U.S. Department of Labor Blog
November is National Veterans and Military Families Month and a time to recognize the important contributions made by U.S. service members. To help support service members who may be transitioning to civilian life, the U.S. Department of Labor provides a suite of training and career resources for military veterans and spouses. The Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) works to ensure a smooth transition for those looking for civilian careers. The Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), the department’s IT hub, helps support VETS in these efforts.
Resources for veterans and their employers
Approximately 200,000 service members leave U.S. military service every year. To help support their transition to civilian life, VETS – with application development support from OCIO – began the Employment Navigator & Partnership Pilot to provide personalized career training. This program also connects veterans and their spouses with partner organizations that provide additional employment and training services. Since its inception in April 2021, the program has supported 7,700 veterans and their spouses from more than 20 military bases.
VETS also created the HIREVets.gov website with OCIO’s support to help veterans and their families connect with employers looking to hire veterans. The website is part of efforts to recognize employers annually for their investments in recruiting, employing and retaining our nation’s heroes through the HIRE Vets Medallion Program.
Accessing critical benefits
OCIO also supports other department tools that can aid veterans on their career journeys like Benefits.gov, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year. The website, which launched as part of the President’s Management Agenda, serves as the official benefits website of the federal government and has helped more than a million people in 2022 year alone understand what kind of benefits they are eligible for and learn how to apply. These include armed forces tax benefits, services for caregivers of veterans, medical and education benefits, and more.
Career information
Another tool that OCIO helped develop that can support veterans in their civilian career search is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ CareerInfo Mobile App. The app allows people to explore occupations with stats on job growth, compensation and more.
In partnership with agencies like VETS and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we are proud to continue providing support to ensure veterans, transitioning service members and their spouses have access to career information, training and good job opportunities.
Editor's note: Are you a veteran interested in joining the OCIO Team? View available positions and apply today!
Mangala Kuppa is the director of business application services for OCIO at the Department of Labor. Follow OCIO on Twitter and LinkedIn.