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st
Minneapolis /St. Paul
area ranks 21st in the nation as being a military-friendly city, taking into consideration the quality of schools, number of vet-owned businesses, cost of living and unemployment.
EDUCATION
Central Minnesota’s post-secondary options include:
GI Bill Basics
Veterans and members of the military are entitled to educational benefits. There are a variety of GI Bill programs that pay for tuition, living expenses and school supplies for 36 to 45 months of education after the last active day of duty. GI Bill benefits are available for use 10 – 20 years after discharge from active duty. Connect with your County Veteran’s Service Officer, then visit a Veteran Resource Coordinator (VRC) at a local college or university campus.
• Anoka-Ramsey Community College (Cambridge) • Central Lakes College (Staples & Brainerd) • College of St. Benedict/ St. John’s University • College of St. Scholastica (St. Cloud) • Minnesota School of Business (St. Cloud)
• Minnesota State Community & Technical College (Wadena) • Pine Technical College (Pine City) • Rasmussen College (St. Cloud) • St. Cloud State University • St. Cloud Technical & Community College
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
9%
of all U.S. firms are veteran-owned, representing 2.45 million companies and nearly 6 million employees.
5th in Nation
There are 119 verified veteran-owned small businesses in Minnesota, placing it 5th in the nation.
RESOURCES:
FOR VETERANS • Beyond the Yellow Ribbon: beyondtheyellowribbon.org/ employment-search-programs • Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans:mac-v.org/ • Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA): http://mn.gov/mdva/, 888.LINK.VET (546.5838) • MN DEED (with links to area Minnesota Workforce Centers) positivelyminnesota.com/veterans • My Military GPS Lifeplan: gpslifeplan.org/mnscumilitary • National Resource Directory’s Veterans Job Bank: nrd.gov/home/veterans_job_bank • Translating Military Skills into Civilian Jobs Tool: mynextmove.org/vets/
ENTREPRENEURSHIP • National Veteran-Owned Business Association: navoba.com • Small Business Development Centers (through the Small Business Administration) offer a variety of services and loans to veterans. sba.gov/content/veteran-service-disabled-veteran-owned • VetBiz Central: /vetbizcentral.org/
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Minnesota is one of only 17 states to offer some type of preference to veteran-owned businesses in procuring state contracts .
EDUCATION • Department of Veterans Affairs GI bill: gibill.va.gov • Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs Higher Education Coordinators: mnveteranservice.org/documents/Veterans_Coordinators.html • Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system: mnscu.edu/military • My Military Education: mymilitaryeducation.org/ • Veterans Retraining Assistance Program: benefits.va.gov/vow/education.htm
FOR EMPLOYEER • American Jobs for America’s Heroes: centerforamerica.org • Beyond the Yellow Ribbon: BeyondTheYellowRibbon.org • Hire Heroes USA: hireheroesusa.org Data Sources: Beyond the Yellow Ribbon, International Economic Development Council, Minnesota National Guard, National Veteran-Owned Business Association, Small Business Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
2ND QUARTER 2013
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