First Class of U.S. Veterans Completes ‘Get Skills to Work’ Training Program
Cincinnati State hosts the first class in a program that will be
replicated across the U.S. Certification ceremony marks important milestone toward training
and matching 100,000 veterans by 2015
GE (NYSE: GE), in partnership with the Manufacturing Institute,
Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, Alcoa Inc., Boeing and
Lockheed Martin, today celebrated the accomplishments of the first group
of U.S. veterans to complete classes from the Get
Skills to Work (GSTW) program.
With an estimated 600,000 open advanced manufacturing jobs across
America, GSTW is joining major manufacturers and educators to help close
the skills gap through training and skills matching for U.S. veterans.
Eleven veterans participated in the completion ceremony at Cincinnati
State’s Workforce Development Center. The event marks an important
milestone for the nationwide program, whose goal is to train and match
100,000 veterans by 2015. The program also aims to empower employers
with tools to recruit, onboard and mentor veterans.
Today’s certification ceremony in Cincinnati included veterans who
completed accelerated skills training in core manufacturing skillsets.
The ceremony featured speakers Gary Sinise, actor & president, Gary
Sinise Foundation; David Joyce, president and CEO GE Aviation; O’dell M.
Owens, president, Cincinnati State; and Jim Golem, president, Cincinnati
GSTW Advisory Board and Director of Human Resources, CTL Aerospace Inc.
“A strong and forward-looking manufacturing industry is central to the
long-term health and success of the U.S. economy,” said Joyce. “Veterans
embody many leadership qualities that can help drive growth at GE and
among our suppliers and community partners. This is an important step in
a nationwide effort to help these men and women compete for long-term
careers in the manufacturing sector, and ultimately drive U.S.
innovation and competitiveness.”
To ensure that the skills training meets the immediate needs of local
employers, coalition partners worked with local businesses to develop
the Cincinnati State curriculum. This curriculum-building process will
be repeated and tailored to each pilot city this year, including Ft.
Worth and Houston, Texas; Schenectady, New York; Greenville, South
Carolina; Durham, North Carolina; and Evansville, Indiana.
To help fill open positions in the Cincinnati area, local manufacturing
firms, including GE, CTL Aerospace, Richards Industries, Meyer Tool,
Acuren and Rhinestahl will actively review candidates from this new pool
of potential employees.
“Many veterans and employers have difficulty translating the skills
gained through military experience into civilian workforce skill sets,”
said Dr. Owens. “Get Skills to Work helps ensure that skill sets meet
employer needs. As demonstrated by the 11 veterans that completed
Cincinnati State’s pilot classes, veterans have great leadership and
experience that can easily be adapted to the civilian workplace.”
Gary Sinise, who is a strong supporter of veterans’ issues and a GSTW
ambassador, said, “Military veterans have a lot to offer, including a
strong work ethic, teamwork, problem solving skills and the ability to
perform under pressure. These skills will serve veterans well in
corporate America. Today’s ceremony in Cincinnati illustrates that with
the proper training and tools, we can provide our veterans support for a
smoother transition to successful civilian employment.”
Adam Hemsath, a Cincinnati native, is a veteran who is translating his
military skills to civilian employment opportunities. In 2008, Adam
joined the United States Air Force (USAF) at Kadena Air Base, Japan. A
member of USAF Security Forces for five years, he led the protection of
personnel and resources. Adam served in Iraq and trained more than 90
Iraqi security forces. During his service, he earned 13 medals including
the Iraq Campaign medal with bronze star cluster. Today, he is part of
the GSTW program and pursuing a career in advanced manufacturing at
Cincinnati State Technical and Community College.
“There are various personal and professional challenges when
transitioning from military to civilian life,” Hemsath said. “But now
that I have completed my MCCS certificate, I can pursue a long-term
career with a focus in Industrial Mechanical Maintenance. These skills
will give me the competitive advantage that I need in today’s
marketplace.”
The GSTW program includes three key pillars:
Accelerating Skills Training
To help prepare veterans whose military service experience doesn’t
immediately qualify them for available manufacturing jobs, coalition
partners will work with local community and technical colleges to
establish the Manufacturing Institute’s “Right
Skills Now” program, which fast-tracks industry-recognized
certifications and offers training in core manufacturing technical skill
areas. Partners will engage their regional supply base to ensure the
certifications being offered meet the immediate skill needs of local
employers, and will work with the U.S. Departments of Defense and
Veterans Affairs, as well as local military transition offices and
bases, to recruit veteran participants.
Translating Military Experience into Civilian Opportunities
Many veterans and employers have difficulty recognizing and translating
the skills gained through military training and experience into civilian
workforce skill sets. The Manufacturing Institute, working with Futures
Inc., has created a digital badge system to help translate applicable
Military Occupational Specialty codes (MOS), the U.S. military’s system
for identifying jobs, to civilian positions in advanced manufacturing.
Skills matching and badge distribution will be supported by the US
Manufacturing Pipeline, a centralized online hub that connects
manufacturing employers with veterans and transitioning military
personnel. Military veteran participants and employers can access these
platforms at GetSkillstoWork.org.
Empowering Employers
Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University
(IVMF) partnered with GE to develop and deploy a toolkit for employers
focused on creating meaningful, lasting career opportunities for
veterans in the advanced manufacturing sector. Available at toolkit.vets.syr.edu
the toolkit builds on work begun by the IVMF with support from JPMorgan
Chase & Co. and Robin Hood in collaboration with McKinsey & Company. It
includes research and proven best practices from more than 40 businesses
to deliver processes, resources and programs that will enable more
employers to effectively recruit, on-board, support and mentor veterans
in the civilian workforce.
Additional Support:
Education and Promotion
To help drive further industry participation, the Atlantic Council, a
nonpartisan organization that promotes constructive U.S. leadership and
engagement in international affairs, will lead efforts to educate and
engage potential corporate partners. On a parallel track, GE has
partnered with the Gary Sinise Foundation to help raise awareness among
military communities and drive veteran recruitment into the training
program. Founded by award-winning actor and humanitarian Gary Sinise,
the Gary Sinise Foundation is dedicated to supporting veterans, first
responders, their families and those in need by creating and supporting
unique programs designed to entertain, educate, inspire, strengthen and
build communities.
Initial investments in Get Skills to Work will help 15,000 veterans
translate military experience to corresponding advanced manufacturing
opportunities and gain the technical skills needed to qualify for
careers in this growing sector. The GSTW coalition is seeking additional
partners to meet its goal of reaching 100,000 veterans by 2015.
Companies and veterans interested in joining this effort or learning
more can visit GetSkillstoWork.org
or join us on Facebook at Facebook.com/GetSkillstoWork
and Twitter @GetSkillstoWork.
About GE
GE is honored to have more than 10,000 U.S. military veterans continue
their careers with the company and recently set a goal of hiring 1,000
veterans each year for the next five years. Through its partnership with
the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Hiring Our Heroes program, GE hired over
1,100 veterans in 2012 and has supported over 40 Hiring Our Heroes
transition workshops, coaching over 3,000 veterans. GE is also an active
member of and donor to several leading national military and veteran
support organizations, such as Disabled American Veterans, Intrepid
Fallen Heroes Fund and the Medal of Honor Foundation, among others.
GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best
technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in
energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering,
moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For
more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.
About Cincinnati State
Cincinnati State (www.cincinnatistate.edu)
offers more than 100 associate degree and certificate programs in
business technologies, health and public safety, engineering
technologies, humanities and sciences and information technologies.
Cincinnati State has one of the largest cooperative education programs
among two-year schools in the United States.
