Hiring Heroes Act of 2011

Senator Pushes Bill to Help Vets Find Jobs

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Returning veterans should be able to apply the skills they acquired while serving their country to find work when they come back home, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown says.

That's the rationale behind the Hiring Heroes Act of 2011, legislation that recently cleared the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, on which Brown serves, and is awaiting approval by the full Senate. Brown, D-Ohio, called for passage of the legislation during a media event Monday at Youngstown State University.

The legislation would ensure broad job-skills training for returning service members and help ensure that more jobs are available for veterans as they transition to civilian life. "Far too many people" who have served their country -- 27% of veterans age 20 to 24 -- are unemployed.

"That sacrifice, for some employers, has turned into a stigma," Brown said. "Far too many employers" think returning veterans don't have valuable skills or are concerned they might have psychological issues, he explained. Mostly, however, they "don't see the match-up in skills between what a soldier learns stateside or overseas in combat or not in combat," he continued.

http://business-journal.com/senator-pushes-bill-to-help-vets-find-jobs-p19590-1.htm