Our HIRE Vets Medallion Award recognizes exceptional employer efforts to recruit, employ and retain veterans. The award highlights employers who are committed to hiring and retaining America’s veterans in promising, family-sustaining careers. Since it launched in 2018, we’ve awarded more than 3,025 employers.
We recently spoke with leaders from a 2022 HIRE Vets Medallion Award recipient about the benefits of hiring veterans, and of applying for the award.
Building pipelines for veteran talent is of vital importance to SkillStorm, a tech talent accelerator. They are proud to invest in veterans and are determined to help them develop their skill sets and get better paying jobs. As Joe Mitchell, chief operating officer of SkillStorm, says, “Veterans have served this country, and we should invest in them. They can continue to serve the country in the cloud and cybersecurity spaces. We are helping them make the shift in the civilian world to high-paying and rewarding careers.”
SkillStorm earned a Department of Labor HIRE Vets Medallion Award in 2022 for its dedication to hiring, retaining and supporting veterans. When asked why they applied for a HIRE Vets Medallion Award, Mitchell replied, “If one thing should come out of this award, it’s the ability to help more veterans acquire the skills to get a high-paying job. We are proud to receive it and want to make the most of it.”
One of the requirements for a company to earn a platinum-level award is to have 10% of their new hires be veterans. SkillStorm surpassed that threshold by a large margin and met the requirements to have a veteran employee resource group and a veteran leadership program.
SkillStorm operates several programs to maximize success for veterans and other hirees, including pre-apprenticeship training and a three-year IT Apprenticeship Program, which is a DOL Registered Apprenticeship program that doesn’t require a degree or experience.
The HIRE Vets Medallion Award is the only federal-level veterans’ employment award that recognizes a company or organization’s commitment to veteran hiring, retention and professional development. The Department of Labor is accepting award applications through April 30, 2023, apply today.
Karla Langham is the acting chief of staff for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service. Follow VETS on Twitter and LinkedIn.
