling and information
about their futures and transitions out of the service? And are
they receiving this counseling and information early enough?
Mr. Kelley. Congressman, thanks for the opportunity to
comment. Definitely not. I think this is one of those long
standing issues that has gotten a lot better with the VOW Act.
But I think we have this opportunity to make it part of the
leadership responsibility of the military to understand that
everyone is going to transition. And, you know, we have had
such pressure on those unit leaders to be mission ready and we
need to transition that thinking to say that it is part of our
opportunity to counsel our young members of the military, or
those that are nearing retirement, that the planning needs to
start 18 months out in order to align for their transition.
Mr. Takano. Thank you. So we need to begin not with a crash
course at the end, but at the beginning and throughout. Can you
talk about the partnership you have started with community
colleges and how you would like to expand this partnership? And
what makes community colleges logical partners?
Mr. Kelley. In our experience, we have worked with
community colleges in our Elevate America Program, with Project
Succeed at Bellevue Community College right near Microsoft. We
are looking at partners in the community college system because
we, particularly with our 16-week academy program, there is
more flexibility with the leaders in the community college
system at this time to look at a unique program and
responsiveness at the pace we are trying to roll this out. And
the locales near our bases, many of them are already on our
military installations, which is an accelerator as well.
Mr. Takano. Wonderful. Wonderful. Thank you for that. Mr.
Amos, I want you to know that I am, as the ranking member on
the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity I am also the lead
cosponsor of Mr. Flores' bill to provide the tax incentive for
franchising. I am a great admirer of franchising. I think it is
a great, entrepreneurship with training wheels, it gives people
some guidance. Along the lines I asked Mr. Kelley, the question
that I asked Mr. Kelley, that I posed to Mr. Kelley, about
preparation throughout the servicemember's career, could we do
more in terms of getting entrepreneurship in the minds of these
servicemembers? For instance, is there a way for us to also, I
know we can use our tax sheltered deductions, first of all get
the servicemembers to be thinking about that sort of saving,
but is there currently a way for a servicemember to parlay
those savings, part of them, with their contributions into
maybe a down payment on a franchise?
Mr. Amos. Well there are incentives that were created
through programs like VetFran. I think that that path is almost
unintelligible to the person who is living in the military
today, however. And so the education that you are talking about
that should begin ahead of time, in all likelihood does not.
And I would like to point out that sometimes the military has
the ability, no pun intended here, to shoot themselves in the
foot in these issues as well. And I would say the reason why is
because the mission orientation is so intense and so focused
that if you are a regular officer, as I was, or someone that is
in the military as a career, or an intent to have a career, all
of the infrastructure within the military is designed to focus
on people who, and get people to stay in and make it a career.
And so there is very little discussion of people that are
leaving. And they are not set up to have that discussion. And
when the decision is made to leave internally if people were
going to be perfectly honest about themselves it is almost as
if their back has turned on someone who has decided they are
not going to have the same goal. And I am just suggesting that
internally inside the military itself there is almost an
implicit lack of attention paid to people when they choose to
leave.
Mr. Takano. So there is not a discussion about a certain
amount of deduction each month, and the compounded gain could
someday be used on a down payment on a franchise?
Mr. Amos. No.
Mr. Takano. So you do not have a choice, you know, there is
choices other than transition into a salaried job, you could
own a business someday. We do not get them to think about this
early on in their career?
Mr. Amos. Not today. Not in the present environment.
Mr. Takano. Yeah. Okay, great. Thank you.
Mr. Roe. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Wenstrup?
Mr. Wenstrup. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you all for
being here and trying to make such an impact on our veterans'
lives. I appreciate that. There has been a lot of discussion. I
am a Reservist, spent a year in Iraq. And I still drill. I was
at Fort Lewis last year doing preventative medicine. I think a
lot of the things of what we are talking about here is
preventative medicine if we capture them early. I mean, you
talk about all the pitfalls and problems of leaving the
military and the stresses that are upon you, especially if you
do not have a job. And one of the things I was encouraged about
when I was at Fort Lewis last year is the effort to try and
give some guidance and counseling to servicemembers that are
getting out of the military. And, you know, this is the
Veterans' Affairs Committee. And that really falls under Armed
Services Committee where I think we need to make some changes.
And I want your opinions on that because as great as it is to
do all these things and we need to continue to do for veterans,
you know, of all eras, that have been out there and are
struggling, I think that we have greater successes if we
capture them while they are still in uniform. Now Captain Amos
you referred to the culture of the military as more towards
stay in, stay in, stay in. So where do we, where do we start to
engage heavily with those that said I am getting out when there
is that sort of ideal of keeping them in the military? I mean,
I would call it second career counseling, or what have you. And
when I talk to veterans that are going to use their G.I. Bill I
encourage them to study and make sure you get a skill that will
get you a job when you are finished. I know, Mr. Kelley,
Microsoft has been engaging with those that are still in
uniform, if you care to comment on that. And Captain Amos, your
opinion, too, on the dichotomy there, if you want to go ahead?
Mr. Kelley. Congressman, I will crystallize the example of
the graduates out of our program at Joint Base Lewis-McChord
with the support of Colonel Hodges there, the Base Commander.
You know, of the graduating class a number of them who felt
supported, guided by their leadership actually have not become
citizen soldiers and have signed up with the National Guard in
Washington. I think this underscores the long term thinking
that if we had that support in the leadership, and I do think
this is an expectation that leaders would accept. It is not
their mission focus now, but if we establish a leadership ethos
in the military that has the long view, that says my, and I
feel like leaders feel that accountability to their soldiers,
and to say your long view is to help them have a life plan. We
look at their whole life. We look at how their family is doing,
their savings, their education. And we do it with concentrated
focus while they are on active duty. And we just have to extend
that horizon and also show the benefit, which is someone who
leaves happily will end up potentially being a drilling
Reservist that is also a critical part of our system.
Mr. Wenstrup. It seems to me this is a conversation we need
to have within the Armed Services Committee as well. Captain
Amos?
Mr. Amos. Well I agree with that entirely. And I think it
is somewhat of a cultural issue. But I think the mission focus
could be focused into a service or a department or an area that
is focused on the life counseling. That works hand in glove
with the private sector on the outside. Organizations and
associations like the International Franchise Association that
can talk to people so that there is a full range of discussions
and counseling and outcomes that are there for that veteran by
punching one button. It goes back to the summit we talked about
a while ago, it seems to me. But yes, I, that is, that would
be, I think that would go a long way to providing solutions in
repatriation and transition.
Mr. Wenstrup. And just one other quick question. Do you see
it possible to truly have a, and I hope you do, an effective
clearinghouse? You know, that would engage large corporations,
small businesses, where people can go and say, hey, I have this
skill, is there a job out there for me? And then the other way
around? Anyone can take that.
General Profit. Yes Congressman, first of all thank you for
your continuing service. I think there is some very encouraging
work going on the Department of Defense and in the services
that suggests that frankly these discussions ought to occur at
enlistment or commissioning. Because all of us are going to
transition, whether it is at a career stage after many years,
or after one enlistment. And I think discussions about how the
military fits in to your larger life plan, as many have
described, are happening. I do not think they are happening
fast enough, and I do not think they are happening with the
urgency to recognize the fact that the force is going to look
far different in the not too distant future than it looks
today. And I think we have to help those folks with the next
stages of their lives. And I think the department is seeing the
enlightened self-interest in all of that for a lot of economic
reasons.
Mr. Wenstrup. Thank you. And I am out of time, so I yield
back.
Mr. Roe. Thank the gentleman for yielding. Ms. Kuster, you
are recognized.
Ms. Kuster. Thank you very much. And I very much appreciate
your testimony here today. Thank you all for your service as
well. What I wanted to focus on is this issue about translating
the skills because that is what I keep running into over and
over at home. And I was really encouraged last week in a
meeting with some folks from Home Depot on their initiative on
hiring veterans. They talked about they have developed a
partnership with Monster.com that would translate the military
skills that are transferable to the civilian workforce. So we
know that that is difficult right now because of the different
terminology. But they have created a military skills translator
available, it is homedepotmilitary.com. And you may be familiar
with this. The online program allows applicants to enter their
service pay grade and military job title and the computer will
translate that experience into civilian skills that will allow
the applicant to add those skills to a refined search to view
available jobs.
It seems to me, and I am very much in favor with my
colleagues on both sides of the aisle of this public private
partnership. And I particularly liked your comment, Ms. Casey,
they do not come back to a government agency, they come back to
our communities. But it seems to me that this is critical.
Because a lot of the unemployment and this long term
unemployment seems to be exacerbated by the way we do searches
now with new employees. It is the computer that is looking at
the resume and it is just looking for certain words. And no
military person is going to put down teamwork, you know, they
are going to put down their rank and the teamwork is going to
be obvious. But if the computer is looking for teamwork we have
got to help with that transition. I do not know if you have any
comments, but is there anything that we can do just with this
sort of almost technical problem that people have? And it is
particular exacerbating for older workers. Because they are not
going to use the words, the types of words that the computer is
going to be looking for.
