CareerForce Veterans staff person Stephen Kolcinski facilitates a resume writing and interview preparation workshop for soldiers of the 934th Airlift Wing’s Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Air Reserve Station on Feb. 2, 2024
Veterans have earned priority CareerForce service – and DEED CareerForce Veterans Employment Services staff are working hard to reach current and former military members all across Minnesota who could benefit from our career exploration and job search services.
CareerForce Veterans staff person Jerry Votava facilitates a resume writing and interview preparation workshop for soldiers of the 934th Airlift Wing’s Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Air Reserve Station on Feb. 2, 2024
On February 2, DEED CareerForce Veterans staff members Jerry Votava and Stephen Kolcinski facilitated resume writing and interview preparation workshops for 17 soldiers at the 934th Airlift Wing’s Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. The 934th Airlift Wing, also known as the "Global Vikings," is Minnesota's only Air Force Reserve unit. It’s a combat-ready Air Force Reserve Command flying unit, which serves as the Department of Defense's host for Army, Navy, Marine, and Air National Guard units at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Air Reserve Station. Thanks to proactive outreach, CareerForce staff are now sharing services with reservists right on the military base for the first the time.
By helping reservists and National Guard Members find good civilian employment in the same community where they engage in reservist duties and training, CareerForce Veterans staff help support local employers AND military readiness. Minnesota is in the midst of a very tight labor market and employers are actively seeking employees with the skills military veterans have earned. The military is also facing recruiting and retention shortfalls, so keeping reservists and National Guard members in the military and letting them know they can have a great job while serving in the reserves or National Guard is very important.
While the national unemployment rate for military veterans is historically low at 3%, CareerForce Veterans staff still witnesses a major challenge among current and former military members: underemployment. Underemployment is when a person engages in work that doesn’t make full use of their skills and abilities. This may be the case because some veterans may not know how to transfer their military skills to civilian employment or describe the unique benefits they would bring an employer. And some employers may not be aware of the reliability, loyalty, advanced technical skills and other attributes veterans can bring to the workplace.
Check out photos from other recent DEED CareerForce Veterans Employment Services outreach events, below.
Jane Kerntz, who works out of the Hibbing CareerForce as a dual role Disabled Veterans Outreach Program (DVOP) representative and Local Veterans Employment Representative (LVER), attended the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Event held for the Minnesota National Guard at Hyatt Regency in Minneapolis on January 20, 2024. This event focused on assisting soldiers and family members in need of employment, health, finance, and other areas of need—over 450 soldiers were in attendance at this event.
Dave Wold, Anoka County DVOP Representative attended the annual Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV) “Home for the Holidays” event sponsored by WCCO TV held at Target Fieldon December 14, 2023. This event was held to help military and family members connect with area Veteran resources, focusing on helping those in need during the Holidays. Learn more about this event.
Robert Willis, Hennepin County LVER (center), and Katie McNair, Mankato DVOP (right) attended a Pre-Deployment event for the MNARNG 34th ID A Co on held in Rosemount on December 2-3, 2023 They provided employment information to over 200 National Guard members and their families. Also pictured is Jim Finley, former director of DEED Veteran Employment Services (left).
Stephen Kolcinski, Southern MN LVER, worked with CareerForce partners in Job Service and Vocational Rehabilitation Services to plan and hold the “Start and Grow a Business” event on October 17, 2023. The event focused on Veterans (and others) who want to learn more about starting or growing their business.
Stephen Kolcinski, Southern MN LVER (left) and Joe Green, Burnsville DVOP (right) attended the Chanhassen/ Carver County 55+ Career/ Resource Fair on October 4, 2023. They focused on having discussions with Veterans in the 55+ age group regarding employment and retention of Veterans in the workplace. Vietnam Veterans fall into this age group.
