Photo By 2nd Lt. Jorge Intriago | U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Lester Eisner, the deputy adjutant general for the South Carolina...... read more read more
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COLUMBIA, S.C. - Operation Palmetto Employment (OPE), a statewide employment initiative, aimed at reducing unemployment for the military community in South Carolina, was officially launched at a gathering of veterans, state agencies, employers, and service members in Columbia, S.C., Feb. 26.
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley addressed nearly 200 supporters of the program at the event held at Sysco Foods, where she spoke of the importance of taking care of the military in the state.
“These service members have given so much to our nation,” said Haley. “Hiring a service member brings new elements of support and strength to an organization.”
The program originally began in 2011 when Maj. Gen. Robert E. Livingston Jr., the adjutant general for S.C., saw a critical need for Guard soldiers to find civilian employment with meaningful work, whether after a deployment or with transferring their military skill-sets to the business community.
Livingston developed the Service Member and Family Care J1.1 section to expand capabilities to include employment services to help soldiers and airmen in the S.C. National Guard.
There, case managers in the J1.1 Employment Services provided one-on-one interaction and were able to reduce unemployment from 16 to below 4 percent for members in the S.C. National Guard within two years.
Because of the success of this initiative, the program expanded into a partnership with the Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) and other agencies, with support from the Governor’s Office to help all service members.
"We are very fortunate to have a governor who understands the sacrifices of the military," said Maj. Gen. Les Eisner, the deputy adjutant general. "We are grateful for all of the hard work put forth by the OPE planning committee to make this important employment initiative a reality."
The OPE program provides resources for service members, as well as educates South Carolina’s employers on the value of military hires. The goals of the program are to streamline the employment process by reducing duplicated efforts of agencies.
The initiative features a website that lists information and education sources, as well as geographic case workers with jobs available in that area.
The website, www.operationpalmettoemployment.sc.gov, is designed to streamline the process between military job seekers and potential employers.
“We won’t stop until we find jobs for all in our military community and hope to show others how South Carolina is the most military-friendly state in the nation,” said Haley.
| Date Taken: | 02.26.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 02.26.2014 19:24 |
| Story ID: | 121213 |
| Location: | COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 462 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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