Ms. Casey. If I may, Congresswoman? I think there is a
couple of things. Number one, I think that involving the
private sector earlier in the transition assistance process,
where they are able to talk about the kinds of jobs that they
have available, the skill sets that they are looking for, and
inform that process. Right now many of the instructors in our
transition assistance programs, and I should say many changes
have been made and many advancements have been made in terms of
the revitalization and revamping of the transition assistance
program. But I think that having some input from the private
sector so that they can advise what they are looking for would
be very helpful. I think the other thing that we have seen at
JP Morgan Chase is that it does take more than a computer
program to do this, which is why we have that dedicated team so
that we can look at the skill sets of our jobs and also look at
the profile of the military talent that will match and then
provide that. But it is really heightening the awareness. We
talk about that 99 percent, one percent divide. It is educating
our folks who are looking at military talent.
We did something as simple as looking at the way we do our
job descriptions. The first bullet typically would say, you
know, four years of banking experience preferred. Well, many
military are going to look at that and pass right through that.
So if we make that, put it at the bottom of the pile instead of
the top all of a sudden we are starting to see increased
candidate applications for some of these positions. So I think
it is really looking at all that we are doing across the
spectrum in the course of sourcing military talent and making
adjustments across the way.
Ms. Kuster. That is great. Thank you.
Mr. Kelley. The experience we had in a similar process on
your westillserve.com Web site in 2009 we went through the
process. A volunteer team of veterans at Microsoft spent over
400 hours mapping the MOSs in the military to jobs at
Microsoft. And I would say that the outcome of the Web site was
a tactical outcome and the real strategic value was we created
believers on both sides of that decoder.
Ms. Kuster. Exactly.
Mr. Kelley. We were able to go explain to military members
that here is a vision that you can dream, and to our leaders
and members of our recruiting organization we were able to
point out the translation for them. And of course the tool has
helped to make it easier for someone to find a job on our site.
But the human connection, the cultural shift that occurred
through that education I think was the main value.
Ms. Kuster. Great. Well my time is up and I just want to
thank you. And you can tell it is a bipartisan support. We are
here to support you in any way that we can as well. Thank you.
Mr. Roe. Thank the gentle lady for yielding. Ms. Brownley,
you are recognized.
Ms. Brownley. Thank you, Mr. Chair. And I have a couple of
questions so I will try to be succinct. The first goes back to
the chair's opening remarks about military spouse employment
and trying to move the needle on that. I am wondering if we
have any data on that so we sort of know what the unemployment
rates are and the number of veterans who are unemployed. Do we
have similar statistics for military spouses?
Mr. Cohen. Congresswoman, there was a 2012 Department of
Defense study that demonstrated that military spouse
unemployment as of 2012 stood at 25 percent. And that is the
most recent data that I am familiar with.
Ms. Brownley. So way higher than----
Mr. Cohen. Yes. And underemployment rates I believe
somewhere in the 40 percents.
Ms. Brownley. Very good. The next question I had was
wondering if there are any statistics as we, and again thank
you all for what you are doing, and as we move forward and move
the needle on employing our veterans, are we also collecting
data around what the average salaries are? Are veterans
transitioning to the private sector and are better off than
they were vis a vis their salaries than in the military? Do we
have any data on that? No? It sounds like something that we
should be collecting data on.
As far as the, I am actually carrying a bill to extend the
Work Opportunity Tax Credit. I think probably the whole panel,
correct me if I am wrong, but I think you would all agree that
it is beneficial. Can you comment on how critical it is to
gaining employment for our veterans?
General Profit. Congresswoman, thank you for the question.
While I do not want to suggest that Wal-mart does not take the
Work Opportunity Tax Credit when we realize it is available to
us, we do not make hiring decisions based upon the availability
of the tax credit. It is too important to get the right people.
And so we do not base our decision making in that area on the
Work Opportunity Tax Credit availability.
Ms. Brownley. Any other comments?
Mr. Amos. Well I think that is accurate but that does not
mean it is not helpful, and that it does not provide a benefit
that is attendant to making the right hiring choice.
Ms. Brownley. I have heard some people say in businesses in
my district as well that there are certain obstacles in
obtaining it. Any suggestions for streamlining that? No? Well
the last question that I have is based on survey results from
veterans in franchising and a progress report. One of the key
findings indicates that 80 percent of franchises surveyed are
not aware of any tax credits available to employers that hire
veterans. And I was just wondering, Mr. Amos, if you might be
able to comment on that?
Mr. Amos. Well I think that it is, first of all it is the
newness of the program. And there is some, there is a
requirement, I mean, there is not even any statistical support
for it that I am aware of yet. So I think that that requires
some communication and education to the greater franchising
world that IFA will do and is doing today. I think that will
help challenge, actually.
Ms. Brownley. Thank you. I yield back.
Mr. Roe. Thank you for yielding. Ms. Titus, you are
recognized.
Ms. Titus. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Before I ask a question
I would just like for the record to point out that there are
two companies in my district in Las Vegas that have excellent
programs for hiring veterans. They are very innovative. MGM
Resorts has Boots to Business that has been very successful,
and Caesars Entertainment has Enlisting Heroes. So we are proud
of the work that they are doing, which is similar to what you
all are doing and I thank you for that.
I would like to focus my question on something that you are
doing, Mr. Kelley, and that you commented on in your written
testimony. I have been working on trying to get more students
involved in the STEM fields, and especially minority students.
I think that is the key to good jobs and being competitive in
the global economy. And I know that you all certainly do that.
And you wrote that you would recommend that the government
enhance the rules of the G.I. Bill to incentivize STEM
education. I would very much like to work with you on the
specifics of that and see if we cannot get that done
legislatively. But would you take a minute to kind of summarize
for us what some of the recommendations are that you would make
to improve that?
Mr. Kelley. Congresswoman, one of the things that we did as
we have evaluated what are the best odds to get into large
technology companies? And all of us invest heavily, and
Microsoft specifically, in hiring our college grads with
computer science degrees. I also know, and my colleague Chuck
Edward here in the audience runs our college recruiting
organization, you know, we canvass hundreds of universities
across the country. Our servicemembers actually choose
sometimes to go to the least cost option, not the option that
would most likely get them to the highest employment
opportunity. So our top computer science programs, there is a
large gap between what the G.I. Bill will pay for and even the
yellow ribbon may not close it. And so we have talked about the
yellow ribbon plus for STEM education to make sure that the
servicemember is not making a purely short term economic
decision. That they are really looking at the fact that these
are upon graduation six figure salaried jobs in any of the
technology companies. And the competitiveness as a young
person, you know, they have five job offers at the time they
graduate. And I want our veterans to participate in that very
huge opportunity in the technology arena.
Ms. Titus. Well let us talk about some ways to kind of get
that done. Anybody else have suggestions along those lines?
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I look forward to bringing some of
that back to this committee.
Mr. Roe. Thank you. Mr. O'Rourke, you are recognized.
Mr. O'Rourke. Thank you. And I would also like to thank the
panel for their service, through them to their companies for
what they are doing to hire veterans, and for the testimony
today. And I want to thank the leadership of the committee and
the staff for giving us this opportunity to hear from you.
I represent the community of El Paso, Texas. At Fort Bliss
we have 29,000 active duty. Within the community we also have
over 80,000 veterans. And we also have nine percent
unemployment. And so what you are saying today is very helpful
for me as their representative to think through policy
implications, efforts that we need to undertake even in our
capacity in our districts to connect more of these veterans
with their jobs. And I think the points about what we can do
while they are still active duty are spot on. I mean, I think
that is where we take it. And Dr. Wenstrup kind of compared it
to preventative medicine. You know, taking the necessary steps
ahead of time.
And I also understand Mr. Cohen that in your opening
testimony you referenced a Hiring Our Heroes event that you are
going to have on February 4th at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas.
So I just want to thank you for the Chamber's efforts in that
regard and pose my first question to you. We had an event put
on by the El Paso Workforce Board in the Fall of last year for,
a hiring veterans event at the County Coliseum. We had
somewhere close to 1,400 veterans come to search for a job and
as far as we can tell we had only four placements out of that.
Now I know that you cannot speak to the specifics of that, but
given the success of the Hiring Our Heroes Program what are
some best practices or some best outcomes that we should be
looking towards? And perhaps apart from your efforts when we at
the local level take these initiatives on we can begin to
follow those so we can get better results.
Mr. Cohen. Well thank you, Congressman. And I would just
like to point out that your staff has been very helpful in
getting the word out for the Fort Bliss Veterans Job Summit
next week so----
Mr. O'Rourke. Great.
Mr. Cohen [continuing]. It has been another great example
of public private partnerships working together.
One of the things we have learned, and obviously I cannot
speak to the event that you are discussing, that we learned
early on is the importance of devoting a lot of resources,
which we are part of the Chamber of Commerce's Foundation which
makes us a 501(c)(3) non-profit, it is challenging to devote a
lot of resources to metrics and tracking. So we have instituted
a very comprehensive 180-day after any action process with
phone calls, surveys, survey monkeys, you know, phone banking,
etcetera. And I think it is challenging, I think that would be
the first thing someone would have to do is, to really find out
what those numbers are. It is, to me it sounds unlikely that
only four people of those 1,400 received jobs but it is very
difficult to know unless you really are able to dedicate the
resources to a comprehensive tracking after the fact.
Mr. O'Rourke. And to the other members of the panel I know
that your businesses, and I think the General made an excellent
point, you know, are hiring based on the best fit for that
position and are seeking out veterans because it is the right
thing to do and you are not doing it in response to a tax break
or a benefit to the company, and I think that is really
important for us all to understand. But Mr. Amos in response to
a question posed earlier you were asked, you know, what more
could we do on the government side to encourage more hiring?
