CleanEdison, Veterans Green Jobs Join Forces to Put Veterans to Work

CleanEdison, a national training provider focused on clean technology education, has partnered with Veterans Green Jobs, a national nonprofit organization that puts veterans to work in the green economic sector. Through this partnership, the two organizations will advance training and employment opportunities for military veterans in the clean energy field nationwide.

CleanEdison provides online, in-classroom, and hands-on vocational training and certification programs to individuals and pursuing career pathways in a variety of green job industries. It also regularly seeks grant opportunities from federal, state, local governments, utility agencies and other organizations and connects students with those opportunities. The new partnership brings together CleanEdison’s industry knowledge of job opportunities and grant funding for training with Veterans Green Jobs’ growing network of job-seeking veterans in sectors such as wind energy technology, solar energy technology, energy efficiency, renewable energy and environmental technology.

“We are very excited to partner with Veterans Green Jobs to get veterans into employment opportunities in energy efficiency and renewable energy,” said Avi Yashchin, CEO of CleanEdison. “Shocking as it may seem, clean energy jobs often go unfilled for months as companies struggle to find skilled workers, and with this partnership we will be able to get veterans exactly the skills that companies are hiring for, at little to no cost.”

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in June 2012, of veterans who have served since 2001, 12.7 percent were unemployed in May, and the youngest (18-24 years of age) are unemployed at a rate of 23.5 percent. More than one million veterans are projected to leave the military between 2011 and 2016, placing increased demands on the workforce.

To help combat the unemployment problem veterans face upon exiting the military, Veterans Green Jobs is working to connect military veterans with job and training opportunities in the green economic sector. With a goal of placing 300 veterans into jobs by mid-2013, the nonprofit relies on strategic partnerships with employers and education providers such as CleanEdison.

Veterans who get in touch with Veterans Green Jobs’ employment program receive one-on-one counseling to create an employment pathway that meets their needs. Career counselors assess veterans’ current skills and military experience, provide coaching to help them refine and shape their resume in order to match available job openings, and recommend any needed training or education to develop skills. Then, the program connects veterans with employers who need skilled workers and have job openings, and stays in touch to ensure a good fit.

Veterans Green Jobs publishes a weekly e-newsletter, The Jobs Page, which provides announcements about job opportunities, training and education opportunities, and upcoming events. Veterans may sign up at www.veteransgreenjobs.org/interest-form. The Jobs Page is also available at www.veteransgreenjobs.org/the-jobs-page.