Welcome to the Veterans’ Employment Services (VES) Newsletter. Our mission is to assist you and your family secure meaningful careers in Michigan.

The concept of veterans helping veterans is a trademark of the VES team and one of the keys to its success. Veterans face many challenges when transitioning out of the military – finding meaningful employment should not be one of them.

• Veterans in need of employment assistance should contact the nearest Michigan Works! One-Stop Service Center by calling 800-285-WORKS (9675) or visiting MichiganWorks.org.
• More information about Veterans’ Employment Services is available at Michigan.gov/VES.
• Register today and start your job search at Pure Michigan Talent Connect at MiTalent.org.

Women’s History Month – and International Women’s Day – is a time to reflect on the progress made towards gender equity and equality and celebrating the invaluable expertise of women throughout the country.

Take a look at some notable firsts for women in the U.S. Military:

• Loretta Perfectus Walsh became America's first official enlisted woman of any service when she joined the Navy in 1917.
• Opha May Johnson was the first woman to join the Marine Corps and was the 39-year-old wife of a District of Columbia orchestra conductor.
• Esther McGowin Blake was the first woman to serve in the U.S. Air Force as soon as it was allowed in July 1948.
• Though the Army does not officially state who the first woman to join its ranks was, most historians agree that it was Deborah Sampson.
• Twin sisters Genevieve and Lucille Baker transferred from the Naval Coastal Defense Reserve to the Coast Guard during World War I and may have been the first women to serve in the service.

You landed the interview – now what? Check out the next Employment Readiness Series on April 5 from 11 a.m. to noon.

Veteran Career Advisor Paul Salcepuedes will lead a presentation about interviews, the impact social media may have, how to dress for success, and creating a professional email and voice mail.

Register for the event here.

The Michigan Veterans' Employment Services and the Michigan National Guard Family Programs teams have partnered to ignite the potential of our stakeholders through weekly tips and monthly presentations.

VES Good Government Symbol of Customer Service Winners

The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity leadership recently awarded Rayetta Wyatt and Randy Leffel the Good Government Symbol of Customer Service.

The Good Government symbols of Excellence, Leadership, Teamwork and Customer Service are designed to recognize state employees who go above and beyond normal expectations.

Both Rayetta and Randy provided excellent customer services to veteran clients, while strengthening external partners during a time of great challenge. 

They demonstrate daily how other programs can replicate what they are doing to be successful.

And both are known by their partners and coworkers for using innovative approaches, professional mannerism, and effective communications to deliver successful results.

"Thank you for all you did to assist [our] veterans," said Veterans Administration counselor Ria Wooten-Meyers. "We couldn't have done it without you."

The U.S. Small Business Administration is hosting a virtual event  on April 1, 2022 to highlight the different resources and resource partners the SBA provides for active duty, reservists, and all era veterans and the family members.

Veteran-owned firms represent a unique force within the American economy. Veterans own approximately 2.4 million small businesses, or 9 percent of all small firms in the U.S. In addition, some 200,000 veteran owned firms are owned by service-connected disabled veterans.

Veteran entrepreneurs play an incredibly important role in the U.S. economy, and therefore special programs have been created to assist veteran owned and service-disabled veteran owned small businesses start and grow.

Register for the event here.

Inspired by the Honor Flight WWII veterans taken to the National WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C., visionaries were motivated to bring the memorial home.

Their dream was to recognize Michigan's contributions to the war effort, giving future generations a place to be inspired and dream in the state that was home to the Arsenal of Democracy.

The future site of Michigan WWII Legacy Memorial will be Memorial Park, located at the northeast corner of Thirteen Mile Road and Woodward in Royal Oak.

Read more about the memorial and the groundbreaking ceremony at MichiganWW2Memorial.org. 

Robert Smith first visited Michigan Works! after his car broke down and he wasn't able to continue his work as a ride-hail driver. He had been homeless for the previous 10 months, living in a hotel, and saw this as an opportunity to go back to a job he loved - being a chef.

After identifying himself as a veteran, Robert was referred to Veteran Career Advisor Mathew Mendez. Together, they created an employment plan addressing Robert's current housing, transportation and job development needs. 

Mathew first started by connecting Robert with community resources to address his housing and transportation limitations. Then they worked on his resume and began his job search. Mathew suggested he reach out to his former employers, which paid off when a manager from the Detroit Institute of Arts offered him a job as a chef. 

But before he could start, they needed to secure housing. Matthew recommended Robert contact the Michigan Veterans Trust Fund, Michigan Bikers, and Emergency Relief from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services for support. These contacts paid off when the Fallen & Wounded Solider Fund agreed to pay for his housing until he received his first paycheck.

Robert is now employed as a cook, making $20 per hour. He knows it will take time, but he feels confident his situation and life has turned around.