And you mentioned tax incentives and regulatory incentives. And
I wonder if you and the other members of the panel could speak
to some specifics? Perhaps a state that has successfully
implemented something where your businesses operate and have
found a very competitive environment that has made it easier to
hire veterans? Or something that has yet to be proposed that
could, again, everyone wants to do this for the right reason
but could make it easier for people to do the right thing. So
maybe, Mr. Amos, to start with you, you specifically said
regulatory burdens. Are there specific burdens that would be
lifted that would make this easier?
Mr. Amos. You know, I think the simple answer is any relief
at the line level particular for small business on the tax or
regulatory side is enormously beneficial. Every dollar that a
small businessman or woman puts back in their pocket can be
used to open new businesses, particularly as it relates to the
franchising world and small business, and for hiring. The
reality is my friend Fred Smith at FedEx as an example likes to
say that big business is the engine on the train and small
business is the caboose. And he and I from conversations from
time to time, I have said to him, look, you know, all business
is just not created equal. The reality is every net job in
America since the mid-eighties has come from small business.
That is where the seeds are planted. So in answer to your
question, I could fairly easily at the macro level I think go
through some strong suggestions. Restructuring Sarbanes-Oxley,
a lot of things that would offer relief at the line level,
including issues that relate to energy policies and a lot of
other things that do offer relief----
Mr. O'Rourke. That affect hiring in general.
Mr. Amos. Absolutely.
Mr. O'Rourke. And I know my time is up so very quickly for
the other panelists, anything specific to hiring for veterans
that we could incentivize through federal policy?
Ms. Casey. I think from our perspective and the theme has
been talked about here earlier which is how do we do a better
job of allowing the private sector to partner with our military
bases and the federal agencies sooner in the process? There are
some joint ethics regulations issues and things like that that
make it somewhat challenging depending upon the perspective. So
I think that anything that can be done to allow for that
partnership to happen sooner would be very helpful.
Mr. Kelley. And I have one very specific recommendation. If
we look at the application of a veteran database that has all
of the information, we look at the great work that the non-
profits that are hosting job fairs can do, the experience of
someone walking in that door, it is daunting. So many
companies. And the simple application of a dance card that says
we have looked at your data, we know what companies are there,
these are your six best people to talk to, would just reduce
anxiety. The psychology of walking in that room, and I have
been to hundreds of job fairs. And every time someone walks up
and says, hey, I noticed Microsoft wanted to talk to me, I do
not know why. And I am like you have to believe that this is
your future and let me walk you through why I called you. And
so if we could build a system that just said this is your dance
card. This is who you talk to first. They are waiting for you.
And on the other side there is a small list of people. That I
think we close the gap in sort of what I call the serendipity
of recruiting, which always feels great, I love it too, but it
is not the most efficient way for us to get the most people to
work. And you know, businesses, especially the small ones,
cannot afford the investment that a larger company can make.
And so to go stand at a job fair and get one resume, it is
just, but if you can say I am going to give you six. If you
come talk to those six you are going to hire three, and you can
go back to work, it is a win.
Mr. O'Rourke. Thank you. General, did you want to add
anything to this?
General Profit. No, I think they captured it. I could not
agree more. The earlier we can have a conversation with these
young people about their aspirations and their personal brand
and where the gaps exist and how to fill them and that we care
about them and we would like them to offer their value to us, I
think, as I have told my colleagues in the DoD and in the
services, back to an original point I made, I think this
conversation needs to start at enlistment and commissioning.
Because it is about the backside of the life cycle. And I think
a lot of benefit would accrue to DoD and the services if we
would take a more aggressive stance in that regard.
Mr. O'Rourke. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Roe. I thank the gentleman for yielding back. And I now
recognize Ms. Brown for any closing comments she may have.
Ms. Brown. Thank you. Let me just say that for 22 years, I
have held one of the largest job fairs in Jacksonville and
Orlando. And some of the key things that I have learned, first
of all, that to have more success you have to do a lot of
preparation prior to the job fair. We have training, working
with young people, working with veterans, first doing their
resumes, and getting them ready for the interview. And another
thing, a lot of the employers want you to go online. So we do
some research on the companies and go online prior to the job
fair. So it is a lot of work that you have to do prior to the
workshop. But I make sure I do not invite anybody that does not
have any jobs. And that is the key. Because a lot of companies
want to come to be there, but if you do not have any jobs, we
do not need you. So it is a lot of work, it is a lot of work
that goes to the job fair before the job fair happens. And so I
want to thank all of you all for what you all are doing. And if
there is anything that we can do to make things better or to
see us move forward, I certainly want to be involved in it.
Thank you.
Mr. Roe. I thank the gentle lady for yielding. And in
completion I think Ms. Brown put a very human face on what we
see out there in our districts, where we see a homeless mother
as she described, or a homeless veteran. I think one of the
saddest things I have heard since I have been in this Congress
is any veteran is homeless. And there is a very successful
program out there, the HUD VASH voucher program, which allows
you to have a voucher to live but you have to find the housing.
And the problem we found is we have enough vouchers, the
problem is we do not have enough housing stock to fill. And she
and I have talked about some things that we may be able to do
to help increase the housing stock.
This also comes with a coordinator, a care coordinator that
goes along with that to help you find these programs out there.
So the VA is doing a lot of things. I think Dr. Wenstrup may
have brought it up. We need to back this up a little bit to
DoD, and start this process as it is happening. But I think
that is very important.
Another comment I think is, I do not know whether you have
looked at a military paycheck, but when I was in the military
the capital, I live in Tennessee, was Nashville. I did not have
any capital left at the end of my paycheck. There was not any
money I could put back to do anything but take care of my
family. So I think having access to capital, military paychecks
are still pretty thin. And these Soldiers live, and Sailors,
Airmen, and Marines live pretty close. And they do not have the
money. So finding capital to get into the franchising business.
And Captain Amos, I was sitting here listening to your
comments, I think I have actually solved the problem of where
the veterans are. We just call the NSA and ask them, they
probably can tell us. So I do not think that should be a
problem anymore.
I think one of the other comments I think, and Mr. O'Rourke
you brought it up, I think the Chamber does a fantastic job. I
want to brag on you all about the job you are doing and the job
fairs. And Ms. Brown obviously is experienced with these. But
there are jobs out there and the problem, there are many jobs
out there that are empty because we do not have trained people
to be in those jobs. And I think that is what Microsoft and
others bring to the table. And I think one of the best things I
read in this testimony today, General, was where if you are a
veteran, you have honorably served this country, we have a
place for you in our business. I know many people that work at
Wal-mart and they started maybe stocking shelves or whatever
and they are now in a management position. So you, my hats off
to each and every one of you. I cannot thank you enough for
what you are doing.
And I think what we need to do is spread this word around
the country and get the message out and coordinate a little
better. That is what I have heard. And that is the difficult
part. Because so many people want to help. We just heard Ms.
Titus talk about two separate programs in Las Vegas. And I
would be remiss not to mention a company in my district,
Eastman Chemical Corporation, who is headed by a Navy pilot. He
claims landing at night in a jet on an aircraft carrier was
hard, I do not know how hard, he seemed to be pretty good at
it. And he also ran a tremendous company. And he has just since
retired, Jim Rogers, one of the finest men I ever met in my
life and had a real commitment to putting veterans because he
knew the value they brought.
And I think the other comment that was made was it is not
tax credits. You can get all the tax credits and things you
want. That is helpful, no question about that. But even better
is a good, a very good employee. Having hired people myself for
30 years, that is the most valuable thing you have is a good
employee, well-trained. And the saddest day of my life usually
was when my nurse, who had worked with me for ten years, told
me she was leaving to go somewhere else. I got depressed with
that. Because finding great people in your business, that is
what makes you successful.
And I thank you all. I want to finish by just thanking each
and every one of you for being here. And in closing we want to
be sure that you know that we have five legislative days in
which to revise and extend remarks, the members do, and include
any extraneous material in the record on today's hearing topic.
Hearing no objection, so ordered. Thanks to everyone for being
here and this meeting is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 11:43 a.m., the committee was adjourned.]
APPENDIX
Prepared Statement of David Roe, Acting Chairman
Opening Statement of the Hon. David P. Roe, Acting Chairman
``What can the Federal Government Learn From the Private
Sector's Successful Approach to Hiring Veterans?''
Good Morning, the Committee will come to order.
As we begin the Committee's work for the second session of
the 113th Congress, I believe it is appropriate to examine one
of my top priorities of this Committee since 2011; improving
employment opportunities for veterans.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the
unemployment rate for all veterans in December 2013 was 5.5
percent. This is in sharp contrast to December 2010, when the
unemployment rate for all veterans was 8.3 percent. This
equates to a difference of over 369,000 more veterans finding
work.
While I believe that programs like the new G.I. Bill and
VRAP have helped position veterans to obtain the skills needed
to get a job in today's tough economy, the most significant
factor in the drop in the unemployment rate has been that
American corporations, and most importantly small businesses,
have truly stepped up to the plate and have made it a priority
to recruit, hire, and retain veterans.
These companies and trade associations have made hiring
veterans a priority not out of charity, but because it is
simply a good business decision. They have learned that the
soft and hard skills as well as the incredible work ethic that
veterans bring to the table are unmatched and make them
excellent employees.
