IAVA Hosts Fleet Week Job Fair for Bay Area Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans — Press Release

October 3, 2011 by
Filed under: Companies, Events, Press Releases 

IAVA Hosts Fleet Week Job Fair for Bay Area Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans

Chamber of Commerce, Bechtel, Southwest Airlines sponsor event at War Memorial

NEW YORK – Today, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the nation’s first and largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, announced its First Annual Fleet Week Smart Job Fair will be held from 12-5 p.m. on October 6 at the War Memorial Green Room in San Francisco. It is the first of five events being held around the country as part of IAVA’s Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) America partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

“In the spirit of San Francisco’s Fleet Week, this innovative job fair will provide opportunity and support for hundreds of young Bay Area veterans. The unemployment rate for California veterans was 12.4% in 2010, so events like this are critical. Having strong, reputable companies like Bechtel and Southwest Airlines commit to hiring veterans in an economic recession sends a clear message to the rest of America that vets are valuable assets. These companies understand that hiring veterans is not charity–it is an investment,” said IAVA Founder and Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff.

“This groundbreaking event is affirmation that the skills, work ethic and leadership experience vets bring to the table aren’t going unnoticed by the private sector. It also shows young veterans that there are employment opportunities and support for them in the Bay Area from organizations like IAVA, Swords to Plowshares, Project Hired, The Salvation Army and the Farmer-Veteran Coalition. We are proud to partner with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to tackle this urgent issue. Events like these show what can happen when the private sector, government and nonprofits come together to get things done.”

Veterans will attend the event free of charge and can draw on a host of resources being provided by IAVA and the Chamber, such as resume review and interview skills workshops. Each veteran in attendance will also receive a certificate for business apparel to assist in the transition from Combat to Career. Employers will learn ways they can help bridge the military-civilian divide and meet other vetted and confirmed veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Vets can sign up here.

Following the fair, IAVA will host a Combat to Career Cocktail Reception from 6-8 p.m., the proceeds from which will directly benefit IAVA’s Combat to Career program to fight veteran unemployment across the country. Click here to learn about the Combat to Career Cocktail Reception.

Over the next year, IAVA and the Chamber will sponsor additional Smart Job Fairs in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and New York City. Veterans in these cities can sign up here.

The Smart Job Fair program is part of IAVA’s yearlong Combat to Career program to lower veteran unemployment by Veterans Day 2011 (11/11/11). IAVA is working with both the public and private sectors to achieve this goal. In Washington, IAVA is calling on Congress to pass legislation to incentivize the hiring of veterans, strengthen job protections and create new programs aimed at improving their transition from combat to career. Meanwhile, in the private sector, the campaign brings together corporate partners including Microsoft, Google, JCPenney, Citi and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to host job fairs, career skills workshops and hiring initiatives for new veterans. For a complete list of our partners and to learn more about the Combat to Career campaign, please visit IAVA.org/combat2career.

If you are a member of the media who wishes to arrange an interview with IAVA Founder and Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff or a local IAVA Member Veteran who will be attending the Smart Job Fair, please contact Isabel Black at (212) 982-9699 or [email protected]

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (www.IAVA.org) is the country’s first and largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and has more than 200,000 Member Veterans and civilian supporters nationwide.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce (www.USChamber.org) is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.

Bechtel Power (www.bechtel.com), based in Frederick, Maryland, is the leading U.S. power contractor and a unit of Bechtel Corp., one of the world’s premier engineering, construction, and project management companies. Since its founding in 1898, Bechtel has worked on more than 22,000 projects in 140 countries on all seven continents. Today our 40,000 employees are teamed with customers, partners, and suppliers on hundreds of projects in nearly 50 countries.

In its 40th year of service, Southwest Airlines (www.southwestairlines.com) continues to differentiate itself from other low-fare carriers–offering a reliable product with exemplary Customer Service. Southwest Airlines is the nation’s largest carrier in terms of originating domestic passengers boarded. Southwest serves 72 cities in 37 states and is one of the most honored airlines in the world known for its commitment to the triple bottom line of Performance, People, and Planet. To read more about how Southwest is doing its part to be a good citizen, visit southwest.com/cares to read the Southwest Airlines One Report (TM). Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates more than 3,400 flights a day and has more than 35,000 Employees systemwide.

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One Response to “IAVA Hosts Fleet Week Job Fair for Bay Area Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans — Press Release”

  1. IAVA Hosts Fleet Week Job Fair for Bay Area Iraq and Afghanistan … | Twitter For Afghans on October 10th, 2011 7:29 pm

    [...] the article here: IAVA Hosts Fleet Week Job Fair for Bay Area Iraq and Afghanistan …Related Posts09/07/2011 — Local Soldier Adopts Puppy He Rescued In Afghanistan « CBS [...]

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