By Brendan Murphy, Captain, USN (Retired)

Absolutely – but we have work to do! Our highly skilled young veterans separate from service eager to join the work force. How can we attract these highly skilled technicians that operate our heavy equipment, build and maintain our nation’s vehicles, military bases, aircraft, and ships?

After 25 years of service as a Navy Pilot, I retired as a Navy Captain and moved my family from Virginia to West Chester, PA because a close friend and fellow veteran engaged me in meaningful career conversation.

For me it was a simple decision. However, not every veteran has this type of mentor to rely upon and often struggles to make a match with their skill sets to the civilian equivalent job.

Our military is a force of dedicated professionals that are highly skilled. These men and women have every characteristic any employer should hope for.

The skilled electricians that operate and maintain the electrical grids on ships and aircraft can certainly join our local electricians in business. The same stands for those that specialize in welding, plumbing systems and operating diesel engines, aircraft engines, hydraulic systems, transmission systems and heavy machinery.

These young professionals have problem solving and leadership built into who they are – something local business owners should take into consideration and leverage to build a sustainable workforce.

Google recently introduced their Grow With Google Job Search for Veterans. Veterans simply search Google using the keywords “jobs for veterans” and type in their Military Occupation Specialty Code (MOS) to see a cross-generated list of jobs that match their military professional skill sets.

Can we integrate our local job postings into this system to jump-start our recruiting effort?

Our region is considered one of the most patriotic areas in the country – let’s start a meaningful recruiting conversation and attract these young, highly skilled Veterans to our community and integrate them into our business culture.

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Brendan Murphy helps investors achieve their long-term financial goals at Edward Jones in West Chester and serves as a member of Greater West Chester Chamber’s Board of Directors. He can be reached via email at Brendan.murphy@edwardjones.com or by telephone at 610-436-4101.

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Top photo credit: U.S. Pacific Fleet 180327-N-AT135-003 via photopin (license)