Today's panel of witnesses represents companies and
associations that are among the best of the best when it comes
to hiring and promoting the hiring of veterans. These companies
have not only launched initiatives to train and hire veterans,
but they work within their own industries and across the
private sector to bring innovative approaches to increasing
employment in the veteran population. I hope that listening to
their testimony and having the opportunity to ask them
questions, will give Members a better understanding of the
commitment these companies have to veterans, and countless
others, who share this commitment in each of our districts.
I am also very interested to hear the panel's opinions on
the federally funded training and hiring programs for veterans
that Congress funds every year. Many of you know that improving
the performance of these programs has been, and will continue
to be, a focus of this Committee, and I look forward to
learning what programs, if any, the private sector finds to be
the most successful. In short, what works and what doesn't
work.
While great strides have been made in reducing veterans'
unemployment rates, I think we all agree that much more is
needed to create the best environment for job creation and
growth as our men and women continue to transition from active
duty service into civilian life.
I remain concerned that over taxation, crushing business
regulations, which increase costs and reduce competitiveness,
and the well documented concerns and uncertainty surrounding
the implementation of the affordable care act, threaten the
hard work of our panelists and many others in making it a
priority to hire our veterans. I look forward to hearing from
each of our panelists today on how Congress can promote pro-
growth policies that will help create new jobs for veterans and
all Americans alike.
At this time I yield to the distinguished Ranking Member
Mr. Michaud to provide his opening remarks.
Thank you Mr. Michaud and I look forward to working with
you in the coming year.
At this time I would like to introduce our first and only
panel today, and I want to thank each of you for being here
with us this morning. First we have General Gary Profit, Senior
Director of Military Programs at Wal-mart ; Mr. Sean Kelley,
Senior Staffing Director for the Cloud and Enterprise Group as
well as Military Recruiting at Microsoft; Ms. Maureen Casey,
the Managing Director for Military and Veterans Affairs at
JPMorgan Chase; Mr. Jim Amos, the Chairman of Tasti-D-Lite and
Planet Smoothie, here on behalf of the International Franchise
Association; and lastly we have Mr. Ross Cohen, the Senior
Director of Hiring our Heroes at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Foundation. Your complete written statements will be made part
of the hearing record and each of you will be recognized for 5
minutes for your written statement. Let's begin with General
Profit, sir you are now recognized for 5 minutes.
Thank you, General Profit. Mr. Kelley.
Thank you, Mr. Kelley. Ms. Casey.
Thank you, Ms. Casey. Mr. Amos.
Thank you, Mr. Amos. Mr. Cohen.
Thank you. I will now yield myself five minutes for
questions.
I now recognize the Ranking Member for his questions.
I want to thank our witnesses for their informative
testimony and for being here today.
In closing, I want to acknowledge the good work that has
been done by this Committee and our VSO partners in improving
employment opportunities for veterans. From the Committee's
improved oversight over Federally funded veteran training and
employment programs, the enactment of the VOW to Hire Heroes
Act of 2011, which created the Veterans Retraining Assistance
Program, and the Committee's Veteran Employment Summit, we have
and will continue to focus on this important matter together.
Finally, I move that all members have five legislative days
in which to revise and extend their remarks and include any
extraneous material in the record on today's hearing topic. . .
hearing no objection so ordered.
Thanks to everyone for their attendance today, this hearing
is now adjourned.
Prepared Statement of Michael Michaud, Ranking Minority Member
Thank you, Mr. Chairman for holding this important and
timely hearing this morning.
Providing veterans with opportunities for employment is a
top priority for this Committee. In a tough economy, we want to
make sure we are doing everything we can to help our veterans
succeed in making the transition from active duty to securing
gainful and meaningful employment.
This is especially important as we look to future
servicemembers leaving the military in greater numbers.
Any employer should be proud to have an employee with the
resiliency, leadership and collaboration skills that are
fundamental to all our service men and women. Far too often,
these experiences are not readily translated to match the needs
of the private sector. It takes imagination, and a bit of work,
but in the end the effort is worth it: businesses can get
access to highly skilled and motivated individuals, and
veterans can build careers that can benefit their families and
their communities.
This morning I look forward to hearing about the successes
and challenges our witnesses have faced, and their
recommendations when it comes to hiring veterans. I look
forward to hearing how public and private entities can better
work together to provide a better transition to servicemembers
entering the workforce. I look forward to hearing from our
witnesses regarding best practices and how these can be used to
inform the private and public sector in helping veterans find
jobs.
Most of all, I look forward to hearing from our friends in
the private sector about how our country's veterans are
continuing to serve this nation by contributing their skills
and talents to these forward-leaning companies.
Maintaining our Nation's economic leadership in the decades
ahead will require highly skilled and educated employees who
will lead the technological charge. Veterans have proven their
leadership and can-do qualities in service to our country. They
represent an untapped resource to provide this next generation
of employees. Our job, on this Committee and in this Congress
is to find ways to explore new and innovative ways to assist
veterans, and the businesses that wish to hire them. This
includes identifying what works and what doesn't, what must be
modified and what must be viewed anew.
Thank you Mr. Chairman and I yield back the balance of my
time.
Prepared Statement of Hon. Bill Flores
I want to thank Chairman Jeff Miller and Ranking Member
Michael Michaud for holding this hearing regarding what the
public sector can learn from private companies about recruiting
and employing our nation's veterans. I believe that we should
help our veterans gain the tools for success once they have
transitioned from service. These men and women made commitments
to selflessly serve our country and we should provide them an
effective transition into the civilian workforce.
This hearing today is an expansion of a similar hearing I
held last year in Waco, TX with my fellow Subcommittee on
Economic Opportunity colleague Rep. Mark Takano. That hearing
entitled ``Texas' Innovative Approaches to Jobs and Employment
for Veterans'' highlighted the employment opportunities for
veterans in Texas, specifically demonstrating the fertile and
versatile employer environments, hiring programs and
educational opportunities that exist in my state. We heard from
companies, educational institutions, and state agencies on what
they have been doing to facilitate the hiring of Texas
Veterans.
We are lucky that the unemployment rate for veterans in
Texas was 3.6 percent for the month of December, which is well
below the national average of 5.5 percent.
This difference is due, in part, to our great state's focus
on pro-growth policies, low taxes, and efficient and innovative
government programs that partner with the private and non-
profit sector to give unemployed veterans the little boost they
need to be successful.
Texas has long standing commitment to the military and
those who have served which is another major reason for our
success. This is shown not only in the priority our small and
large businesses place on hiring veterans, but on the policies,
programs, and benefits our institutions of higher learning
offer to these heroes.
It is exceptional that our hearing demonstrated the
laudable efforts of the private sector, and has resulted in a
hearing looking at the national efforts from our five witnesses
today. Not only did our hearing in Texas result in valuable
information and demonstrated how Texas can be a model for other
states, but it also resulted in outstanding legislation that
can help employ veterans.
During our hearing in Texas, Ms. Mary Thompson, Dwyer Group
member and local owner of Mr. Rooter's plumbing services,
testified that many veterans encounter difficulties when faced
with excessive start up fees required with starting a
franchise. To address these obstacles, Rep. Takano and I
introduced the bipartisan H.R. 3725, the Veterans Entrepreneurs
Act.
This legislation will assist veteran entrepreneurs in
transitioning to the private sector after their military
service by reducing both the red tape and the costs of starting
a franchise to help them become small business owners. It will
make it easier for veterans to own small business franchises by
establishing a tax credit for veteran franchisees equal to 25
percent of the franchise fee incurred. This tax credit will
help offset the initial start up costs for a franchise business
which is often out of reach for many veterans.
With self-starting and ``know-how'' skills all veterans are
trained with, many are especially well suited for business
ownership and self employment. Given these qualities, the
franchise model with its ready-made clientele and proven track
record of success provides a great opportunity for our veterans
looking to open a small business. While upwards of 70 percent
of pure startups fail within the first 10 years, investing in
one's own franchise with its training, established customers,
and model has a much greater probability of success.
We must continue to promote private sector efforts to hire
veterans as well as look for innovative ways to empower
veterans to be entrepreneurs and small business owners. The
more veterans we have acquiring and creating jobs, the more our
economy will continue to grow benefiting both our veterans and
our nation
Again, I am excited about the hearing and testimony today.
As a former businessman myself, I know that jobs for veterans
start and end with continued commitment from American
enterprise.
Prepared Statement of Gary M. Profit
On behalf of Wal-mart Stores, Inc. (Wal-mart ), thank you
Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Michaud and Members of the
House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, for the opportunity to
join you today to talk about veterans hiring.
Wal-mart has a rich history with veterans, those continuing
to serve, and military families. Arguably, it begins with
Captain, U.S. Army, Sam Walton who founded Wal-mart over 50
years ago. Through the years, the legacy has been enriched by
countless others, including the 100,000 veteran associates and
150,000 veteran and military families.
At Wal-mart , we are thankful for their service and
sacrifice, and we strive to support their heroism. Right now,
we know one of their biggest needs is employment and gaining
the tools necessary to prepare for a career outside of the
military.
Besides being the right thing to do, hiring veterans is
also good for business. We believe veterans and military
families represent the largest, diverse, talent-rich pool in
the world and are an essential segment of the next generation
at Wal-mart . Their value begins with a rock-solid foundation,
a proxy for which might be the seven Army Values I lived for
over 31 years: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless-service, honor,
integrity, and personal courage. It is complemented by the
nation's huge investment in skills training and leader growth
and development. Who wouldn't want to hire them?
