The Department of Veterans’ Services (DVS) today launched VetConnectPro, a first-in-the-nation employment tool that connects veterans looking for work in the New York City public and private sector to matching employment opportunities.
A model for other cities and states, the site provides veterans and their families access to a wide array of hiring features, including a proprietary military skills translator, a dashboard that provides job postings from city agencies as well as information on local, state, and federal benefits, civil service exams, and recommended online job training.
New York City is the first major municipality to build an employment tool for veterans to have access to and connect to local job opportunities. The robust military translator, operated by JobPaths, can translate and match over 7,000 military careers to job openings available on the site. The site also includes information about civil service exams, fee waivers for veterans, and special hiring programs for people with disabilities. Go to www.nyc.gov/vets for more information.
I attended two conference online yesterday, 11/18/2021, where I learned that despite this new advertising, nothing has changed for vets seeking employment.
The first conference advertised “opportunities” in driving an MTA bus, being a Parks worker, being an Emergency Responded, and being a firefighter. As for the bus, the veteran would have to get a New York State driver license and wait three years before becoming eligible for a bus driver’s job. One non-commissioned officer came out to discuss his job during the conference, and I commented that this NCO should be third in charge of the MTA, and not a bus driver.
I received negative comments by one man named Craig. He said the system is as it is. A vet must convert his skills into something marketable that a city employer can understand. Craig said the DD-214 Certificate of Discharge does not contain any work experience and job history, saying it is the job of the veteran to fashion his resume.
My response was that these roadblocks keep veterans not employed by the city. I asked for the number of veterans employed by the city and the answer was 8,800. Then I asked what is the size of the overall New York City workforce, and no one gave me a solid answer saying they do not know. That’s likely because veterans are a minuscule fraction of the overall workforce in New York City.
I asked why the Department of Education did not come out as if no veteran has the education to become a teacher. I received no answer. Craig criticized me saying that no DD-214 is a ticket to the U.S. Presidency, but for bus drivers, firefighters, park and emergency employees, it must be.
Craig reflected current policy of making city jobs extremely difficult to obtain. There are no links to applications and it is the duty of the veteran to convert his infantry, artillery, and armor experience into something that fits driving a bus. The city has no obligation to translate a veteran’s skills into a job-ready position, and thus the plight of the unemployed New York City veteran continues.