Local Employment and Entrepreneurship

Notice!!!

LVMAC’s  job hunting skills training program, PROJECT JOVE, is restarting.  Click here for details.

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Veterans Employment Representatives (VER)

Employment service officers located at the local Lehigh Valley Department of Labor and Industry CareerLink are specialists assigned to help any veteran obtain employment, to include disabled veterans. Veterans need not be unemployed to ask for assistance or even in finding another job. They can also counsel or refer on other benefits (They are not veterans service officers). Contacts for this “veterans only” service are:

  • Joe Prusak, Lehigh County, 1601 Union Boulevard in Allentown, tel: 610-821-6755
  • Sam Jones works from two locations: Northampton County, 72 N. 2nd Street in Easton, tel: 610-252-7344; Lehigh County, 1601 Union Blvd, Allentown, tel: 610-821-6632

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Veterans Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC)

Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC): Counselors from the VA’s Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program provide services to those eligible veterans that are in need of assistance with seeking and securing employment or, if needed, provide services to increase one’s ability to live independently. To apply for this program, a veteran must have at least a 10% service connected disability rating or 20% memo rating. The veteran will then need to be found both eligible and entitled to this program.

  • The revolving door continues in the Lehigh Valley: Martin Griffith, from the Philadelphia VA Regional Office VR&E Service (stationed at Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center, tel: 570-821-2502 (at the clinic: 610-776-4445) has resigned from the VA.  We will notify you when a VRC for the Lehigh Valley is assigned.  Meanwhile contact the number in the next bullet or ask for the Duty Officer at Regional Office, tel: 215-281-3028..
  • Initial contact about eligibility and enrollment into the program is Natilee Thomas, VRC,  at the Philadelphia Field Office, tel: 215-842-2000 ext. 2638
  • For more information visit www.vetsuccess.gov.

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Employee Support to the Guard & Reserves

The Department of Defense provides esgr.org to provide information on your rights and responsibilities under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), forms, and contacts for assistance for the program. It is a one-stop site. If you believe your rights under USERRA have been violated by your employer, you can call 1-800-336-4590 option (1) to speak with an ESGR representative or you may fill out the online ESGR Form 100 and have your complaint reviewed. An ESGR representative will contact you within 48 hours of the first business day after receiving your request.

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For the Small Businessman/Entrepreneur

The Small Business Administration (SBA) provides this one-stop site for veterans: www.sba.gov/vets .  The Office for Veterans Business Development (OVBD) is responsible for several programs worth knowing, including a program service-disabled veterans. The nearest Veterans Business Development Officer for the Lehigh Valley is found in Philadelphia.

Don’t overlook the more general route of approach by going to a Small Business Development Center (SBDC) (Program) and inquiring – remember as a veteran you have a special status and do not fail to mention you are a veteran. They provide one-stop assistance to individuals and small businesses by providing a wide variety of information and guidance in central and more easily accessible branch locations. The program is a cooperative effort of the private sector, the educational community and federal, state and local governments. For Pennsylvania, click here to locate a center, always found at a university. For the Lehigh Valley, it is operated by Lehigh University. Note that consulting and, at least, the initial seminar, are provided free of charge. Ask for help before paying and read this about Pennsylvania SBDC, as it applies to veterans.

The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development  is one of the associates of SBDC through its Center for Entrepreneurial Assistance and piggybacks on the SBA program to execute.

