Tennessee Department of Labor Earns Award for Veterans Hiring Event
PUBLIC-PRIVATE CAMPAIGN HAILED AS SUCCESS
NASHVILLE – The Department of Labor and Workforce Development today joined other state agencies and a Tennessee company to mark the success of the Paychecks for Patriots hiring event held last year, which was recently honored as a top community relations project by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). The project earned the Parthenon Award, the highest honor given by the PRSA to local public relations professionals.
“It’s a great honor for state agencies to be recognized for our role to help Tennessee veterans find work,” Commissioner Burns Phillips said. “The recognition for this project is rewarding, but we’re especially excited to continue the effort this year.”
“Dollar General is proud to play an integral role in this innovative public-private partnership and coordinate with Tennessee agencies to match employers dedicated to assisting veterans and their families find careers that best meet their backgrounds and aspirations,” said Bob Ravener, executive vice president and chief people officer for Dollar General. “The Paychecks for Patriots initiative helps resolve the challenges of unemployment facing our veterans by equipping Tennessee’s military community with the resources to better understand the job opportunities available.”
Last October, Labor, along with lead corporate sponsor Dollar General, held Paychecks for Patriots that included 13 concurrent job fairs across Tennessee. The event boasted 92 hiring employers with 4,000 jobs and 2,400 veterans attending. The event was a collaboration of state agencies such as the Department of Military, Veterans Affairs, and Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR).
“During this challenging economic time, younger veterans are coming home to unemployment while older veterans are losing their jobs and reentering the new job search climate,” Tennessee Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Many-Bears Grinder said. “Most veterans possess a driven work ethic, a long list of skills and exemplary character traits. Therefore, it is all of our jobs to help connect unemployed or underemployed veterans with high quality opportunities.”
"We are honored to be a part of this landmark program, and to be recognized by an organization as prestigious as the PRSA is very gratifying, "stated Maj. Gen. Max Haston, Tennessee's Adjutant General. "Lots of people put in many long hours making this project successful, and the true value is measured in how many veterans we can help find employment."
Dollar General held a ceremony today to recognize partner organizations and present the Parthenon Awards to those who were unable to attend the official PRSA ceremony held in May.
The Tennessee Department of Labor will hold the second annual Paychecks for Patriots on October 17, 2013, at 13 Tennessee Career Centers across the state. Details about this and other hiring events can be found at http://www.tn.gov/labor-wfd/JobFairs/index.shtml or call Melinda Williams at (615) 253-6674.
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Pictured below from left to right:
Commissioner Many-Bears Grinder, TN Dept. of Veterans Affairs
Major General Terry “Max” Haston, Tennessee’s Adjutant General
Jackie Cavnar, President of the Nashville chapter of PRSA
Commissioner Burns Phillips, TN Dept. of Labor and Workforce Development