But, there must be a sense of urgency: 2.6 million post-9/
11 veterans have left the service and in the next five years,
one million more will have left. About half of them are between
the ages of 18 and 34. Unemployment for these younger veterans
has often been more troubling than their non-veteran
counterparts.
So at Wal-mart , we decided to do our part and launched the
Veterans Welcome Home Commitment last Memorial Day. Vets who
meet the job requirements and have been honorably separated
from active duty within the last 12 months have a job at Wal-
mart if they want one. Wal-mart has a host of opportunities at
our stores and clubs across the country, as well as select
opportunities in our distribution centers and main offices. If
you served and sacrificed for your country, you shouldn't have
to fight for a job when you get home. We believe that in five
years, we will hire more than 100,000 veterans.
Since full implementation on Memorial Day, we have hired
nearly 30,000 veteran associates. These jobs range from part-
time hourly to salaried management; from Wal-mart Stores and
Sam's Clubs; to Distribution Centers and Transportation
Offices; and to the Corporate Headquarters.
One of the other aspects of this commitment that we are
excited about is the Veteran Champion Program. This program is
a six week on-boarding process to support the transition and
integration of the new veteran associates into their new work
environments. It is guided by an associate who is drawn,
preferably, from a similar experience.
In addition to employment, we also strive to understand and
address some of the specific and special unmet and under-met
needs faced by veterans and military families. Through the Wal-
mart Foundation, we are committed to a $20 million campaign
through 2015 and are focused on access to education, job
training, and reintegration resources. Additionally, as part of
our Holiday Giving, we announced on Veterans Day, a $1.5
million grant to the Operation Homefront ``Home for the
Holidays'' Program and a $500,000 grant to the Fisher House
Foundation ``Sponsor a Family'' Program. The grants provided
toys, meals, and lodging to military families in greatest need
of support and helped hundreds of active duty service members
come home for the holidays.
We salute America's heroes. We are honored to have the
opportunity to employ them, to learn from them, and to support
them and their families in every way we can.
Through career training and job opportunities, we're
helping prepare our troops for successful professional lives
both during and after their service in the military.
Thank you Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Michaud and
Members of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs for your
leadership and for holding this hearing. I appreciate the
opportunity to testify and am prepared to answer any questions.
Prepared Statement of Sean Kelley
Thank you Chairman Miller, Vice Chairman Bilirakis, Ranking
Member Michaud, and Members of the Committee. It is an honor to
testify before you today to discuss how companies like
Microsoft partner to maximize civilian career opportunities for
our returning veterans. My name is Sean Kelley and I am the
Senior Staffing Director for the Cloud and Enterprise
engineering group at Microsoft and the leader of our company-
wide military recruiting organization.
This hearing is timely given the large number of veterans
currently returning to the U.S. seeking civilian employment and
the simultaneous challenges companies such as Microsoft face
finding enough skilled Science, Technology, Engineering and
Math (STEM) workers for their businesses to grow. As a
recruiter, I see it every day at Microsoft, other IT
businesses, and companies representing an array of other
industries. My industry now competes for high-skilled talent
with the likes GE, Ford, Boeing, Proctor & Gamble, Deloitte,
Blue Cross and many other U.S. employers. I know many of these
companies share our mission to support the career paths of our
veterans. And we are in lock step with this Committee's ongoing
commitment to serve the veteran community and their families.
Given the importance and enormity of the task at hand, at
Microsoft we are constantly thinking of ways to better
transition these men and women into IT careers.
Based on our experience helping veterans transition to
civilian jobs, I would like to focus my testimony on three
themes:
1. Expanding initiatives private sector companies such as
Microsoft are undertaking to help our returning veterans
acquire the education and skills necessary to help them secure
rewarding IT careers;
2. Eliminating barriers companies face trying to help our
returning veterans acquire the skills they need to transition
from their military service; and
3. Sharing lessons we have learned over the last several
years through Microsoft's veterans initiatives.
My Story
After graduating from the Naval Academy and starting my
career as a submarine logistics officer, I was fortunate after
six years in the Navy to land my first civilian job as a supply
chain leader at Starbucks Coffee Company. Then, ten years ago
this March, I moved from Microsoft Operations to our Global
Diversity and Inclusion organization, searching for an
opportunity to have a broader, more meaningful impact on the
company and the world.
I learned about all aspects of our HR programs and
processes from colleagues, who for years had advocated to open
the doors to technology careers for women, minorities, people
with disabilities, veterans, and other underserved or
disadvantaged communities. As a military veteran, and third
generation Navy family member, I wondered what opportunities
there might be to further explore the experiences and
challenges veterans faced. I decided to address this topic with
our Chief Diversity Officer and Outreach Manager. During our
meeting I learned that both had close family ties to the
Vietnam War. That day, a shared bond, often unspoken in
Corporate America at that time, awakened a desire to serve.
Following the tragic events of 9/11, another group of
Microsoft veterans and veteran advocates began to form. This
effort was comprised of veteran advocates with family ties to
the military, including currently serving Reservists and
National Guard members. All were seeking community and
alignment of support for reservists and guard members, and most
of all, looking for ways to give back. This was the beginning
of a story that is now many chapters long. It is a story of
shared commitment to one another, a passion to give back to the
military community and a dream to make a difference.
Our Call to Action
The national unemployment rate for veterans is unacceptably
high. Most disturbing is that the unemployment rate of the
youngest generation of U.S. military veterans, ages 18-24, who
have served our country so bravely, developed valuable
leadership, management, diplomatic and other skills on top of
their superb military training, is often higher than their non-
veteran counterparts. Our veterans, who face unique challenges
in transitioning to the civilian employment system or dealing
with serious health issues, deserve the highest level of
support to ensure a successful career. Unfortunately, our
support systems are not fully equipped to help troops and their
families deal effectively with these transitions. In fact, the
Department of Defense is spending $1 billion annually on
unemployment benefits for veterans yet it is often difficult at
the base and command level to get support for training and
certification programs while still on active duty which provide
immediate employment possibilities. As the drawdown of our
troops continues, now is the time to raise our consciousness as
part of a national dialogue that includes the public and
private sectors, to focus on eliminating friction in the re-
training and transition process, and to ensure we are doing
everything in our power to address these career transition
issues for our vets and their spouses.
Microsoft's Veterans Initiatives
Economic projections point to a need for approximately one
million more STEM professionals than the United States will
produce at the current rate over the next decade. The United
States graduates about 300,000 bachelor and associate degrees
in STEM fields annually. Fewer than 40 percent who enter
college intending a major in a STEM field complete a STEM
degree. It is clear that many people, including veterans, lack
the technology skills and industry certifications employers
look for to fill the tens of thousands of available IT jobs
across a broad range of industries. Eight years ago when we
started exploring how Microsoft could be helpful to our
transitioning veterans, we were surprised to learn there were
very few opportunities for veterans to acquire these in-demand
skills.
Elevate America Veterans Grant Program
As Microsoft tried to determine how to make an initial
impact on the challenges faced by veterans, we determined that
the ecosystem of service organizations was fractured and
difficult to navigate. Through our Elevate America initiative,
Microsoft partnered with six non-profit organizations to
provide skills training, job placement and support services to
veterans and their spouses over a two-year period. Microsoft's
commitment to this effort totaled $12 million in cash, product
and other services. The non-profits that were part of our
initiative were carefully selected through a competitive RFP
process. Several national Veteran Services Organizations joined
our advisory committee to provide valuable input and guidance
in selecting the grantees, including Paralyzed Veterans of
America, American Legion, USO, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of
America, and the Wounded Warrior Project.
Each of the non-profit organizations we worked with had
demonstrated good placement rates. We selected them not only
for their ability to provide technology skills training to
veterans, but their ability to provide career counseling,
housing, transportation, childcare and other services that
strengthen the ability for an individual to find employment. In
many ways, this was an early trial in the ongoing community
efforts across the nation known as the Sea of Goodwill and
Community Blueprint.
Elevate America Veterans Voucher Program
Microsoft has also partnered with the U.S. Department of
Labor to distribute 10,000 free technology skills training and
certification packages to veterans around the country. These
industry recognized certifications provide portable job
credentials. The resources were provided over a two-year period
to five local One-Stop Career Centers designed to provide a
full range of assistance to job seekers under one roof.
Recruiting and Retaining Military Veterans
A decade into our journey, the Microsoft Military Community
is now a thriving employee network, with seven chapters around
the United States, an active Board of Directors, and three
retired General Officers as the Executive Advisory Committee.
This network sponsors two events each year, on Memorial Day and
Veterans' Day, to commemorate these special celebrations and
create connections across the company. The board serves many
purposes, including advising Microsoft's Human Resources
Department on benefits and pay policies for Reservists and
National Guard members, welcoming all new veteran hires to the
company, mentoring one another on career transitions, and
championing involvement within the external military community.
All of these actions create connections which ease transition
from the military and aid in growth and development within
Microsoft for our veteran population.
Building upon this spirit of service and community
involvement, the recruiting program was branded under the
banner ``We Still Serve'' in September 2010. This coincided
with the investment in a full-time team of former military
members whose sole purpose is to aid the transition of military
veterans into Microsoft and the tech industry. MGEN Chris
Cortez, USMC (Ret.) sponsored this program since its inception
and added a strong voice to We Still Serve launch. The team has
partnered with external organizations including Service Academy
Career Conference, Marine for Life, Student Veterans of
America, MBA Veterans, The National Center for Women & IT,
Military MOJO, Recruit Military, Academy Women, Worksource,
100,000 Jobs Mission, base transition offices, and many local
jobs fairs and outreach events. Microsoft was a founding
sponsor and remains an active board member for Hire America's
Heroes, a consortium which now has nearly 40 corporate
sponsors, and chapters in Washington and California. The
consortium provided an early proving ground for public-private
dialogue and exploration of new pathways to employment for
veterans.
