The MetroED Governing Board unanimously approved the Veterans Career Technical Training Initiative, a 30-month pilot program that will provide up to 100 scholarships per year to qualifying veterans to gain job skills at Central County Occupational Center (CCOC) and Metropolitan Adult Education Program (MAEP) at its Board meeting Wednesday night.
The Veterans Career Technical Training Initiative is a partnership between MetroED, work2future, NOVA, Employment Development Department (EDD), Santa Clara & San Benito Counties Building & Construction Trades Council, union apprenticeship programs, and the MetroED Foundation. More partners may be added as the program expands. Qualifying veterans are post 9/11 era veterans who have obtained the U.S. Department of Labor Gold Card and must be referred for a scholarship by work2future or NOVA.
“This is a really great partnership that will help them (veterans) in all the areas they need to be successful,” Nova Manager of Job Seeker Services, Cindy Stahl, said at the Board meeting.
The Gold Card is part of President Obama’s plan to lower veterans’ unemployment. The Gold Card allows veterans to receive priority services through One Stop Centers such as NOVA and work2future. Services focus on career assessment, case management, and job counseling for the unemployed veteran, financial incentives for employers for hiring vets, and expanded GI Bill benefits for education and training. However, there is still is huge gap as many post 9/11 veterans lack the skills to find a good paying job.
“With over 900,000 veterans unemployed today in the United States, it is important for organizations such as MetroED to step up to provide opportunities to honor the service and sacrifice made by veterans on our behalf,” MetroED Superintendent Paul Hay, said. “It is an honor to lead an organization committed to working with our partners to maximize our resources for our veterans.”
Through the Veterans Career Technical Training Initiative, veterans will receive the training they need as well as have access to all of the services provided through the One Stop Centers. Stahl said that NOVA assesses Veterans for what type of training and career path is appropriate for them. Those that don’t have transferable skills or that need to learn a new skill will be referred to MetroED.
CCOC and MAEP scholarships cover the veterans’ registration fee, uniform, and instructional materials. Each MetroED scholarship is valued at $2,000 for a total of $500,000 worth of scholarships available over a 30 month period. In addition, work2future pledged to provide up to $1,500 per scholarship in support services.
Approved veterans may enroll in any CCOC or MAEP career technical training program that has openings such as Diesel/truck mechanics; Carpentry; Heating and Air Conditioning; Electrical Maintenance; Welding; Precision Machining; Fire Science/First Responder; Probation/Legal Careers, Forensics, Law Enforcement; Culinary Arts; Auto Careers; Computer Accounting; and Office Skills.
By offering the Veterans Career Technical Training Initiative, MetroED will honor the service and sacrifices of our veterans and provide them with hope for their futures, CCOC Director John Fox and MAEP Director Sylvia Karp said. Through the combination of services offered by MetroED, One Stop Centers, and EDD, veterans will have a better chance at attaining good or higher paying jobs.
Board member Rich Garcia, gave the initiative a “thumbs-up” at the Board meeting and was highly appreciative of how the different organizations are working together to assist veterans. “I’m a veteran myself and I want to thank all of you for making this kind of commitment to our veterans. We certainly owe them all our gratitude and the opportunity to support them as much as we can for what they have done for us and our country.”
Visit http://www.metroed.net/veterans.html for more information on the Veterans Career Technical Training Initiative. Veterans who wish to be screened for a scholarship should contact NOVA at 408-774-5421 or work2future or 408-794-1100.