Yesterday, Secretary Cornell Wilson of the North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs announced that Governor Pat McCrory signed a proclamation designating November 7-11, 2016 as “Employ a Veteran Week” in North Carolina. Over the last two years, unemployment among veterans in North Carolina was cut in half. Under Governor McCrory’s leadership, North Carolina has made remarkable progress through innovative veteran hiring initiatives.
“Protecting the national security of our country requires excellence in leadership, resilience, and commitment – all of which are qualities that any employer would value,” Secretary Wilson said. “These qualities, along with the education, skills and employment fitness that comes with military service, make job seeking veterans an asset to any organization or business.”
In 2015, Governor McCrory launched a public-private partnership, North Carolina for Military Employment (or NC4ME), which focuses on educating business leaders on the value of hiring a military workforce and matching military talent with business needs. Since its inception, NC4ME has hosted hundreds of employers at Military Employment Summits and these efforts resulted in either a job offer or follow-up interview request 66% of the time. And, just last week, NC4ME joined forces with Onward to Opportunity, which prepares active duty military service members and their spouses up to six months prior to them leaving the service arming them with technical skills and career certifications.
As thousands of military members and their families transition to civilian life over the next five years, programs like NC4ME and Onward to Opportunity will be instrumental in helping military families stay in North Carolina and successfully integrate into our civilian workforce. These successful initiatives are win-win for our veterans and our thriving businesses.
View the proclamation here: https://governor.nc.gov/document/employ-veteran-week-2