U.S. veterans returning from Iraq and
Afghanistan may have a career waiting for them when they get home. The United
Association of Plumbing and Pipefitters recently launched its VIP program,
which stands for Veterans in Piping.
I spoke with Anne St.
Eloi, who has been in charge of spearheading the VIP program. The way it works
is simple. U.S. veterans can apply for the program. When they are accepted,
they go through several weeks of training in welding and pipefitting. If they
pass through the course, they will be placed in a paid apprenticeship program.
The VIP program is completely paid through the United Association’s training
fund.
According to St. Eloi, the program is beneficial to
both members of the United Association and to the men and women returning to
civilian life. In fact, St. Eloi said that many U.S. veterans have difficulty
finding jobs when they return from their combat missions. This seemed
contradictory to everything I’d ever heard. I thought most employers would jump
at the chance to have a veteran work for them. But not so. St. Eloi said that
some veterans don’t know how to transition from a military mindset to a
civilian mindset. So while they are reliable and hardworking, they may not have
the proper communication skills or interviewing skills to land the job they
want. With this in mind, the VIP program begins with two weeks of training that
is based solely on helping military veterans transition to civilian
life.
The program seems like a win-win situation for
everyone. Troops retuning home have career options and companies have potential
employees.
St. Eloi said that the VIP program has been
successful so far, and representatives are working on a heating and air-conditioning
component that would work in the same way. This seems like a great way to help
the men and women who have chosen to serve our country. It’s also a great way
to get more young people in the trades. Have any of you hired veterans at your
company? How has it worked out? Share your stories. I’d love to hear them.
Your next employee could be a U.S. veteran

James J Siegel is the associate editor of SNIPS magazine. He has been with the magazine for eight years and is based in San Francisco.
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