Tag Archives: Veterans

JobScape Connects Veterans with Civilian Job Openings

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: May 16, 2019
Information Contact: Jessica Beaver-Nelson, (208) 332-3570
ext. 4415

Veterans can now find Idaho jobs and training opportunities directly related to their military skills and service at labor.idaho.gov/jobscape.

JobScape allows job seekers and others to learn more about an occupation’s hourly and annual wages, worker demand, current employment numbers, annual job openings, and it provides a direct link to current, relevant job listings. Searches can be made statewide or by region.

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An Ex-Military Service Member Guide to Unemployment Insurance Benefits

Ex-service members have the right to file for unemployment insurance benefits once released from military services. A valid unemployment insurance claim can be established based on the ex-service member’s military service if the individual completed his or her first full term of service and military separation was under honorable conditions.

Under certain situations, an ex-service member may establish a valid unemployment insurance claim even if they have not completed their first full term of service. Eligibility will depend upon the reason of separation from military service.

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Department of Labor Staff Helps Veteran Find Employment Through Networking

“I got the job!”

What a wonderful email to receive from one of our local veterans.

Navy Gulf War veteran Sherri Henry was seeking a professional position with better benefits for herself and her family. Henry approached AmeriCorps veterans representative, Sheila Kopczynski, for assistance with her job search.

Meanwhile, Mike Greco, an administrative officer with the Army Corps of Engineers Lower Granite Dam, contacted Kopczynski about filling an office automation position, a position similar to an office manager.

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How Can a Vet Rep Help You Find a Job?

Veterans Representative Randy Wilde answers questions about how Idaho Department of Labor employees help veterans find jobs.

What does a Vet Rep do?

We have two types of Veterans Representatives: Local Veterans Employment Representatives and Disabled Veteran Outreach Program specialists. We currently have two local employment reps and 11 disabled veteran program specialists positioned throughout the state based on the veteran population within cities, counties and regions.

I am a Disabled Veteran Outreach Program Specialist. My responsibilities are to provide intensive services to all veterans with barriers to employment including service-related disabilities, homelessness, felonies, etc. We help in many ways including assessing the veterans’ capabilities and what they need to do to become employable. We also use other resources such as Veterans Affairs Medical Center, River of Life, El-Ada, Idaho Division of Veterans Services and the Veterans Center to help veterans and get them retrained if possible.

Once they are ready for the job market, the Disabled Veteran Outreach Program Specialist works with the Local Veterans Employment Representatives to help find employment. The local employment representative works with employers to find veterans with the skills and qualifications for the particular position they are trying to fill. Local Veterans Employment Representatives don’t work directly with veterans.

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Putting the Job Search Puzzle Together

Kevin Mansfield believes he has been under-employed since moving from California to Idaho nearly five years ago. He worked as a private investigator for the past 12 years, traveling all over the West when assignments came in, expending a lot of personal money just to work a case and then waiting two to three weeks to get paid. While the pay was good, the work was sporadic.

After being randomly selected for an Idaho Department of Labor job search assessment as an unemployment claimant, Kevin was required to attend a class outlining what services were available from the Labor Department and how to look for work.

“The guy who taught the class was fabulous (Frank Garcia), said Kevin. “He obviously had to deal with ‘students’ who could have cared less about being there and were just going through the motions because if they didn’t show, they would lose their UI benefits.”

“I was engaged and asked a lot of questions. I really wanted a different life,” Kevin said. After class, Kevin had a discussion with Frank, who recommended that Kevin talk to the local veterans representative.

Kevin was told about VRAP (Veterans Retraining Assistance Program), which pays a monthly stipend for education in a critical career. He was accepted into the program and began school at North Idaho College as a medical billing specialist with an emphasis in medical coding. Kevin said it was important that the majority of the classes were online, so he could continue to work as a private investigator.

Kevin was told about a new-hire program at Kootenai Health for medical coding students. “In a nutshell, they were going to pay for the training and for me to continue to go to school full time,” Kevin said. He was one of 13 selected for the program for the fall semester.

According to Kevin, there were “two critical pieces of the puzzle pieces coming together” to get him on the way to his new career.

“I learned about the VRAP program and everything started to come together after that.”
“The people involved all took an active, interested look at my circumstances and we came up with a plan.”

Seven Ways to Launch a New Career

These days there are lots of tools to choose from when considering a new career.

New this year, the Healthcare Virtual Career Network provides career exploration and training tools to help job seekers prepare for careers in healthcare. Job seekers can explore healthcare careers, identify education and training programs, access online courses, get credit for prior learning, and search for local healthcare jobs.

Idaho’s Career Information System (click on Guests for the free version) has added or improved several new information files including About Programs of Study, About Schools (also available in Spanish) and Financial Aid Sort. All of these pages contain Idaho-specific information and are designed to help students make wiser choices about what schools can help them reach their career goals. Life After High School is a tool designed to help younger students learn that training beyond high school is appropriate, sensible and affordable. Workshops on how to use this system are held throughout the state each fall and are for anyone who works with or helps students or clients develop career plans. Click here to find the workshop closest to your area.

The Worker Reemployment Portal is designed to assist impacted workers following job loss and to connect them to resources for training, reemployment, career planning, financial and emotional help during the process of job transition. The site also now includes a job search by location feature.

CareerOneStop helps job seekers explore careers, investigate salary and benefit information, research education and training opportunities, plan a job search, browse job sites, write and improve resumes and cover letters, prepare for a job interview and search for jobs. The site’s new Certification Finder houses information on thousands of certifications and allows users to search for certifications by industry, occupation, or keyword. A new feature includes icons that highlight certifications that have been recognized, endorsed, or accredited by third-party organizations.

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