: News

Filed Under:

A New Strategy For Getting Veterans Jobs

March 25, 2010
Play associated audio
comments
Unemployed veteran Tonia White says a lot of veterans have a hard time finding out where to get help when they need it.
Jonathan Wilson
Unemployed veteran Tonia White says a lot of veterans have a hard time finding out where to get help when they need it.

By Jonathan Wilson

The U.S. Department of Labor is trying some new strategies to fight the 20 percent unemployment rate for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. One strategy is making its national debut in Washington.

Today the Department of Labor is holding what its calling a jobs summit for female veterans, at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington on Benning Road. Organizers say its more than just a job fair because the employers here were matched up with the veterans who registered and their particular skill sets.

But Tonia White says the biggest challenge for veterans like her is finding out when help like this is available.

"This room should be filled, and I have a feeling not a lot of people know about this, and its kind of unfortunate," she says.

Seventy-five women registered for the event -- and the Department of Labor says the summit will be duplicated around the country if more than half the women here find jobs.

Arts & Culture

NPR

China Builds Museums ... But Will The Visitors Come?

China is on a spree to build world-class museums and has opened about 100 of them annually in recent years. Two of the biggest opened on the same day last fall on opposite banks of Shanghai's Huangpu River. But filling these museums — with both art and visitors — is proving more challenging.

Food

NPR

Washington State Butcher Spikes Pig Feed With Weed

Despite its name, the "pot pig" experiment isn't an attempt to develop a new meaty treat for stoners. Instead, a Seattle butcher is feeding marijuana seeds, stems and root bulbs to swine as a cheeky money-saving measure.

Politics

NPR

Oklahoma's GOP Senators Find Themselves In Tornado Aid Bind

Sens. Tom Coburn and James Inhofe have become the faces of pushback on federal emergency spending. Now the deadly and devastating tornado in their home state has put them in an awkward position.

Technology

NPR

Airbnb Stays Are Illegal In New York, Court Rules

People who use Airbnb, the web company that pairs travelers with residents who rent out their homes on a short-term basis, are breaking New York City's laws, according to an administrative law judge. The vacation rental business was found to run afoul of the city's occupancy code.

Leave a Comment

Help keep the conversation civil. Please refer to our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct before posting your comments.