Construction Industry Pledges to Hire 100,000 Veterans in Next 5 Years

The Bureau of Labor Statistics published an Industry Employment and output projections to 2022 article in December of 2013 in which it predicts the construction industry will grow at a rate of 2.6% annually.

Not only is that good news for the construction industry, it is also good news for U.S. veterans. Part of the White House’s Joining Forces Initiative includes a pledge from over 100 U.S. construction companies to hire 100,000 veterans over the next five years.

The Initiative to Hire $100,000 Veterans

According to Larry L. Melton of the Bechtel Corporation, ”veterans are invaluable to the construction industry.” In an interview with Josh Hicks of the Washington Post, Melton said veterans have the qualities required to help the construction industry flourish including, ”agility, discipline, integrity, and the job to get the job done right.”

The Department of Labor and leaders from the construction industry plan to work together to determine the best ways and means to build a better means for veterans to find employment with those construction companies in need of laborers.

In a U.S. Department of Labor press release, one of the first steps will be to join forces with one of the over 2,600 job centers around the country in order to help those veterans looking for construction jobs become aware of the jobs that are available to them. Another avenue the D.O.L. is exploring is how to offer training and certifications to veterans at reduced prices.