Has anyone heard of Green Collar Vets?.?.?

Green Collar Vets' mission is to coordinate skill development, education and employment opportunities in emerging Green Industries for transitioning military veterans.

Green Collar Vets is a nationwide organization that promotes operations at a grass roots level. We believe in the power of local communities to support their veterans' needs and opportunities, as well as their local emerging Green industries.

Our goal is to ensure that those servicemen and women, who have served our country with distinction, and are now interested in civilian careers that lessen our dependence on oil, or lessen the impact of toxins in our environment, have a guiding hand to find that job - and the additional support to be successful in it.

The end result will provide a competent, professional workforce for the installation, operation, maintenance and management of green products and services across the country.

THE MILITARY VETERAN NEED:
In 2006, 175,000 servicemen and women entered the civilian labor market in 2006. The same year, 110,000 Reservists returned home from periods of active-duty service and resumed their civilian careers. These numbers are expected to increase.

Newly-separating veterans face significant challenges returning to civilian life and securing meaningful employment that will support themselves and their families.
- Unemployment among young veterans is about 15%, or roughly three times what it is overall in our economy.
- Many veterans have been trained in wartime specialties that are not transferable to the civilian sector, such as
weapons specialists, munitions handlers, gunners and infantrymen.
- Wartime disabilities may be physical or mental, according to the 2009 IAVA report.
- While the GI Bill provides valuable educational benefits for veterans, many of 'green' employment opportunities
require training, licensing, or certifications that are not yet covered by this benefit.


THE GREEN BUSINESS NEED:
RAPID GROWTH The American Solar Energy Society 2008 Green Collar Jobs report forecasts 37 million jobs from Renewable Energy (RE) and Energy Efficiency (EE) by 2030. Investment in these industries is soaring and supported by the new Obama administration.

LABOR SHORTAGE In spite of massive lay-offs and rising unemployment in 2009, America’s growing green economy faces a looming labor shortage in sectors like manufacturing, construction and installation. The National Renewable Energy Lab has identified a shortage of skills and training as a leading barrier to renewable energy and energy efficiency growth. This includes lack in the workforce of adequate scientific, technical, and manufacturing skills required for EE/RE development; lack of reliable installation, maintenance, and inspection services; and failure of the educational system to provide adequate training in new technologies.

THE GREEN COLLAR VET INITIATIVE
Green Collar Vets links this group of multi-skilled individuals, who have proven their desire to make the world a safer place, with the rapidly-growing, multi-faceted industries that are based on making the world a better place. It is a natural fit.

NATIONAL OUTREACH: Our stakeholders are veterans, 'green' employers, and their communities.
Our Phase II Website will assist a veteran to research what the various green careers are, who offers training, and where these jobs are located. It will assist employers and qualified veterans to find each other.

LOCAL OUTREACH: Starting in Texas, and branching out to communities across the United States by 2010, local chapters of Green Collar Vets will oversee 'green' scholarships and training programs for qualified veterans. Communty resources for career counseling, resume writing, interview skills, and other services will be coordinated. Volunteers will visit local military bases to speak at transition programs. They will visit hiring 'green' employers to connect veterans with these good jobs that pay family wages and provide opportunities for advancement along a career track of increasing skills and wages.


http://www.greencollarvets.org/