History
Connecting Military Veterans with Meaningful Opportunities In the Green Economic Sector Founded in 2008, Veterans Green Jobs is a nonprofit organization. Our mission is to engage, transition and connect military veterans with meaningful employment opportunities that serve our communities and environment. We operate a variety of programs that help veterans find career opportunities in sustainable economic sectors including energy efficiency / conservation; renewable / clean energy; green construction / building; natural resources / outdoor conservation; environmental remediation / response; and sustainable agriculture. Veterans Green Jobs believes that by equipping our nation's military veterans with transferable skills, tools and resources, and helping them reintegrate into society with meaningful jobs, we will enable them to maintain their sense of service, give back to their community, and contribute to a healthy, sustainable and secure future for themselves and their families.
Specialties
Why This Work Is Important The national unemployment rate for the more than two million post-9/11 veterans is far above the national average. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in June 2012, of those veterans who have served since 2001, 12.7 percent were unemployed in May, and the youngest (18-24 years of age) are unemployed at a rate of 23.5 percent. More than one million veterans are projected to leave the military between 2011 and 2016, placing increased demands on the workforce. In Colorado alone in 2011, 49,000 veterans (out of 475,000 total veterans in the state) sought employment assistance with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, but this represents only a portion of the veterans needing employment. Additionally, there are some 21,000 recent veterans attending institutions of higher education in Colorado. These numbers only represent one state; the problem persists throughout the nation and must be addressed