The military recruiting program is anchored on our military
portal, WeStillServe.com, a site that connects transitioning
military members to our employee-initiated group of veterans,
and helps match candidates to job opportunities within the
company. The site includes a unique Military Job Decoder to map
military occupations to available Microsoft positions, helping
service members navigate large volumes of job postings. Over
the last three years our Military Occupational Specialty (MOS)
decoder has received tens of thousands of unique page views and
the We Still Serve site has received hundreds of thousands of
page views.
Microsoft's Software and Systems Academy (MSSA)
Any career transition is difficult, but as service members
approach the end of their military careers they face a
particular challenge. It's not always clear to them how their
skills apply to jobs in the private sector. This causes stress
to both service members and their families. But today, thanks
the VOW to Hire Heroes Act sponsored by Chairman Miller and
Senator Murray, and signed into law in 2011, service members
may begin the employment process before their separation from
the military. That's what inspired our program, which is
especially important as our military draws down after two major
military operations overseas.
Over the next three years, Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM)
alone, in my home state of Washington, will release an average
of 8,000 servicemembers a year. And we know many other bases
around the country will also release large numbers of highly
employable IT workers. Our research shows that there are
currently 30,000 active military members in technical
disciplines which might qualify them for jobs at companies such
as Microsoft. Currently, 474 MOS codes directly map to
Microsoft job groups on WeStillServe.com.
The new MSSA program transitions military members into high
paying jobs in the technology sector. It provides industry
certification testing and college credit for those in service
while they are still in the early phase of transition from
military to their civilian career. The goal of MSSA is to
create a seamless and successful military-to-employment
transition, at no cost to the service member.
Microsoft has partnered with a local university to create a
rigorous 16-week technical training course that military
members are enrolled in while still on active duty. Soft
skills, interview practice and resume preparation are part of
the curriculum. Each student receives a mentor from a corporate
sponsor and exercises to practice their new skills. The MSSA
program is based on leveraging public and private partnership
to provide a new pathway for military members to transition
quickly into well paying, upwardly mobile careers. Additional
Microsoft technical courses will teach skills required for
specific roles. Candidates are prescreened to ensure they have
a base level of technical competency, with a strong emphasis on
programing and problem solving skills, as well as a passion for
the program.
MSSA operates on bases in conjunction with DoD education
and transition program partners. With command authorization,
service members attend the course as their place of duty during
their transition phase. As partners, the US Army and JBLM
commanders, notably Colonel Charles Hodges, have been amazing
to work with for the first cohort, including releasing one
Special Forces solider from active service in Afghanistan to
participate in the program. The VOW Act, the new GI Bill, and a
loosening of Department of Defense (DoD) regulations enable
Microsoft and other private organizations to partner with the
DoD to assist American heroes with programs such as this one.
And the DoD authorizes these types of training programs in an
effort to mitigate the large unemployment burden on taxpayers
as well as provide reasonable assurance or potential for
employment of transitioning service members.
In addition to receiving a Microsoft IT Academy-powered
curriculum from Saint Martin's University, service members who
completed the MSSA pilot program were offered entry-level roles
at either Microsoft or Launch Consulting (the technology
consulting firm administering the program). Alternately, some
graduates used their new skills to find technology jobs on
their own or to pursue a four-year degree in computer science.
As the program reaches additional bases around the country,
we will offer job interviews to those who successfully complete
it--a critical step between acquiring any certification and
gaining meaningful employment. We're confident that program
graduates will be well prepared to compete for jobs in a
vibrant, growing sector of the economy. Active-duty service
members transitioning from all branches of the military, as
well as members of the National Guard and Reserve returning to
their civilian jobs, are eligible. The Microsoft Software &
Systems Academy bridges one great career-serving in the U.S.
military-with another, creating technologies that improve
lives. We're pleased by the responses we've received from
service members who participated in the program, such as in
Bernard Bergan's recent blog post.
Bernard Bergan's Story
Bernard Bergan was in the first cohort of veterans to
complete the Microsoft Software & Systems Academy this last
December. Over the past five years, he had been serving all
over the world in the Army as a communications sergeant in the
First Special Forces Group Airborne, 3rd Battalion. Through my
recruiting efforts, I was fortunate enough to meet Bernard and
talk to him about his transition from the Army to his new
career at Microsoft.
Bernard told me that serving in the Army taught him the
value of teamwork, selfless service and a commitment to
excellence. It also allowed him to see, up close, how
technology connects us all. While in Afghanistan, he used Skype
as his primary tool to stay connected with friends and family.
I have heard the frustration from many service members
that, prior to Microsoft's MSSA program, there were no seamless
training programs available for soon-to-be veterans who wanted
to work in tech. Any career transition is difficult but, for
those in the military, there are unique challenges. In
Bernard's blog post, he expressed his gratitude that the MSSA
program provided him training that helped him ensure his
financial stability. The guarantee of a job placement within
Microsoft or through one of its partners was an incredible
opportunity with a major impact on his family.
Recommendations
Every time I look into the eyes of a transitioning service
member during mentor discussions, in interviews, on base visits
or at a job fair, I am simultaneously disheartened and
motivated. The system has so much more room to improve and this
room for growth motivates me to find new ways to open doors to
the technology industry for my fellow veterans. We can do
better. The VOW Act laid a foundation for much needed
improvement. Building on that momentum, here are a few
recommendations to enhance the private sector's ability to
employ more of our veterans:
Enhance GI Bill language and funding for STEM and
computer science related degrees. The statistics don't lie. We
know that's where the jobs are. It's also where our vitality as
a nation rests, and our veterans deserve more opportunities to
work in these rewarding careers. By actively encouraging
pursuit of these degrees with appropriate incentives, we tip
the playing field in favor of the veteran.
Provide access to contact information of veterans
attending college on the new GI Bill, through a confidential,
affirmative, opt-in technology solution to encourage stronger
employment opportunities and alignment to STEM degrees.
Quickly broaden the impact of programs like MSSA
around the country by encouraging top-down letters of support
by all Service branches supplemented Operation Orders by local
base commanders to support, engage and cooperate in these pre-
separation, on-base, training initiatives as supported and
approved in the VOW Act.
Encourage uniformity in tuition assistance across
military branches to reduce complexity and road blocks for
service members participating in training programs such as
MSSA.
Encourage stronger partnership between the Department
of Labor and Department of Defense under its VOW Act directive
to ``take a hard look at how to translate military skills and
training to civilian sector jobs.'' This directive will ``make
it easier to get the licenses and certification our veterans
need.''
With the expansion of the cyber-economy, consider
legislation to expedite or grant extensions of security
clearances for those entering technology fields.
Conclusion
As you know better than most, our military veterans are a
national treasure. We've invested immeasurable dollars, time
and sacrifice to create the most powerful human asset on the
planet-military veterans. They are smart, motivated, rapid
learners who are technical, loyal team players, yet they are
virtually untapped by private industry. They are the most
valuable human asset on earth and we, as a nation, all too
often allow them to walk out the door of the military and end
up under-or unemployed. The untapped potential of this asset is
in plain view on their DD214s, waiting to be organized,
interpreted and leveraged to provide data-informed career
paths. Doing so will accelerate the American economy and our
veterans' success. But the human element is even more
important. These individuals and their families have made
incredible, selfless sacrifices for our country. We owe it to
them to recognize not just their past contributions, but what
they have to offer in the future. We'll all benefit from that
recognition. And the families of these heroes will benefit,
too.
Now is the time for our government, non-profit and
corporate leaders to truly live up to the promise to which we
should all feel obligated: ensuring that those who sacrifice
the most for our cherished way of life can flourish and share
in the American Dream.
Microsoft is fully committed, as am I, to continuing to
innovate, invest and participate in the circle of solutions
that bring our military veterans to the family wage careers of
the future. We believe this future is unleashed through
education in STEM fields and via industry-sponsored training
programs with commitments to hire graduates. The Microsoft
Services & Software Academy proves that the VOW Act is making a
difference, that public-private partnerships work, that
veterans have what it takes to land STEM jobs, that industry
leaders such as Microsoft want to hire veteran workers. Now is
the time to act, to accelerate progress by aligning our
resources behind proven concepts that lead to high paying jobs
in the new economy. The need is great but so are the
opportunities.
Thank you for your commitment to veterans. And thank you
for allowing me to share my story and Microsoft's commitment to
our nation's veterans. We Still Serve.
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Prepared Statement of Jim Amos
Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Michaud, and members of the
Committee, thank you for inviting me to testify today on
successful private sector programs for hiring veterans. My name
is Jim Amos, and I am the Chairman of Tasti D-Lite and Planet
Smoothie, world-renown franchise brands of frozen treats and
beverages. I am a veteran of the franchise industry, with past
experience as the CEO of Mail Boxes Etc. (now The UPS Store)
and as past Chairman of the International Franchise
Association. I am also a military veteran, a former Marine
Corps captain and veteran of two combat tours in Vietnam. I
appear before you today on behalf of Tasti D-Lite and the
International Franchise Association.
