Outreach boosts hiring of Texas vets

Outreach boosts hiring of Texas vets
By WILLIAM PACK, Staff Writer
Published 03:40 p.m., Saturday, September 3, 2011

A comprehensive jobs outreach effort led by the Texas Veterans Commission has helped Texas place more veterans in jobs than any other state, officials said.

The commission has had responsibility for veteran job searches for just four years but in that time has helped veterans prepare themselves for the labor force and sent recruiters out to workplaces looking for jobs that create the best fit for both sides.

"We try to match employees with the skills employers need," said Stan Kurtz, the commission's operations specialist in the employment sector. "No other state is focusing on employment outreach like we do in Texas."

U.S. Department of Labor statistics released by the commission show those efforts have succeeded.

For the 12 months ended June 30, 2010, the most recent data available, 38,714 veterans in Texas found jobs after seeking the commission's assistance. That's about 18,000 more jobs than veterans filled in the second-most-successful state, North Carolina.

Part of Texas' success is due to the size of its veteran population. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reports that Texas is home to nearly 1.7 million veterans, second only to California, with 2 million, and just ahead of Florida.
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