145 People Hired During the 2020 Maine Hire-A-Vet Campaign Bookmark and Share

March 24, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 24, 2021

145 People Hired During the 2020 Maine Hire-A-Vet Campaign

The annual campaign's goal is for 100+ employers to hire 100+ veterans during 100 days.

AUGUSTA - Final results are in, and a total of 145 veterans and military family members were hired during the 2020 Maine Hire-A-Vet Campaign! Responding to the needs of our Veteran and Military Service community, the 2020 campaign was the first one held fully virtual. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the Campaign was a success.

The Maine Hire-A-Vet campaign provides support for employers to expand the hiring of veterans through a network of state and federal agencies, resources and nonprofits, education on military language and culture, recruiting and hiring assistance, and recognition for the hiring and advancement of veterans and military family members.

"Over the past year, the pandemic has caused the Department to adapt and be creative in the ways it delivered services. For the first time ever, the Hire-A-Vet Campaign was completely virtual," Commissioner Laura Fortman said. The 2020 Campaign was an integral piece of the puzzle as we focus on re-employment and transferrable skills for all job seekers.

The 2020 campaign kicked off on September 15, 2020 with a virtual hiring fair and ended on December 24, 2020.

The average hourly wage of veterans hired was $23.92, an increase of $1.14 from the 2019 campaign, and 226 employers signed on to the campaign. Fourteen of the sixteen counties in the state had veteran hires in them. Employers also sent 20 staff members to a Veteran Hiring for Employers training, which provides a Basic Training approach to aid businesses in recruiting, hiring and retaining veterans.

The five businesses that had the most hires during the 2020 campaign were Bath Iron Works/General Dynamics, Dead River Company, Northern Light Health, MaineGeneral, and the State of Maine.

2020 campaign sponsors included: Gold Sponsors General Dynamics/Bath Iron Works and Veterans Education and Transition Services; Silver Sponsors Maine Bureau of Veteran Services, Maine Department of Corrections, Northern Light Health and Destination Occupation; as well as our Bronze Sponsors Hancock Lumber, Reed & Reed, and Moody Collision Centers.

The campaign has connected nearly 900 employers with over 1,450 veteran-hires since its inception in 2015 and has been recognized as a best practice by the United States Department of Labor (USDOL) and the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA).

The Maine Hire-A-Vet Campaign is a partnership between the Maine Department of Labor Veterans Employment Team and its CareerCenters, Boots2Roots, Easter Seals and their Veterans Count program, the Maine National Guard Employment Support Program, Maine Bureau of Veterans Services, Transition Assistance Advisors, VA Veteran Readiness and Employment, State Bureau of Rehabilitation Services along with numerous business partners throughout the state.

Learn more at https://www.mainecareercenter.gov/hireavet.shtml , and follow the campaign on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mainehireavet .

Veterans, military family members and civilians seeking assistance in job search and training are encouraged to contact their closest Maine CareerCenter, which can be found online at https://www.mainecareercenter.gov/locations . Veterans Representatives and Career Counselors are available at each location.

The Maine Department of Labor and Maine CareerCenters are equal opportunity providers. Auxiliary aids and services are available to individuals with disabilities upon request.