As a proud military town with a large population of service members and veterans, San Diego must be a city committed to ensuring our veterans are successfully employed upon leaving the military and entering the civilian workforce.
There were roughly 200,000 more veterans in the labor force this June than there were a year earlier, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Los Angeles Times.
Unfortunately, a higher percentage of veterans end up without employment than the average population. In fact, recent veterans face unemployment rates twice as high as the rest of the population, according to news reports.
We can honor the service of our veterans by helping them transition to new jobs once they return.
City leaders should not stand idly by as returning veterans face unemployment rates twice as high as the rest of the population. Employment challenges faced by our veterans will only increase as tens of thousands of soldiers return home from Iraq over the coming year
There are currently many organizations and volunteers out there already working hard to help veterans with job training. However, many involved with veterans’ job training programs explained at my Pathway to Prosperity Town Hall Forums that there is a need for more coordination and cooperation between the various agencies, non‐profits, and employers looking to hire veterans.
The proposals included in the Welcome Home Plan aim to address those concerns and provide a better framework for San Diego’s veterans to access the resources available to them.
Proposal 1 – Launch “Veterans Helping Veterans” Volunteer Initiative to Assist with Career Training
Proposal 2 – Partner with regional governments to provide a liaison to military “TAP” classes & encourage veteran employment within the City of San Diego
Proposal 3 – Partner with San Diego 211 to improve “one-stop” access to veterans’ resources
Proposal 4 – Work to streamline licensing and certification processes so that skills learned in the military can be more easily translated into a civilian job
Proposal 5 – Ensure that the USO has a permanent facility in San Diego so that military members can integrate into San Diego life even before leaving active duty
Proposal 6 – Creation of a Military and Veterans Advisory Board for the City of San Diego
Proposal 7 – Expanding city contracting opportunities to companies hiring veterans.
I urge the Mayor and City Council to work together on this important issue without delay so that every veteran who returns home to San Diego has a smooth transition to the civilian world. This is the least we can do.