MANUFACTURING TIDBITS
VETERANS PERFECTLY SUITED TO ADDRESS MANUFACTURING SKILLS GAP by Thomas R. Cutler
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics the unemployment rate among veterans is modest at 3.3%, yet among the 326,000 unemployed veterans who have served on active duty, nearly 60% were age 45 and over; 35% were ages 25-44, and 6% were ages 18-24. The average U.S. veteran will take more than a year to find sustainable employment after leaving the
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Manufacturing Outlook / January 2020
military. In the interim, these heroic citizens and their families sink into poverty. This employment gap between transitioning from the U.S. military to gainful employment must be filled. Many of these men and women face barriers to employment, including service-connected disabilities. Obtaining the qualifications and training necessary to compete in high-demand industrial