The broad view
We are rebuilding the American Dream to be sustainable, just, and inclusive. Here’s how:
Start with veterans—a proven workforce we care deeply about. Use their benefit programs to jump-start local economic development through human connection and direct placement. Track success/failure, iterate, and scale by integrating into the military’s transition assistance program. Finally, replicate in the civilian labor force.
Our hypothesis: If we can combine income, skill training, and community into job opportunities for veterans, their unemployment rate will decrease while locally traded economic clusters grow. This may also positively affect a broader set of issues like veteran suicide, substance abuse, and homelessness.
First and foremost, employers need workers with character. Veterans need a job that addresses their unique reintegration challenges: income, skill-gap, and changing identity. The current “sea of goodwill” is not linking these populations effectively. This is where we come in.
We are currently focused on assisting small businesses navigate the Department of Labor’s Registered Apprenticeship Program—this solves the following problems for both sides of the labor market:
Employer Challenges:
· Difficulty finding employees with enough experience: Through the apprenticeship, you train your employees on-the-job. This frees up employers to hire for character more than what is on their resumé.
· Payroll Expenses: By regulation, employers can start apprentices at 50% of the journeyworker’s wage. Since the employer sets this wage, they can more accurately project payroll expenses and tie compensation to employee performance in a transparent way.
· Employee Turnover: Apprenticeships create a long-term incentive for employees to stay. The credential from a Registered Apprenticeship program has carryover benefit for the entire economy.
Employee Challenges:
· Immediate financial need: Job seekers can combine training and experience for income. The apprenticeship program bypasses trade-off between pay-to-play trade schools and on-the-job experience.
· Skill and experience gap: Every day a service member is in uniform, their competitors in the labor market were establishing the reputation in the informal networks that matter most to employers. The unique soft skills veterans bring to the table don’t translate as well on blue-collar job applications. Registered Apprenticeships solve this by combining training and work under a single employer that is accessible the day they leave the military.
· Predictability: Registered Apprenticeships require employers to meet certain standards. For instance, they must guarantee at least 30 hours/week to be considered full-time programs, set the wage schedule in advance, and build training plans that are approved by the Department of Labor. The result is a clear path from green employee to some credential at the end of 1-2 years.
Current challenges:
1. Funding: We need to bridge the gap for small businesses with grants or zero interest payroll loans tied to specific apprentices. Most of our clients are small businesses who desperately want to train apprentices but are trying to balance the trade-off between running their business day-to-day and managing the application process to become a registered apprenticeship and/or VA certified for the GI Bill. I sense we are at a tipping point and a little bit of money will go a long way.
2. Communication: Centralize information for veterans and meet them where they are. Currently, there is no single source of truth for a veteran with respect to current job opportunities that is searchable and linked to their unique benefits. We are partnered with the ETS Sponsorship Program to address this exact problem.
We work with several clients eager to bring veteran talent into their organizations for the long-term. These are unique opportunities in resilient careers. Please reach out if you know of any employers, veterans, or donors interested in supporting our mission!
