Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Cory Grogan | Phil Maas, Northwest regional associate for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (center),...... read more read more
PORTLAND, Ore. – Supporters came out in droves for a Hiring Our Heroes veterans career fair at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, here. The event boasted more than 100 employers, approximately 500 job seekers, and representatives from a wide variety of veterans’ services organizations.
Many at the event had inspiring stories about why they want to help veterans.
Jan John, Senior Human Resources Director for Kaiser Permanente Northwest, who went to a reintegration event held by the Oregon National Guard in March, she said community members and military representatives discussed the sacrifices veterans make, and difficulties they sometimes encounter.
John explained that after that day in March she was overtaken with a passion for helping veterans. The experience motivated her to help facilitate an 80 percent hiring increase of veterans at Kaiser Permanente last year.
John has been impressed with the positive attitude veterans bring to her company and said she would like to increase the number hired this year by at least three times.
“Our veterans have enthusiasm and a can do it attitude—they have energy, excitement, respect and professionalism,” John said.
Pete Pringle is a retired Navy veteran who serves veterans in the Portland Metropolitan area for the Oregon National Guard’s Joint Transition Assistance Program which networks to help veterans from any era or branch of the service. He said he takes his job seriously and loves finding veterans careers that change their lives.
“I would do this even if I wasn’t getting paid, I will always stay in touch with some of the people I have helped,” Pringle said.
Heather Wilson with the Secretary of State Corporation Division almost came to tears when she talked about how much she loves her country and those who protect it.
“We want to help veterans get a foot in the door and get their business going on the right track,” she said.
Nicole Mead, Miss Oregon 2012, saw changes in her brother after he returned from a 15-month deployment to Iraq. It wasn’t until four-and-a-half years after returning he admitted to having Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome.
“At that point it was a huge wake up call for him realizing he was going down the wrong path and wanted to change direction,” she said.
Mead said she has seen a drastic change for the better with her brother and that raising awareness about veterans’ issues is her motivation for being Miss Oregon. She has used her platform to talk about veterans issues and make appearances at many events for veterans. Mead wears a yellow ribbon pin on her Miss Oregon sash to show her support for service members. She spent the entire day talking to veterans and supporters.
These people were only a few among hundreds at the career fair who are passionate about supporting veterans.
Dawn Taylor with Employer Support Guard and Reserve said it was motivating to see a wave of people walking to meet employers when the doors opened at the largest veterans career fair Oregon has held to date.
Taylor helped facilitate the event and said she was pleased with the outcome.
“It makes me feel good because after all our hard work I can come in and see the veterans walking through the door and interacting with employers,” Taylor said with a smile. “The veterans were lined up outside the door; you can plan but you can’t make them come so this is exciting to see.”
The event was a result of teamwork and partnerships that have been forming since post-9/11 deployments started in Oregon. The event would not have been possible without many organizations joining forces, said Phil Maas, Northwest regional associate for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Key organizations that worked together to plan the event were Work Source Oregon, the Oregon Department of Labor, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its Hiring Our Heroes and Heroes 2 Hired Programs, Employer Support of Guard and Reserve, American Legion, and the Oregon National Guard’s Joint Transition Assistance Program.
Maas, who originally worked for the Oregon National Guard helping service members reintegrate and find employment, said he has seen networks and relationships grow from a few people trying to help veterans, to partnerships that includes probably more than 100 agencies communicating and working together.
“Oregon has proven to be the standard bearer for the rest of the nation,” Maas said.
With those partnerships, veterans from all eras and all branches of the service have more opportunity now, he added.
Disabled Vietnam era veteran, Clarence Banks, who is appreciative that he was able to earn a college degree using his military education benefits, came to the career fair clean-cut with resumes in hand. He was emotional talking about what he was witnessing at the event.
“This job fair here is super, there are lots of employers; this is an excellent source for finding a job,” he explained. “They have made really a wonderful job fair and I appreciate it.”
A common opinion among employers who have been to multiple job fairs for veterans is that the purpose of the career fairs is not just about supporting veterans, but that they also make great employees, said Jon Sanford, Veterans and Military Advocate for U.S. Senator Ron Wyden.
Arthur Serfes, a Senior airman with the Oregon Air National Guard’s 142nd Fighter Wing’s maintenance squadron, said he just finished his degree and is looking for full time employment to supplement his one weekend a month obligation.
“This makes it easier for us, a lot of times it is hard to translate the value of our military background to the civilian workforce, so having companies here that understand and support the military is great.”
He said his military background has given him discipline and the ability to communicate effectively.
“You learn how to show up on time and and be a part of a team,” he said.
Tonja Pardo, director of the Veterans Employment and Training Services for U.S. Department of Labor, said the plan is to continue to have events to ensure the employment needs of veterans are being met in the future. Pardo said organizations will continue partnerships to plan events like the one at the Coliseum.
“This is one of the largest events that we’ve had, so what we’ve seen for these types of events is a demand,” Pardo said. “We have ages 18 to 60 going to tables and handing out resumes.”
Pardo said the next career fair is scheduled to be held in March 2013 in Salem, with three more scheduled after that.
| Date Taken: | 11.13.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 11.20.2012 14:09 |
| Story ID: | 98162 |
| Location: | PORTLAND, OREGON, US |
| Web Views: | 200 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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