By Margaret Ryan
AOL Energy
The electric utility industry needs to replace nearly half of its skilled workforce as a generation reaches retirement age in the next few years.
Soldiers, sailors and Marines separating from the armed forces bring education, discipline and a proven work ethic, but confront a higher-than-average unemployment rate.
Sounds like a ready-made match, so what's stopping it?
That is the question that veterans, their advocates and businesses are grappling with, experts told a Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) session in Washington D.C. last month.
A great fit, but challenges remain
The session highlighted release of a report by the National Commission on Energy Policy's Task Force on American's Future Energy Jobs, which calls for a series of federal initiatives to recognize the growing energy field opportunities, and for more funding for energy-related education to ensure critical jobs are filled.
The disconnects the experts identified include job search help that doesn't start until a veteran leaves the service, rules that keep private employers from recruiting on military bases, a confusing plethora of state and federal programs that try to help but aren't coordinated, and the sheer numbers of veterans leaving the service as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan wind down.
Tony Earley, Chairman/CEO of Pacific Gas & Electric, said his company has collaborated with unions, community colleges and agencies helping separating service members to locate, train and place veterans.
PG&E's Power Pathway focuses on the skills needed in the energy industry, including both traditional skills and new jobs like hybrid and electric vehicle maintenance – jobs Earley says are sustainable and can't be outsourced.
One frustration, he said, is making contact with veterans. In the San Francisco Bay area alone, he said, there are 14 agencies addressing veterans' issues, some good and a few not.
The proliferation of veterans' agencies with different responsibilities and little coordination is a major problem for both potential employers and veterans, several speakers said.
"It's harder than it should be," said Emily De Rocco, President of the Manufacturing Institute, National Association of Manufacturers. Businesses value the veterans' strong work ethic, she said, but now, businesses must match military skills to civilian requirements service by service, and every base commander decides independently whether to allow recruiters to talk to service members on base.
Page 2: Help isn't getting to those who need it >>
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