Submitted by Pacific Mountain Workforce Development Council
It is with tremendous excitement that we announce Pacific Mountain Workforce Development Council (PacMtn) has been awarded a National Emergency Grant (NEG) in the amount of $5,586,385. The grant will fund assistance for approximately 900 transitioning service members from Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM). It will provide these transitioning service members with case management, supportive services and training to help them apply the sought after skills they acquired through military service in the civilian workforce.
Over the next year, as the military down sizes, the Department of Defense will be transitioning over 8,000 service members from JBLM. Nearly 40% of those heroes are expected to stay in the region. It is also expected that another 12,000 that called Washington home before joining the service will be transitioning out of other bases from around the U.S.
“This region is privileged to have Joint Base Lewis-McChord in our community. Those who have served our country deserve to be welcomed with yellow ribbons, banners and opportunities for jobs that use their sizeable skills to make our communities better,” said Cheryl Fambles, CEO of PacMtn. “The Workforce Development Councils of this state, along with all our local partners are excellent at making those connections for them to do so. The resources of this grant will help us do it even better.”
This NEG will take important next steps in the implementation of the “VOW to Hire Heroes Act”, which was written by U.S. Senator Patty Murray, and signed into law by President Obama in 2011. The primary goal of this effort is to not only lower the unemployment rate for our national heroes who are transitioning from military service, but also to connect this talented highly skilled labor force to the jobs of our region.
“Today’s news serves as a shining example of what happens when we establish strong partnerships between the public and private sector in order to support our nation’s heroes,” said Senator Murray. “For too long we’ve been patting our veterans on the back to thank them for their service and sending them out into the job market alone without the basic help they need. I’m grateful for the work being done by JBLM and the Pacific Mountain Workforce Development Council to implement the VOW to Hire Heroes Act and provide our men and women in uniform with the tools and resources necessary to not only make it in the workforce, but to succeed.”
