American Legion Plans Veteran Employment and Empowerment Summit

FacebookXPinterestEmailEmailEmailShare
American Legion hiring fair.

The American Legion announced a two-day employment workshop and hiring event, called the "Employment and Empowerment Summit," to be held in conjunction with its 96th national convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Aug. 25-26. It is specifically designed, free of charge, for transitioning service members, veterans and their spouses.

The workshop-intensive Employment and Empowerment Summit was created by the Legion in partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), U.S. Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Department of Labor and many corporate partners, such as General Electric, Microsoft, Citibank, Northrop Grumman, USAA and Lockheed Martin. After attending the summit, participants will have the requisite knowledge to identify employment resources, opportunities and insight into what it is like to work in the private sector.

"The veterans unemployment rate may have dipped below the national average this month, but this does not change the fact that on top of the estimated 750,000 currently unemployed veterans, more than one million more will transition to civilian careers over the next five years," says Joe Sharpe, director of the American Legion's National Veterans Employment and Education Division.

"DoD recently released their downsizing plan, which drastically cuts troop strength and would, in effect, send a million veterans into a recovering economy. So our jobs are far from being done. As a comprehensive veterans service organization, the American Legion wants to be that nexus between employers in the private sector and veteran job seekers.

"Which is why we're hosting a workshop-focused summit that will expose our transitioning service members and their spouses to job opportunities and bring them face-to-face with hiring managers from various corporations. What we do here will put veterans to work, we will make them contributing taxpayers and, most important of all, we will help them and their families successfully reintegrate into the civilian economy."

During the two-day hiring event, veterans will have multiple opportunities to engage employers in employment workshops, resume workshops, corporate panels, and networking and entrepreneurship courses led by industry leaders. Some of these companies will have hiring managers present to enroll eligible veterans into their training programs and will be looking over resumes on-site.

For more information and pre-registration for the hiring event and the employment workshops, please email dgrooms@legion.org or call (202) 263-5757.

Want to Know More About the Military?

Be sure to get the latest news about the U.S. military, as well as critical info about how to join and all the benefits of service. Subscribe to Military.com and receive customized updates delivered straight to your inbox.

Story Continues