VET TEC Jobs - April 2024

Veterans Benefits Administration sent this bulletin at 04/04/2024 04:00 PM EDT

Greetings VET TEC students! We’re excited to present the April edition of the VET TEC Jobs Newsletter. This month we continue to share various tools and resources to help you with your training and career search. This includes an upcoming three-part webinar series dedicated to the federal hiring process, hosted by the Veterans Benefits Administration; tips and tricks to help you develop your resume; and upcoming virtual hiring events, hosted by Hiring Our Heroes.

We hope you find the information useful. If so, please be sure to share it with others, and don’t forget to follow the Post-9/11 GI Bill Facebook page for timely updates on VA education and training.

**GI Bill Update: Are you receiving more than one benefits payment from VA, such as one for GI Bill along with disability or pension? If you are and use separate direct deposit accounts for each, you will need to consolidate your payments to one account. For more information, please read this message previously sent to beneficiaries.

VET TEC Update: VET TEC pilot program ended April 1, 2024

Text that reads, Important update: VET TEC pilot programs concludes this April

The Department of Veterans Affairs’ five-year pilot program, Veteran Employment Through Technology Education Courses (VET TEC), has ended. This innovative program provided $45 million annually to pair Veterans with high-technology programs and featured performance targets and oversight of providers based on the agreements entered with VA.

What this means for you:

If you are currently enrolled and in receipt of a VET TEC award letter, your training will continue uninterrupted. This means you will continue to receive monthly housing allowance (MHA) payments and your training provider will receive tuition and fees payments as per normal.
If you are in receipt of a Certificate of Eligibility but have not received a VET TEC award letter from VA confirming enrollment in the VET TEC program of choice, you will not receive reimbursement for training.

Future of the VET TEC program: The five-year VET TEC pilot program expired on April 1, 2024. Legislation was proposed to make VET TEC a permanent initiative; however, no legislation has been passed which would affect the program. Any changes or updates regarding the future of VET TEC will be published to the Veterans Technology Education Courses website.

Upcoming events

The Veterans Benefits Administration Education Service is hosting a three-part series dedicated to the federal hiring process, and part one begins on April 19, 2024, at 1 p.m. ET. Join us to learn the behind-the-scenes tips and tricks to attaining federal employment. “Navigating USAJOBS” begins the instructional series which will continue with “Building your federal resume” and concludes with “Performance-based interviewing,” in May and June respectively. Additional registration information will become available after part one has concluded.

Reserve your spot today for the April Webinar! Spots are limited!

Registration link: https://vbatraining.adobeconnect.com/admin/show-event-catalog?folder-id=6353183471

Career fair events hosted by HOH

Since 2011, Hiring Our Heroes has worked to connect the military community with meaningful employment opportunities. Join them for one of their upcoming virtual events and be sure to share these opportunities with others you know in the military and Veteran communities.

April 17, 1-4 p.m. ET: Virtual Career Summit https://app.brazenconnect.com/a/hiring_our_heroes/e/OYNML

May 8, 1-4 p.m. ET : Virtual Military Spouse Hiring Event https://app.brazenconnect.com/a/hiring_our_heroes/e/8Lq9E

May 15, 1-4 p.m. ET: Technology and Cybersecurity Virtual Hiring Fair https://app.brazenconnect.com/a/hiring_our_heroes/e/LrRn2

More events to help you with your job search

A man standing in front of a group of people with cartoon drawings of various job search topics above their heads.

Leverage your job search by joining one of these upcoming virtual job search events.

April 10, 3-4 p.m. ET: Heroes Connect: Military to Manufacturing Virtual Engagement with Howmet Aerospace https://www.va.gov/outreach-and-events/events/66496/

April 11, Noon-1 p.m. ET: G.I. Jobs Get Hired Workshop (Online) - https://www.va.gov/outreach-and-events/events/67121/

April 23, 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. ET: National Virtual Hiring Fair with MilitaryHire and the American Legion - https://www.va.gov/outreach-and-events/events/66792/

Resources available to you

Mid adult female therapist shaking hands with male

Whether you have found your dream job or are just starting your career search, be sure to use these resources to help you build a strong resume, connect with employers in your industry and network with other tech industry professionals:

Resume Engine™: Help potential employers understand how the skills and experience you’ve gained during your military service makes you a great employee. The Resume Engine™ powered by Hiring Our Heroes helps translate your military record into a strong resume. Hiring employers can readily connect with you right from the Resume Engine.

