January / February - Minnesota Precision Manufacturing Association

COVER STORY | VETERANSST RAINING V ETERANS:O PTIONS AND FINANCIAL I NCENTIVESeveral options and incentives are available to bringveterans up to speed within the industry. “At thispoint, everybody wins,” Finley said. “The employer gets awell-trained person and the veteran gets a good job.”• Funding for College or Additional TrainingMany companies provide tuition reimbursement foremployees. Under the new GI bill, however, the militarywill pay full tuition and benefits—up to the mostexpensive public school—for many veterans who servedafter September 11, 2001. They can also use this benefitto pay for industry licensure or certification. In addition,they will receive a new monthly housing stipend, and a$1,000 yearly stipend for books and supplies. This newbill goes into effect on August 1, 2009, and is being calledthe most comprehensive education package in decades.(Veterans who don’t qualify for the new GI bill may stillqualify for the old GI bill.) For more information, visitwww.gibill.va.gov.In addition to the GI bill, many veterans qualify formilitary scholarships, credit from military friendly schools,and federal student loan aid to help them pay for college.• Funding for On-the-Job Trainingor ApprenticeshipsIf your company wants to hire or promote a veteranwho isn’t quite qualified for the job, there may be fundsavailable to train them under Minnesota’s dislocatedworker program. Under the old program, the moneywould go directly to veterans to offset the “training”wage they received from their employers. Under thenew program, the money goes directly to employers toreimburse them for wages paid. For more information,visit www.deed.state.mn.us/dw.• Work Opportunity Tax CreditAvailable to all private sector business, the workopportunity tax credit is worth up to $4,800 for eachnew disabled veteran hired. For details, visit www.deed.state.mn.us/wotc.The Veterans’ Initiative Center & Research Institute(VICTRI) is a new organization intended to support thedevelopment of veteran-owned businesses. For moreinformation, contact Jack Scharrett, CEO, at(952) 913-3931 or jscharrett@yahoo.com.Minnesota’s Veterans Career Fair is the largestsingle-day career fair of its kind in the nation. Lastyear it drew more than 140 businesses and 1,200 veterans.Recognizing the wealth of untapped knowledge and skillspresent, the MPMA was a platinum sponsor of the event.“We talked with hundreds of veterans who stoppedby the MPMA booth to learn about opportunities inmanufacturing,” said Jaime Nolan, executive director of theMPMA. “They definitely show an interest in our industry.”Nolan directed many veterans to the MPMA Web site,where they can view job openings posted by membercompanies. She also collected several names and resumesof veterans seeking employment in the industry.Several manufacturers had booths, including AndersonDahlen, NuAire Inc., MicroGroup, UMC, Starkey and St.Jude Medical. All of them said they were pleased with thetraffic to their booths.Jennifer Castle, human resources director for AndersonDahlen, said it was the best career fair she’s ever attended.“It was very well organized and there were a lot of differentTHIRD ANNUALVETERANS CAREER FAIRpeople who stopped by our booth to see the different partsthat we make,” she said. “I found several people with abackground in welding and machining.”Connie Kumal, human resources generalist with NuAireInc., said she collected many resumes for a metal finishingposition her company was looking to fill. “We’re doingeverything we can to look at different options of theworkforce,” she said.Out of the 140 employers that participated in theVeterans Career Fair, 90 percent provided feedback afterthe event, and most of it was positive. “They went on andon about the high quality of candidates,” Finley said. “Theysaid they were well-dressed, well-versed, and knew how totalk about their skills and training. Some job offers weremade on the spot, and we know additional ones will bemade in the near future.”The next Veterans Career Fair will be held in May. Forinformation about participating in the next VeteransCareer Fair, contact Gary Quernemoen with DEED at(763) 785-6465 or Gary.Quernemoen@state.mn.us.10 | PRECISION MANUFACTURING January | February 2009