By REGINA DENNIS rdennis@wacotrib.com
Heart of Texas Goodwill Industries is expanding outreach to recruit more Waco-area veterans for a new job placement program.
The nonprofit received a grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation in January to start Operation: GoodJobs, which focuses on helping veterans find meaningful long-term employment.
The grant pays up to $300,000 over three years if Goodwill meets certain performance targets, such as enrolling at least 300 veterans, having at least 269 remain employed for six months and 167 veterans retain their jobs for at least a year.
Theres a lot of turnover, theres a lot of job hopping, and we want to help them find careers, said Katie Martin, program manager for Operation: GoodJobs. Understandably, they might need a stepping stone position just to make ends meet, but were there to work with them throughout the process.
Available Services
Some of the services the program provides include rsum writing, mock interviews, job search assistance, and financial budgeting assistance. Martin has also been able to provide funding for veterans to obtain job certifications in areas like food handling and phlebotomy, and the program can provide limited emergency services like bus passes or interview clothing assistance.
The program is available to residents throughout the Heart of Texas Goodwills full territory, which extends from McLennan County to Bell County. Veterans and their spouses and dependents are eligible for the program, Martin said.
So far, 105 veterans have enrolled in the program, about half of whom reside in Killeen. Martin said she is reaching out to the vocational rehabilitation center at the Waco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, as well as the Veterans One Stop near downtown Waco in hopes of boosting awareness about the program.
The Texas Veterans Commission this summer placed its veteran career advisor at the One Stop. Kenneth Nowak said he usually sees eight to 10 veterans each week, about 40 percent of whom are homeless, and he helps them with interview skills, writing rsums, and navigating the states Work In Texas website.
The key would be meaningful, long-term employment, because if you dont theyre just going to go through that cycle, theyre just going to go get a job, said Nowak, a retired Army recruiter. If you just put them in a job, they might be right back at your doorstep, (saying), Well, that didnt work out, and then they get frustrated.
Martin has helped 30 veterans find jobs through Operation: GoodJobs, including two who have nearly reached six months of employment. Some companies that have hired veterans include Lowes, Wal-Mart, McLane Trucking, Goodwill, and the Waco and Temple VA hospitals.
Operation: GoodJobs kicked off a free two-week apartment maintenance technician training program in Belton last week for veterans through a partnership with the National Apartment Association. Martin said she hopes to conduct a similar event in Waco later this fall that would be coupled with a hiring event.
One of the common issues veterans face in their job searches is writing a rsum that accurately reflects their military experience but in civilian terminology. Martin said some veterans also need coaching to show more personality in interviews and pitch themselves for a job, an approach that differs from the more structured promotions review process in the military.
Debilitating disability
Martin also noted that about 80 percent of the veterans she has worked with have some sort of chronic or debilitating disability related to their military service, which can also complicate job matches.
Theres a lot of back, a lot of knee injuries, things like that, Martin said. Even right now, Ive had some people find amazing jobs, supervisory positions, really well-salaried, but the hours and physical capabilities they have to have is just killing their already existing injuries.
Martin said once veterans enroll in the program, she works with them to create an individual career and financial plan mapping out their personal goals and outlining the steps to accomplishing their objectives.
Nowak, with the Texas Veterans Commission, said much of his work centers on figuring out veterans barriers to employment and getting them ready for the job search process.
That may include partnering with mental health providers or social services programs at the Veterans One Stop to make sure a veterans basic needs are met.
Once we know what those barriers are, then we put them in contact with the resources thats going to help them, Nowak said. Because if they have PTSD and theyre not being treated for it, finding a job (is) not going to solve their problem. You put them in touch with the right resources, get them the help they need, and get them to work.
More information
Heart of Texas GoodWill Industries Operation: GoodJobs program provides free job placement and career services to local veterans. For more information, contact Katie Martin at 254-339-0191 or kmartin@hotgoodwill.org.
