New York, NY— Today Speaker Christine C. Quinn and Veterans Committee Chair Mathieu Eugene announced a new partnership to expand the Helmets to Hardhats program in New York City, placing hundreds of returning veterans in good paying union jobs with the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York. In the Fiscal Year 2013 budget passed last week, the Council provided a $100,000 grant to Helmets to Hardhats to hire additional staff to serve New York City Veterans. This funding, combined with $130,000 in grants from the Robin Hood Foundation, will allow Helmets to Hardhats to (HIRE ADDITIONAL FULL TIME STAFF, EXPAND PROGRAMING, SERVE AS MANY AS X HUNDRED ADDITIONAL VETERANS IN THE NEXT YEAR?)
Helmets to Hardhats was formed in 2003 to help National Guard, Reserve, retired and transitioning active-duty military members connect to quality careers in the construction industry. Transitioning military veterans often face challenges finding potential job openings, getting a résumé into the right hands, and translating the skills they learned in the military into language that civilian employers can understand. Helmets to Hardhats staff and volunteers work with veterans to overcome those obstacles by connecting them to career and training opportunities
“More and more veterans are returning to the five boroughs every day, and the City Council is working hard to make sure they have jobs to come home to,” said Speaker Christine C. Quinn. “And what better way for many veterans to use the skills they developed in the military than in a rewarding and good paying career in the city’s building trades? By helping Helmets to Hardhats expand their operations, we’ll get even more veterans back to work and help ease their transition into civilian life.”
In the last ten years, Helmets to Hardhats has placed more than X veterans in construction apprenticeships. Every year, the Building and Construction Trades Council sets aside a number of apprenticeships specifically for veteran applicants and Helmets to Hardhats works to find and place qualified candidates. Due to limited staffing and resources, they have frequently been unable to find enough veterans to fill all available apprenticeships. This new funding will help expand their efforts so that every possible job is going to a qualified veteran.
“Finding a job is one of the biggest challenges that veterans face after returning home. We should do everything possible to give back to veterans for all of their sacrifices and efforts to protect our country. I am delighted to work with Speaker Quinn and my colleagues to create a funding initiative in the New York City Council that will help veterans secure valuable work opportunities and improve their lives. As the Chair of the Veterans Committee, I am proud to work on this issue and advocate on behalf of the exceptional men and women who have served our country,” said Council Member Mathieu Eugene, Chair of the Committee on Veterans.
“The generous funding from the New York City Council will not only allow us to hire additional staff and increase our hiring goals in New York City. We will also be able to make the city’s veterans aware of the quality training and career opportunities available in New York’s construction industry,” said Darrell L. Roberts, Executive Director of Helmets to Hardhats.
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“It’s been our pleasure to work collaboratively with Speaker Quinn on issues critical to veterans,” said Eric Weingartner, Managing Director of Robin Hood. “We applaud the City’s decision to fund innovative programs such as Helmets to Hardhats which have demonstrated great promise in connecting New York City veterans to badly needed jobs.”
Veterans interested in a career in the building and construction trades should visit the Helmets to Hardhats website at www.helmetstohardhats.org and click the “Get Started” button to create and activate a profile. Once a profile is activated, you can browse hundreds of career and training opportunities and forward your profile to career providers. You can also call Helmets to Hardhats at 866.741.6210.
The City Council has allocated a total of more than $300,000 in the FY 2013 budget to veteran services and organizations, including job training and placement, mental health services, and community based groups such as American Legion or VFW posts. Other organizations receiving funding include Brooklyn Legal Services, Black Veterans for Social Justice, and the Vietnam Veterans of America.
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