With nearly 1 million veterans transitioning out of
military service over the next 5 years, it is more important
than ever that we help veterans re-integrate into the civilian
economy. Our service men and women are looking forward to
rejoining their families, going back to school or starting
their own businesses. It is both an economic necessity and a
moral obligation for our country to facilitate this transition.
Franchising is a large community of diverse business
concepts that all grow and operate using the franchise business
model. In this model, entrepreneurs open their own businesses
and purchase the rights to operate their business using the
trademarks, products, and business strategies of a proven
franchise system. Franchise businesses are very common in the
restaurant and hospitality space, but franchising is also
popular in business services, personal services, retail, and
automotive.
Veterans in Franchising--A Good Fit
In the franchise industry, we like to say that franchise
owners are in business for themselves, but not by themselves.
Franchise owners are typically highly motivated individuals who
are natural problem-solvers. Successful franchise owners
normally exhibit excellence in execution of precise and proven
business plans. Franchise systems have complex, yet effective,
operations guidelines, and the franchise owners that can best
execute that system are the owners who realize the most success
in their business. Many of the qualities that make successful
franchise business owners are found in our Nation's service men
and women, while the training techniques used in the military
provide a significant skill set that is especially valuable in
franchise business owners. Above all else, veterans possess the
leadership skills necessary to run a successful business, and
to persevere through tough times to keep that business running.
Franchise companies actively recruit veterans as franchise
owners, knowing that veteran-owned franchises tend to out-
perform other locations.
For nearly forty years, I have been privileged to both
create and support programs for hiring veterans as part of my
career in franchising. What I have learned is that these young
men and women are clear examples of American Exceptionalism.
They are true American heroes who bring back security
clearances, training, character, passion, dedication and a get-
it-done mentality that any company or organization would pay to
have as a human asset within their corporations. Spreadsheets
and net-present values tell you the history of a company, but
it is the people who tell you its future. When my brothers and
sisters returned from Vietnam, we were met by a nation so
anxious to leave an unpopular war behind that, by proxy, we
left the veterans behind as well. We should ensure that this
never happens again.
VetFran
Recognizing that franchising is a great fit for
entrepreneurial veterans, the International Franchise
Association launched the Veterans Franchising Initiative, or
VetFran, in 1991 in an effort led by Don Dwyer, a United States
Air Force veteran and founder of The Dwyer Group, a family of
franchise brands. The initiative was launched to support
veterans returning from the gulf war in their transition to the
civilian economy. VetFran is an industry-wide initiative to
encourage franchise companies to both hire veterans as team
members and recruit them as franchise owners. As part of
VetFran, franchisors offer special incentives to qualified
veterans who purchase franchise agreements. Incentives range
from thousands of dollars in initial inventory, special
financing on equipment, or a discount on the initial franchise
fee. Some franchise systems even offer one free franchise to a
qualified veteran franchisee each year. VetFran members are
also able to share best practices concerning the veterans
hiring initiatives within their own companies. VetFran
currently has a membership of 618 franchise systems.
When I first took the help at Mail Boxes, Etc., now The UPS
Store, following the guidance put in place by the International
Franchise Association and the VetFran program, we instituted a
focused hiring program for veterans, offering benefits and
incentives to become part of our family. As a result, hundreds
of store owners and employees ultimately took advantage of
these programs. When we purchased Tasti D-Lite, and later
Planet Smoothie, the first thing we did was join the IFA and
offer all veterans a 25 percent discount on the initial
franchise fee as part of the VetFran program. We not only sold
franchises to returning veterans, but also offered hiring
programs that encouraged a full career path in addition to the
route of franchise ownership.
As a starting point, I would like to point out that there
are 23 million veterans in our country today, and 1.5 million
of them are on active duty. An additional 1.2 million are in
the National Guard or reserves. 3.7 million veterans are under
age 39, and there are 2 million children in these veterans'
households, 95 percent of whom are under age 12. What results
has VetFran been able to deliver to meet the needs of these
veterans and their families?
Results
A survey of VetFran members reveals that the program has
achieved impressive results. In 2011, IFA launched Operation
Enduring Opportunity, a campaign to hire, and recruit as
franchise business owners, 80,000 veterans, wounded warriors
and their spouses, through 2014. In a report on Veterans Day in
2013, a survey revealed that the franchise industry has nearly
doubled its hiring target. Since 2011, over 151,000 veterans
have started careers in franchising, including 5,192 veterans
that have been recruited as franchise owners. The survey also
revealed that veterans hire other veterans, as veteran
franchise owners were 30 percent more likely to hire other
military veterans than non-veteran franchise owners.
Unsurprisingly, the survey went further to indicate that
veteran-owned franchises were more successful than other
franchise businesses, far our-pacing non-veteran-owned
franchises in both sales and number of jobs created.
Of the franchisors surveyed, 97 percent indicated that
veterans were a good fit as franchisees. Of the 3 percent that
indicated that veterans were not a good fit for franchising,
``high level of investment being a barrier'' was given as the
underlying reason. With this in mind, VetFran and its member
companies continue to strive to help veterans overcome this
financial barrier.
Veterans Entrepreneurs Act of 2013
To assist veterans in opening franchise small businesses,
Rep. Bill Flores (R-TX) introduced H.R. 3725, the Veterans
Entrepreneur's Act of 2013, legislation that would provide a
tax credit to qualified veteran franchise owners worth up to 25
percent of the initial franchise fee, capped at $400,000. In
addition to the real estate, equipment and inventory necessary
to open a franchise, the initial franchise fee is a significant
investment, and remains a barrier to opening a franchise
business. When coupled with the incentives offered by franchise
systems as part of VetFran, this tax credit will go a long way
toward helping veterans open new businesses. Given that
veterans tend to hire other veterans, this legislation would
also have a multiplying effect on veteran hiring. There is a
similar piece of legislation in the Senate, called the Help
Veterans Own Franchises Act, sponsored by Senators. Bob Casey
(D-PA) and Marco Rubio (R-FL). The franchise community already
has a demonstrated record of success in implementing veterans
hiring programs, and we believe that this legislation will
serve to expand on that success while providing veteran
entrepreneurs with a significant financial incentive to realize
the American Dream of owning and operating their own small
businesses.
Conclusion
The franchise community has seen modest successes in hiring
and recruiting veterans, but there is still so much work to be
done to serve the veterans that have served us so honorably.
Creating an industry-wide program for IFA's member companies to
participate in hiring veterans has allowed us to involve as
many companies as possible, and share best practices for member
companies that are building their own veterans hiring programs.
Most of all, it has allowed us to ``turn up the volume,'' and
stress the importance of these hiring programs across the
private sector. As we recruit additional franchise systems to
join VetFran, their industry peers want to join as well. We are
constantly looking to build on the rolls of companies involved
in VetFran.
Other significant partnerships have grown out of these
efforts to hire and recruit veterans. Colleges and universities
are building entrepreneurship programs for veterans and
including franchising and franchise management as a course of
study. Other proposals seek to include franchise training as
education that can be covered under the G.I. Bill.
Opportunities for veterans are rapidly growing, but we have not
yet achieved our goal. Far too many veterans are unemployed,
and others lack the support they need to successfully
transition into the civilian economy. It is imperative that the
private sector continue to build on its recent successes, and
work as best it can with policymakers in Washington to create
additional programs and incentives to hire veterans. I thank
you for the opportunity to testify today, and I look forward to
answering any questions you may have.
Prepared Statement of Ross Cohen
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation [USCCF] is a
501(c)(3) non-profit affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
dedicated to strengthening America's long-term competitiveness
by addressing developments that affect our Nation, our economy,
and the global business environment. USCCF presents a broad
range of programs that promote a greater understanding of
economic and public affairs issues.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest
business federation representing the interests of more than 3
million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well
as state and local chambers and industry associations. The
Chamber is dedicated to promoting, protecting, and defending
America's free enterprise system.
More than 96 percent of Chamber member companies have fewer
than 100 employees, and many of the Nation's largest companies
are also active members. We are therefore cognizant not only of
the challenges facing smaller businesses, but also those facing
the business community at large.
Besides representing a cross-section of the American
business community with respect to the number of employees,
major classifications of American business--e.g.,
manufacturing, retailing, services, construction, wholesalers,
and finance--are represented. The Chamber has membership in all
50 States.
The Chamber's international reach is substantial as well.
We believe that global interdependence provides opportunities,
not threats. In addition to the American Chambers of Commerce
abroad, an increasing number of our members engage in the
export and import of both goods and services and have ongoing
investment activities. The Chamber favors strengthened
international competitiveness and opposes artificial U.S. and
foreign barriers to international business.
Positions on issues are developed by Chamber members
serving on committees, subcommittees, councils, and task
forces. Nearly 1,900 businesspeople participate in this
process.
Good morning, Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Michaud, and
distinguished members of the Committee. My name is Ross Cohen
and I am the Senior Director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Foundation's Hiring Our Heroes program. Thank you for providing
us with an opportunity to share our experience regarding
successful approaches to hiring veterans and military spouses.
Since 2011, Hiring Our Heroes, a program of the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce Foundation, has worked aggressively to
assist veterans, transitioning service members, and military
spouses find meaningful employment opportunities. We knew from
the beginning that our success hinged on two critical factors.
First, local communities would be the cornerstone of any
national program to reduce veterans' unemployment. Second, we
had to bring that local community together by working with a
wide array of private and public sector partners. That
community includes, but is not limited to, our partners in
various federal agencies and local government, national and
local businesses of all sizes, our vast network of local
Chambers of Commerce, and other non-profit and private sector
partners.
