As part of U.S. Sen. Al Franken’s ongoing efforts to reduce the unemployment rate among veterans in Minnesota, which has been as high as three times the state average, he participated in a roundtable discussion focused on innovative approaches to get veterans back to work.
During the discussion, Franken, D-Minn., highlighted the need to match the skill sets veterans gain during their deployment with jobs employers are looking to fill here in the U.S. He also pointed to the Minnesota National Guard's innovative recent effort to work with Guard members while they were still deployed to Kuwait to improve their prospects for employment when they return home.
“Our veterans and their families sacrifice so much for their country, so the least we can do is make sure they can find a job when they come home,” said Franken. “If you can build roads, or drive trucks, in Iraq or Afghanistan when you have to worry about IEDs, you can certainly do it in Minnesota. We've also got to do what the Minnesota Guard is doing: working with our service members 'upstream' while they're still deployed to help them get ready to reenter the work force. I will continue to work with my colleagues to get our veterans the jobs they deserve.”
Earlier this year, Franken helped pass the Vow to Hire Heroes Act, which includes a provision to improve the translation of military service into civilian credentials. The bill will also get more veterans back to work by providing tax credits for employers who hire unemployed veterans and by providing veterans with the opportunity for additional education and training. Sen. Franken is also a member of the Veterans Job caucus.
Franken participated in the roundtable with Patrick McKinney, COO of Recon Robotics, a Minnesota-based company that focuses on hiring veterans; leaders of veterans service organizations; local and national businesses; and several of his colleagues, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.