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Employment on the Web

  • My Next Move for Veterans is probably the most comprehensive job searching website yet for veterans.  What Milicruit is to veterans expos, My Next Move for Veterans is to translating one’s military skills or other interests into a civilian career.  The  veterans can find careers through keyword search; by browsing industries that employ different types of workers; or by discovering civilian careers that are similar to their job in the military.  Among other new job search engines it uses My Skills My Future and the Veterans Job Bank to locate jobs down to zip code or local level.  The site also evaluates the future prospects of career fields, their characteristics, salaries/wages for an area, and educational requirements; plus provides apprenticeship program information.  This website has been developed and is maintained by the National Center for O*NET Development, under the sponsorship of the US Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA) through a grant to the North Carolina Employment Security Commission.
  • www.fedhirevets.gov – Created by Presidential Executive Order in 2009 and replacing the previous Administration’s “Hire Vets First”, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in partnership with the Departments of Defense, Labor, Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security, and other federal agencies, provides this website as the preeminent source for federal employment information for veterans, transitioning service members, their families, federal HR professionals and hiring managers.  It is a one-source and provides information on federal jobs locally available.
  • Veterans Job Bank — Located within the National Resource Directory, this more recent effort (2011) is a key part of the White House’s ongoing commitment to improve access to employment opportunities for transitioning service members and veterans. It facilitates access to hundreds of thousands of private-sector job openings specifically targeted at veterans.  Unique features are the capability to search by MOS/MOC, keyword, and nearby cities; plus you can embed a job search widget to your website to help connect with local job opportunities.
  • www.vaforvets.va.gov — A robust, gateway website tailored for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) veteran hiring, reintegration and retention according to their procedures.  No apparent linkage to www.fedhirevets.gov above could be found.  It offers career-search tools, career development services for their existing veteran employees, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.
  • www.VetJobs.com – Another “all-in-one” site but one operated by veterans for veterans. It was established after research showed a gap in sites which assisted employers in identifying the transitioning military and veteran candidate; and is operated by a seasoned management team of professionals to assist companies, recruiting firms and hiring authorities to successfully reach the military market. VetJobs is owned and operated by veterans for veterans. In January 2000, The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States exclusively endorsed and purchased ten percent of the company. Since then, VetJobs has garnered many veteran service organization endorsements. It is recognized in the industry as the leading recruitment site to reach the military market.
  • www.Milicruit.com — This is one of the newest, reputable entrants to this method of finding employment (The Military Officers Association of America is one of its sponsors.)  It works a differently than the other sites above because it was created to address the premise that the traditional military career fair is costly, time-consuming and often times ineffective. Its website is designed to allow industry leading employers, veterans and military spouses the opportunity to meet and interact in a fully interactive online environment from wherever they may be located.   It’s almost  virtual reality experience and also allows for the use of phone apps.  Most importantly it is comprehensive when an employer participates — one of the best seen.  It is also a a boon to a disabled veteran with mobility issues.   Requires you to sign in but also notifies you of key events by email or calendar when live  chats with employers are possible.  Click here if you wish to go directly to the job seeker section.
  • www.VetSuccess.gov – The VA Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service’s one-stop employment source.
  • www.HelmetsToHardhats.org –  “Helmets to Hardhats” was launched in 2003 to help those discharging from active duty find gainful employment in the building and construction industry. The program is administered by the Department of Defense working jointly with union and employer associations clamoring for veterans. The industry offers the opportunity for high paying, family supporting jobs.  Actually, any retiree, reservist, or veteran can potentially benefit. Eligibility varies by employer. Generally, one must have an honorable discharge, a high school diploma or equivalent, pass a drug test, survive an interview, and be fit to perform work. There is no age restriction. Apprenticeship training and provision for disabled veterans are all part of the program. Though most jobs involve the trades, many employers offer other jobs in their construction companies such as administrative, engineering and management positions.To apply go to the national website above and enter the required information. A representative will then contact you. If a Pennsylvanian, you may call  the OH, PA, WV,  MI, IN representative, Mr. Terry Powers,  by phone at (724)283-8710 to answer additional questions and to assist with any problems you may experience with the program.
  • Troops to Teachers –  Think of it as Helmets to Hardhats for becoming a teacher.  DoD’s Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) manages the program.  It provides referral assistance and placement services to military personnel interested in beginning a second career in public education as a teacher; and will help applicants identify teacher certification requirements and programs leading to certification. In certain situations, financial assistance is provided. Better yet, the Pennsylvania and New York Region has a Point of Contact in Ms. Vanessa Barron, Program Director,  who can be reached by telephone at 1-855-241-2173 or by email at info@troopstoteacherswcuf.org (West Chester University Foundation).  For additional information, see the foundation website for the program also.
  • www.careeronestop.gov  –  This is a more general integrated suite (portal site) of national web sites that help businesses, job seekers, students, and workforce professionals find employment and career resources than www.fedhirevets.org and includes more than just federal jobs.  It is a soup-to-nuts site.  CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, a multitude of useful products including America’s CareerInfo Net  which provides national, state and local career information and labor market data and OPM’s  USA Jobs, the federal site for finding federal employment opportunities.
  • LVMAC Job Board — This page is a crude tool which may nevertheless be useful for finding local jobs.

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Employment on the Web for Military Spouses

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Last Updated: 21 January 2012 (Announcement of VRC departure)

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