Posted Tuesday, November 3, 2009 --- 11:52 a.m.

Release from Governor Doyle's Office:

Governor Doyle Announces $553,000 to Help Meet Employment Needs of Veterans

MADISON – Governor Jim Doyle today announced a $553,000 federal grant to provide employment and training assistance to members of the Wisconsin National Guard returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, and other veterans searching for work.

"This grant will help us provide additional services to meet the employment needs of our veterans, especially the brave men and women returning from their tour of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan this fall and next year,” Governor Doyle said. “They have served their country, now we must do our best to help them.”

Starting this fall, 3,200 members of the Wisconsin National Guard will return from Iraq. With the grant, the Department of Workforce Development Office of Veterans Services will hold Transitional Assistance Program (TAP) workshops for Guard and Reserve units that offer instruction on writing resumes and preparing for job interviews, and provide information on employment and training services available to veterans and their spouses.

At the workshops, returning troops also will receive information about veterans’ preference, priority of service and the state’s non-competitive appointment authority for veterans. In the last seven months, DWD hired 52 veterans with funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Included in this total are 42 special disabled veterans.

DWD plans to hire 45 more veterans in the near future, with funding from a U.S. Department of Labor grant. The added staff will help meet the employment needs of veterans.

Veterans seeking employment and training services should first register on the DWD website, www.jobcenterofwisconsin.com. They can find information about services on the Office of Veterans Services page, http://dwd.wisconsin.gov/veterans/.

Guard and Reserve units that would like to have a TAP workshop conducted at their location for their service members and their spouses should contact the Office of Veterans Services at 608-267-7277 for additional information.