Photo By Tech. Sgt. Christopher Hubenthal | Service members, veterans and military dependents attend a hiring fair as part of the...... read more read more
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SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii – Service members, veterans and military spouses learned about career opportunities available after separating from the military as part of the Hawaii Transition Summit, here, July 7 to 9.
The summit aimed to help prepare participants for their transition through collaborative workshops held at both Schofield Barracks and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, focusing on interactive forums, panel discussions and hiring fairs.
Participants were also able to hear from national level panels, to include a speech given by Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez.
Perez spoke to attendees about opportunities available to them during their transition and said that the Department of Labor recognizes them as an asset.
“At the Department of Labor, we have seen the value of hiring service members,” Perez said. “Thirty-three percent of the people we hired in the last year were service members, were veterans. You know why we did that? It’s because you’re the best and the brightest.”
He also assured service members that they aren’t alone during their transition to the civilian sector.
“I am profoundly grateful for your work,” Perez said. “For those of you who may have some fear and trepidation, I tell you that your future is incredibly bright. You can go as far as you want to go, and we will be there to help you every step of the way because you’ve been there for us.”
Perez used examples to explain why military members are already qualified for many jobs when they transition as part of his speech.
“You’re an explosive ordnance disposal technician in the Army and you served two combat duties overseas,” Perez said. “Why are you not qualified to work demolition on a highway construction crew? The answer is that you are qualified to do that job. That is why we are taking care to address so many of the civilian licensing and credentialing challenges, because a veteran that served as a battlefield medic could find himself or herself spending 12 months or more in a training program to become qualified to serve and save lives on the American streets when they’ve already been doing that.”
U.S. Navy Fire Controlman 2nd Class William Escobar, assigned to the USS Halsey, attended workshops, panels and the hiring fair during the summit.
“I think every service member should definitely take advantage of this because military service can only go for so far,” Escobar said. “Eventually, we all have to move on over to the civilian world. A lot of these organizations can provide transitioning solutions. I think something like this is definitely something that everyone should attend at least once to just get a better understanding what is on the other side and what can help them out.”
Events like the Hawaii Transition Summit don’t happen every day but veterans can still find assistance in their career development at 2,500 American Job Centers across the United States that are designed to help secure employment, with three located in Hawaii.
| Date Taken: | 07.09.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 07.10.2015 19:50 |
| Story ID: | 169735 |
| Location: | SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 96 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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