To commemorate Veteran’s Day 2021, New York City has launched VetConnectPro, a first-in-the-nation employment tool that matches vets looking for work in the Big Apple’s public and private sector with employment opportunities.
The site provides veterans and their families access to a wide array of hiring features, including a proprietary military skills translator, a dashboard that provides job postings from city agencies as well as information on local, state, and federal benefits, civil service exams, and recommended online job training, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio and the Department of Veterans’ Services (DVS).
“It’s often challenging for a veteran who has faithfully served our country to translate the highly specialized abilities and skills that they have learned in the military into the civilian sector when they leave,” said de Blasio. “I’m proud that New York City is leading the way, making it easier than ever for veterans to find employment, mentorship and resources with this first-in-the-nation tool.”
De Blasio said New York City is the first major municipality to build an employment tool specifically for veterans to have access to and connect to local job opportunities. The portal includes a military translator, operated by JobPath, that can translate and match more than 7,000 military careers to job openings on the site. The site also includes information about civil service exams, fee waivers for veterans, and special hiring programs for people with disabilities.
“When veterans leave the service, they can feel overwhelmed trying to take the wide range of training that they received and showcase their skills to an employer,” said DVS Commissioner James Hendon. “VetConnectPro makes it easy for them to cut through the differences between the military and civilian world so these highly civically-engaged citizens can find jobs with the city and for NYC agencies to identify, reach, and hire veterans.”
Two city agencies — the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS), and the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) — are already using VetConnectPro to search for workers and assist veterans seeking employment. VetConnectPro will continue to open the site to private sector companies seeking to hire veterans or spouses in the five boroughs.
VetConnectPro is the result of Executive Order 65 signed by Mayor Bill de Blasio in March 2021 calling for the creation of a tool that will assist veterans in finding employment with the city and that will aid agencies in the hiring of Veterans.
Veterans who would like to know more about DVS services can call (212) 416-5250 or visit www.nyc.gov/vets.
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