Free 12-month LinkedIn Premium account subscription: As a VET TEC participant, you may be eligible to receive a one-time offer through the VET TEC program for a free one-year subscription. Email the VET TEC team to request one, today!

Career search tips

Finding a VA job

American flag with different construction tools on dark wooden background, with copy space for text

When you’re searching for a VA job, you will find a lot of information in the job announcement; so, it’s important to understand what you’re reading. If you’re using VA Careers, the job searches already filter out other federal agencies and show you just jobs on our team. Did you know that you can also filter by hiring paths? Read on to learn how.

Need tips and tricks on writing your resume?

Woman instructor assisting male student at a computer station

Are you trying to craft the perfect resume but coming up short? Watch this “Talk About it Tuesday” video for tips on creating a resume that stands out.

Trying to break into the technology field?

Man in deep thought with virtual display images around him

This Webinar “Breaking into Tech with Next Step Vets and Visa”, hosted by Hiring our Heroes discusses various pathways into the tech careers. It includes information on resources and training programs designed for the military community: https://youtu.be/w21JiagiWbc?si=qB6MvhlmI3y6H5Vd.

Keep moving forward with your career

Man using mobile smart phone with global network connection concept

Want to earn a Google Career Certificate and advance your career? Register for this webinar: https://uschamberfoundation.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1-q4yttvTlC2HKlMSLck6Q#/registration.

Perfecting your elevator pitch

Two people standing in front of the United States flag

Learn about the elevator pitch, the importance of it, and what you need to say about yourself in less than thirty seconds by watching this Hiring our Hero’s video: https://youtu.be/OB7iBB_BajA?si=0D27cM4YU-a8SWFy.

Dress for success!

Group of individuals professional dressed

Deciding what to wear for a job interview can be daunting. Read on to learn how to use tried-and-true fashion rules, while adding a bit of your own personal style, for the right interview outfit.

Employer-Partner Corner

Fiscal year 2024 fast facts

group of men sitting at conference table

This information is current as of April 3, 2024.

- 19,772 students have been paid VET TEC benefits.

- 15,893 students have completed a VET TEC program.

- 7,080 students have found meaningful employment.

VA continues to seek employers looking to join the Employer Consortium! Please share this information with employers in need of tech talent, so they know about such a great pool of qualified candidates!

VET TEC Employer Dashboard

Thank you for your continued partnership in the VET TEC Employer Consortium. As a reminder, you can connect with and recruit VET TEC program graduates via the VET TEC Employer Dashboard. In the dashboard, you'll be able to:

Review VET TEC graduates’ candidate profiles.
Browse candidate resumes.
Message candidates you would like to interview.

Hiring Our Heroes initially sent an email with a unique employer link to access the VET TEC Employer Dashboard. If you are having issues accessing the VET TEC Dashboard, please email the VET TEC team.

Host a VET TEC Employer Consortium Event

Do you have resources to offer to VET TEC participants to assist them with their journey to find meaningful employment? Are you looking for highly skilled Veterans or service members to fill open job positions? If yes, volunteer to host an Employment Consortium event! Email the VET TEC team for more information and to express your interest in hosting an event with VA.

Have you submitted your quarterly hiring data?

Employer Partners, please be sure to submit your quarterly employment hiring data for the fiscal year to the VET TEC Employer Consortium team. As a reminder, data for quarter one (October – December 2023) is overdue, and data for quarter two (January-March) is due now. Not only is this an important part of your responsibilities, but this information enables VA to share your VET TEC graduate hiring success stories with stakeholders, to include our Congressional partners, and emphasize your commitment to supporting the VET TEC program and Veteran hiring.

In addition to reporting the metrics, we hope that you will help us in telling the success stories of VET TEC graduates. We invite you to share with us the names and email addresses of the Veterans that you have hired for a possible future feature. We want to share their VET TEC success story and highlight your organization’s commitment to helping our Veterans find meaningful employment with the rest of the VET TEC community.

If you have a question about how to submit or need help, we can help you! Please email the VET TEC team to request assistance, today!

VET TEC Webpage | Employer Consortium | Resume Engine | Student FAQs

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