GM Helps Keep the Hiring Our Heroes Engine Moving
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Less than 15 months ago, Hiring Our Heroes was launched with the goal of making a difference in the lives of veterans and military spouses by helping thousands of them find meaningful employment. Through the efforts of many, we are seeing a vision become reality.
Today, we hosted our 200th hiring fair since the program began, and our fair in the naval community of Lemoore, CA is number 100 toward the aggressive goal of 400 that we set for our second year.
To date, nearly 10,000 veterans and military spouses have been hired as a result of our fairs. And we couldn’t put on all these events without the help of the private sector--companies that made financial commitments to support Hiring Our Heroes nationally, and initiated their own corporate programs to help tackle the issue of veterans’ unemployment.
General Motors is the latest to step up to the plate, joining the Chairman’s Circle of our Veterans Employment Advisory Council (VEAC). GM’s support – as well as the commitments and contributions of the other 25 employers on the VEAC – make it possible for us to host hiring events across the country and connect veterans and military spouses to available jobs. It also makes our audacious goal of Hiring 500,000 Heroes by the end of 2014 achievable.
Hitting the 200 fair mark is a noteworthy milestone, but we’re not taking pause. On Thursday, we’ll be coast-to-coast with hiring fairs in America’s two biggest cities – Los Angeles and New York. The fair in LA will be held amongst the picturesque backdrop of Dodgers Stadium, while New York will be the site of our 2nd annual Veterans on Wall Street (VOWS) event.
Last year, more than 1500 job seekers attended and more than 150 were hired at the VOWS inaugural hiring fair, and we expect more of the same this Thursday, when 100 companies come to Deutsche Bank Headquarters on Wall Street ready to hire. While the financial sector will be well represented, there will be businesses from a broad range of industries.
Yes, it’s great to reflect on what we’ve done to this point, but we’re just getting started. And for the next three years we won’t rest until we help connect more than half a million veterans and military spouses with jobs that corporate America is eager to fill with talented employees.
