EDITOR’S NOT E BOOK What Shortage?
BY JOY FINNEGAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
T
he withdrawal of U.S. troop from Iraq was completed on December 18, 2011. Drawdown plans announced by the U.S. and others will shrink the military presence in Afghanistan by 40,000 troops. The United States is pulling out the most, 33,000 by the end of 2012. That’s one-third of 101,000 American troops who were in Afghanistan at the peak of U.S. military presence in the war, according Pentagon numbers. The New York Times reported in January about the coming defense budget cuts. It said, “the Defense Department had been called on to find $259 billion in cuts in the next five years — and $487 billion over the decade.” The story added the Army is expected to reduce troops over five years to 490,000 from 570,000. The Marines are expected to be cut to 182,000, down from 202,000. Veterans are defined as men and women who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces. Members of the Reserve and National Guard are counted as veterans if they have ever been called to active duty. These veterans have served our country and I implore you, the leaders of the aviation maintenance industry to give back by making sure they have gainful employment when they attempt to re-enter the civilian workforce. “Figures often beguile me,” Mark Twain wrote. “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” Twain popularized that statement which has also been attributed to British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli who served Britain in the 1800s. Regardless of who said it, it is as true today as it was then. It is hard to find a consensus on the unemployment rate for Gulf War II veterans. I have seen the rate of unemployment for veterans aged 18-24 quoted in various sources recently ranging from 11 percent to as high as 30 percent. Regardless of the actual number, many veterans struggle to find employment upon their return and re-entry into civilian life. As an industry, we need to reach out to our returning vets and help them find gainful employment. If ever there was a thought of a mechanic shortage in the aviation
industry, now is the time to act. Many of these returning vets will have been trained to service, maintain and repair high tech equipment, aircraft, UAVs and more. Many of these men and women already understand some of the most complex aircraft and equipment available. I don’t want to paint too rosy a picture. Vets admit that after numerous deployments, a family life that may be difficult to readjust to and missing his unit, the adrenaline and the military culture that is familiar, transitioning into a new civilian job is not easy. Anecdotally, many tales are told of vets veering toward hopelessness as they search in vain for employment after their return. A recent USA Today article states, “Veterans are having a particularly
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tough time finding jobs. The estimated jobless rate among male veterans ages 18-24 was more than 30 percent in May, compared with 18 percent among male civilians of the same age group.” A group called Ohio Combat Veterans asserts that so few Americans today have served in the military, most citizens cannot relate to what vets are going through upon their return. “Ninety-nine percent of Americans have not served in the military. That means veterans make up less than one percent of the population,” the group says on its Website. “Yet 25 percent of the nation’s homeless are veterans.” There are resources available to vets looking for employment.
A recent hiring fair in Washington which resulted in more than 500 tentative job offers for veterans, has led the Department of Veterans Affairs to look at expanding VA’s traditional hire-a-vet program with major veteran-focused career fairs throughout the country. “America needs to put the skills, dedication and resourcefulness of our veterans into the workforce to help rebuild an economy that lasts,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “America’s veterans need to know that, across the federal, private and non-profit sectors, hiring managers are ready to put them to work.” Participating federal agencies at that hiring fair included the departments of Homeland Security, Defense, Interior, Agriculture, Labor, and EPA. They were joined by more than 20 private-sector partners, such as Microsoft, Lockheed Martin, Citigroup, Safeway and others. In January, VA officials announced on the heals of that success, a hiring fair showcasing the VA for Vets program will be added to the National Veterans Small Business Conference, now scheduled for Detroit from June 25-29. Another program called “Warriors to Workforce,” is an internship
program to prepare newly-returned veterans to become federal contracting specialists. It was launched recently at the Acquisitions Academy of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Frederick, Md. Vets can earn the credits required to become contracting professionals. The program includes courses in leadership and technical acquisition training. VA’s Acquisitions Academy is available on the Internet at
www.acquisitionacademy.va.gov. The Department of Veterans Affairs can be found at
vetsuccess.gov. A Washington Post article says “General Electric Co. plans to hire 5,000 veterans over the next five years and invest $580 million to expand its aviation business.” GE’s “Hiring Our Heroes” program will help veterans find jobs. GE says it will also team with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to sponsor 400 veterans’ job fairs this year. Way to go GE! I hope the aviation maintenance sector leads the way to hiring as many of these individuals, who have sacrificed so much for us, as possible. AM
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