By Trevor McNally
Imagine the sacrifice it takes just to enlist in the military. You could be ripped from a relatively comfortable existence here in the States and dropped into some far-flung, possibly war-torn, region of the world. You’d have to develop all new relationships and may only get to see your family and friends for a few months out of the year. Sounds pretty difficult, right? Now imagine the injustice of being one of these men and women who sacrificed so much to serve their country, only to return home to find yourself perpetually unemployed.
Helmets To Hard Hats is an organization that was created to help make sure that none of the more than 20 million U.S. veterans have to experience that injustice. According to the Department of Labor, the unemployment rate for veterans in this country was 3.2 percent as of October 2019.
And Helmets To Hard Hats “is dedicated to helping National Guard, Reserve, retired and transitioning active-duty military members connect to quality career and training opportunities in one of America’s most challenging and rewarding industries – the construction industry,” according to their website. The program was established in 2003, the same year that the United States invaded Iraq and began the Iraq War.
“Although Helmets To Hard Hats is a Web-based program that requires online registration and provides career postings, what sets it apart from other initiatives is that Helmets To Hard Hats employees, and the dedicated volunteers that work with us, take an active role in connecting veterans to outstanding career and training opportunities. At the end of the day, having an informed advocate on your side who knows where you need to go, who you need to talk and can help facilitate the hiring process makes all the difference in the world to serious job seekers interested in securing a rewarding career in construction.”
Are you a veteran living here in Maine who is looking for gainful employment in the construction industry- particularly in areas of plumbing, pipefitting or HVAC? You should contact UA Local 716.
“We
use the Veterans In Piping program, as our National Organization –
the United Association – requires we take their graduates whenever
possible,” says Jennifer McKenna, Training Director for
the
Plumbers, HVACR and Pipefitters Apprenticeship at UA Local
716. “Helmets To Hardhats works with the VIP program and helps the
students to connect to all opportunities.”
For more information on the UA’s Veterans In Piping program, please visit their website:
For more information about Helmets To Hard Hats, click here: