Returning veterans in Scranton find they have no jobs, the wrong skills and new challenges

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Returning veterans in Scranton find they have no jobs, the wrong skills and new challenges

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/03/02/returning-veterans-in-scranton-find-they-have-no-jobs-the-wrong-skills-and-new-challenges/



“This area is difficult,” said Mark Volk, the president-select and current executive vice president of Lackawanna College in Scranton, PA, “because there is not a lot of industry, there is not a lot of turnover in positions and there is not a lot of higher-paid positions for young people. But right now, the economy makes it even more difficult for returned vets to find jobs.”

Geoff Smeltzer, the co-host of WVMW radio station show “What Vets Need To Know,” agreed. “There’s nothing there for them,” he said bluntly. “After World War II, the economy was booming. My dad and all his brothers went to work in the steel mill…. Even coming out of Vietnam, jobs were around.” But, he said, “the economy now isn’t even like it was in the early nineties or even two years ago. There’s no place in those industries now.”

Anissa Fetchen, a Veterans Service Officer in Scranton, agrees. “Number one, there are no jobs. That’s a real big part of why [veterans] are unemployed.” But, she said, there’s more to it. “Part of that’s skill translation. Combat troops, they fight, they’re guards. There’s nothing really skilled (in terms of the civilian labor market) in that.”

Plus, she notes, some veterans “have trouble readjusting, because it’s not just one tour, it’s two tours, it’s three,” and, Fetchen says, “even though our government is telling us that they’re informing veterans where to go or what to do, they’re not really. They’re not telling them to seek out a service officer; they’re sending them to a website.”

[grntuscarora]

1. But, but, but

Tom Corbutt said there'd be high-paying jobs galore, if we just handed over our PA towns, farms, forests and parks to the natural gas companies. Tom wouldn't lie. The article must be mistaken.

[ellisonz]

2. Time for a New Deal. n/t

[lib2DaBone]

3. The American People bought into the Flag Waving.....Nationalism..... no "cut and Run"...

Our veterans paid the price with lost arms and legs while Cheney and Bush made BILLIONS from Haliburton on the war.

Even then.. not a hint of truth from MSM.. (David Gregory, Fox, David Brooks, Geoge Will... they are PERFECTLY OK with this.. as long as it is not their kids.)

Get ready Amereica... The War on Iran is almost here.

[msongs]

4. because so many "military" jobs were taken by private contractors where GIs used to do them to

learn business, management, and organization skills

[vets2work]

5. Workplace Warrior

Honestly both sides of the house should look at expanding H.R. 3596 - United States Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection to include returning USA veterans.

This proposed legislation is intended to bring jobs back to America however both India and the Philippines generally believe this bill won’t pass and in fact they are stating their economy will grow by another 15 Billion USD this year in outsourced work from the USA. I say we couple these proposed bills and keep the 15 billion in the USA with the majority focused towards our veterans. I would propose that any company in the USA that brings their outsourced positions back to the USA not only keep their tax credits but gain twice as much for bringing these positions back and employing US veterans. Let the companies that continue to ship job offshore pay for this with the fines that will be levied upon them.

[pscot]

6. Controlling the rage they carry

has to be a major challenge.