And the “Vets Moving Forward Resource and Job Fair” will be 3 to 7 p.m. May 21 at the Wright State University Student Union Apollo Room.
Both events are open to veterans.
Hiring Our Heroes, which has hosted Wright-Patterson events since 2019, will have some 50 employers.
It’s the 10th year for Vets Moving Forward
Cassie Barlow, former installation commander at Wright-Patterson and now president of the Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education, said hiring veterans makes eminent sense for employers.
Veterans tend to be trustworthy, drug-free and adaptable, she said.
“Not only are they willing to learn, but they know how to learn,” Barlow said in an interview. “If you think about the number of positions that military members rotate through in a career ... that’s still probably 10 different jobs.”
Barlow recalled that in 2015, then-Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald reached out to 50 different cities, including Dayton, to launch community engagement boards.
Dayton was on that list, and this event has been one result of that board’s ongoing work, she said.
“The key is community, right?” she said.
The Dayton area has the nation’s sixth-largest concentration of veterans, she said.
Barlow said that with a federal hiring freeze in place, hiring for government positions has slowed drastically.
“That’s my feel, that’s what I’m hearing from friends and colleagues in the federal contracting world,” she said. “Everyone is in a wait-and-see (mode) right now.”
But besides a job fair, veterans can expect presentations on the VA PACT Act, assistance with disability claims, helping enrolling with the Dayton VA Medical Center, helping obtaining Montgomery County veteran ID cards and more.
Montgomery County RTA and Greene CATS will provide free transportation for veterans and family members needing transportation to and from Wright State.
Veterans should bring their DD 214 with them to the event.
Hiring Our Heroes is free and open to active-duty service members, National Guard, veterans, and military spouses.
Participants are encouraged to register. To learn more or to register, visit the Hiring Our Heroes website or contact the 88 FSS community readiness consultant, Stacia Wren at stacia.wren@us.af.mil.
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