Over the last three years, we have seen significant
improvement in the unemployment rates among veterans and
military spouses. We are proud of the work that has been
accomplished, but we have a long road ahead. With nearly 1.5
million service members set to transition in the next five
years, as well as hundreds of thousands of military spouses,
Hiring Our Heroes and our partners must be ready to answer that
call and provide veterans and military spouses with the
employment opportunities that they so richly deserve.
Background on Hiring Our Heroes
Hiring Our Heroes, a program of the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce Foundation, launched in March 2011 with a relatively
simple mission: to assist veterans, transitioning service
members, and military spouses in finding meaningful employment
opportunities. Working with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's vast
network of state and local chambers and other strategic
partners from the public, private, and non-profit sectors, our
goal was to create a movement across America in hundreds of
communities where veterans and military families return every
day.
Our initial efforts focused on hiring fairs throughout the
United States. Since 2011, we have hosted more than 660 job
fairs in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto
Rico. Thus far, more than 21,000 veterans and military spouses
have been hired by employers--ready, able, and willing as a
direct result of these hiring fairs.
Our hiring fairs also include employment workshops
providing veterans and military spouses valuable job search
skills like networking, writing their resume, and interviewing.
Great companies like GE, University of Phoenix, and First
Command, as well as non-profit partners like Goodwill
Industries, have donated countless hours to providing expert
training to more than 8,000 veterans and military spouses.
Recently, the Call of Duty Endowment (CODE) recognized
Hiring Our Heroes for its hiring fairs and awarded it the first
ever ``Seal of Distinction''--an award program that highlights
non-profit organizations that have proven to be the most
effective and efficient at placing veterans into high quality
careers.
From our experience, the first step for employers is laying
down the marker and making a commitment to hire veterans and
military spouses. Together with Capital One, we launched the
Hiring 500,000 Heroes campaign in March 2012 with a goal of
securing half a million commitments to hire by the end of 2014.
Once a business commits, we work with them to turn those
commitments into hires. To date, more than 1,400 businesses of
all sizes have committed to hire 361,000 veterans and military
spouses and 247,000 hires have been confirmed.
Hiring Our Heroes also has developed a suite of online
services to assist veterans and military spouses as they
transition to the civilian sector. From our online Resume
Engine built in partnership with Toyota, to eMentor and to Fast
Track, our online tools are designed to make it easier for
veterans to identify career opportunities and to put them in
the best position to succeed. Best of all, these services are
provided at no cost to the veteran, transitioning service
member, or military spouse.
Finally, we must not forget the tremendous sacrifices faced
by military spouses and the unique challenges they face when
trying to search for and maintain a career.
The fact is that most military spouses can expect to move
an average of eight times over a 20-year military career, often
with little or no notice. Those with professional licenses
(e.g., lawyers, health care professionals, and teachers) face
significant employment hurdles if their licenses are not
portable from one state to another. And, since many military
families need to be dual-income, these challenges can have a
significant impact on long-term retention and military
readiness.
With that in mind, Hiring Our Heroes established a Military
Spouse Program at the beginning of 2012. Nearly a dozen of the
nation's largest companies quickly answered the call, including
USAA, La Quinta Inns & Suites, Toyota, and Verizon. We host job
fairs and networking receptions exclusively for military
spouses on military installations each year. The fairs include
value-added content to help spouses plan a career, such as
resume and interview workshops, networking, and professionalism
presentations. We have also begun to maintain LinkedIn groups
of all who attend our events and promote further career
development events, local connections, and job postings.
Creating Private-Public Partnerships
Creating private-public partnerships has been and continues
to be a critical component of our efforts. Over the last three
years, Hiring Our Heroes has benefitted from its unique
position to call upon a wide array of partners including those
from the private, public, and non-profit sectors. These
partnerships have helped us to create deep roots in local
communities and impact hundreds of thousands of veterans and
military spouses.
Not surprisingly, given the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's long
standing work on behalf of American business, we started our
efforts by reaching out to some of the nation's largest
businesses to sit on our Veterans Employment Advisory Circle
(VEAC) and a Military Spouse Employment Advisory Circle
(MSEAC). Over the past three years, more than 35 of these
businesses, representing nearly every segment of industry in
America, have sat on the VEAC or MSEAC and provided critical
guidance on our mission.
We have forged key partnerships with the White House's
Joining Forces, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA),
the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), and several of the
Department of Defense services. In 2013, we formed an agreement
with the U.S. Army Installation Management Command (IMCOM),
which led to a Fragmentary Order (FRAGO) to Transition Service
Managers around the world. This FRAGO is intended to make
soldiers aware of Hiring Our Heroes resources as they
transition out of the Army.
More recently, we collaborated with VA to create a national
``Guide to Hiring Veterans''--a new resource to point employers
to the most valuable resources available to assist them in the
process of hiring and retaining veterans. Information available
in the Guide includes: online job banks and military skills
translators, VA benefits, Hiring our Heroes job fairs, American
Job Centers, Veterans Gold Card, Official Wounded Warrior
Programs, and more. We hope all interested employers will use
this guide to learn more about this important issue and to
connect with veterans for careers in our communities
nationwide.
We also have created strong partnerships with other non-
profits throughout the United States. From non-profits, like
the George W. Bush Institute, Blue Star Families, the Institute
for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), Got Your 6, and
Points of Light, and Student Veterans of America, we are united
in our singular focus of helping veterans and military spouses
find meaningful employment opportunities.
The value of these partnerships becomes evident at our
hiring fairs where the entire community comes together. Our
network of state and local Chambers works hard to bring
together the local business community and open up thousands of
jobs to local veterans and military spouses. Local military
officials, including Guard and Reserve components, frequently
open up their facilities to host our events. The VA plays a
critical role by making sure that veterans are aware of their
benefits and enrolled in eBenefits. DOL and its representatives
from American Job Centers also work to provide ongoing
assistance in their local communities. The Employer Support of
the Guard and Reserves (ESGR) provides invaluable resources in
every state. Finally, many of our VSO partners bring out the
established community of veteran leaders to support and promote
our events.
Looking Forward
When Hiring Our Heroes launched in March 2011, the
employment situation for veterans and military spouses was
bleak. Post-9/11 veterans faced an unemployment rate greater
than 12 percent, which was nearly 50 percent higher than the
national unemployment rate. For veterans under 25, the
unemployment rate was closer to 30 percent a rate that was two
times the unemployment rate faced by their civilian
counterparts. One in four military spouses was unemployed.
There is no doubt that the situation has started to
improve. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, veteran
unemployment continues to fall in every segment of the veteran
population. We have seen post-9/11 veteran unemployment drop to
below 10 percent and unemployment for veterans under 25 is down
ten points to approximately 20 percent. However, according to a
2012 Department of Defense report, one in four military spouses
remain unemployed.
While these figures show improvement, we have a long way to
go. The fact is that 800,000 veterans were unemployed at the
beginning of 2013. We also will see unprecedented departures
from active duty service in the next five years--up to 300,000
per year for the next five years, and that does not include
spouses. At the same time, many federal jobs may be unavailable
to veterans because of constrained budgets. The private sector
will need to step up to the plate.
Moving Forward
Hiring Our Heroes is ready to answer the call and will step
up its efforts in 2014. Not only will we host more than 200
hiring fairs across the country this year, we will focus our
efforts by targeting communities with the greatest need. We
will also host more fairs directly on military installations in
hopes of reaching service members well before their transition
from the military. And, we will continue to develop more
innovative online resources to make it easier for businesses to
connect with job-seeking veterans and military spouses. These
tools will better prepare both employers and service members
for the job search process.
We also will strengthen our public-private partnerships.
Hiring Our Heroes plans to work more closely with the
Department of Defense, VA, and Department of Labor to reach
service members and spouses earlier in the transition process.
By combining our efforts, we also can help businesses,
veterans, and military spouses navigate through the clutter of
all the resources available to them and identify the best tools
available.
A good example of these more robust partnerships will occur
in February 2014, where we will take part in a two-day Veterans
Jobs Summit at Fort Bliss, Texas. Hosted in partnership with
the VA, Department of Labor, Joining Forces, and the U.S. Army,
the event will feature seminars and breakouts on the service
member transition process, tools and best practices for
employers looking to hire, and presentations from key military
and governmental agencies. The summit will culminate on
February 4th with a job fair for service members who are within
90 days of their transition date.
A similar event will occur at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, in
April during a three-week Army Reserve Training Exercise.
Approximately 5,000 members of the United States Army Reserve
from across the country will be participating in this exercise.
We are working with national companies to attend the fair in
order to share job opportunities from across the country. Our
goal is to ensure each and every service member is equipped
with all the tools necessary to know what opportunities exist,
empowering them to make educated choices for their futures.
Conclusion
Over the last three years, Hiring Our Heroes has been proud
to serve our veterans and military spouses in local communities
throughout the United States and to do so with a wide array of
private and public sector partners. While we have much to be
proud of, there is much more to do. We must stay vigilant and
provide transitioning service members, veterans, and military
spouses with the meaningful employment opportunities they so
richly deserve.
Hiring Our Heroes will continue to be at the forefront of
this movement. We will remain the community catalyst bringing
together our partners in our common mission. We will work
together to achieve fundamental change in veteran and military
spouse unemployment.
Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Michaud, and members of the
Committee, I thank you again for the opportunity to testify and
look forward to answering your questions.
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