McAuliffe announces 1,451 veteran hires through Virginia Values Veterans

Governor Terry McAuliffe announced Tuesday that companies participating in the Commonwealth’s Virginia Values Veterans (V3) Program have hired 1,451 Veterans between July 1, 2014 and September 30, 2014. Through the V3 Program, these companies have made public commitments and goals to increase employment opportunities for Virginia’s Veterans.

“I am proud of the progress we are making connecting veterans with Virginia companies that will benefit from their unique skills and training,” said Governor McAuliffe. “Leveraging our world class workforce to help companies grow is an essential part of my efforts to build a new Virginia economy, and our state’s veterans will play a central role. The Virginia Values Veterans (V3) Program is an innovative initiative developed in support of our common goal of positioning Virginia as the most veteran-friendly state in the nation. I want to thank Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs John Harvey and Commissioner of Veterans Services John Newby for their outstanding work in growing the V3 initiative, and of course the great Virginia companies who are working with my administration everyday to hire more veterans.”

Recognizing its positive contributions to businesses, veterans, and the Commonwealth, Virginia Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs John C. Harvey, Jr. has made the V3 Program his top priority. “Virginia is committed to helping our returning service members transition from active duty to civilian life by providing the tools and resources they and their families need to succeed.,” said Secretary Harvey. “The V3 program was established to assist veterans with one of the most integral keys to a successful transition: finding employment that will allow them to draw from the wealth of skills learned during their military career and apply those skills effectively in the civilian workforce. Hiring Veterans isn’t just simply the right moral thing to do; it’s the right business thing to do.”

With over 550,000 Veterans in Virginia’s labor force, the Commonwealth boasts the highest labor force participation rate (68.1%) among veterans in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“Virginia’s veterans are eager to work, well-educated, and highly-trained for a successful civilian career,” Commissioner of Veterans Services John L. Newby II remarked. “Many businesses in Virginia have recognized the good business sense in hiring from this talent pool – but many more still aren’t aware. The V3 Program is here to help those businesses recognize the value that veterans add and connect with them.”

In 2012, Virginia became the first state to have an official state program dedicated to training employers on the value of hiring veterans. Since its inception, 230 V3 companies have set goals to hire 8,150 Veterans. This latest quarterly report brings the total number of Veterans hired to 6,636.

V3 companies are categorized into four different business sizes — based on typical human resource and recruiting capabilities for each category.

Enterprise Companies (1001+ Employees)

Large Companies (301-1000 Employees)

Medium Companies (51-300 Employees)

Small Companies (1-50 Employees)

About the Virginia Values Veterans (V3) Program: The Virginia Values Veterans (V3) Program is an official Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Veterans Services Program whose mission is to educate and train employers throughout the Commonwealth on the value of Virginia’s Veterans, and to help employers connect with these personnel to maximize the productivity of their workforce.

Individuals or organizations interested in learning more about these and additional V3 events should visit: www.dvsV3.com. The V3 program is largely supported through private donations and sponsorships to augment the training services provided by the Commonwealth. Inquiries regarding the V3 program should be made to Andrew Schwartz, the V3 Program Manager, at(804) 371-2683 or [email protected]