VIRGINIA CHAMBER FOUNDATION, VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS SERVICES, AND NAVY REGION MID-ATLANTIC PARTNER TO LAUNCH HIRE VETS NOW FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

New Program Offers Intern Opportunities with Virginia Values Veterans Certified Employers To Transitioning Military Members before Leaving Active Duty

Richmond, VA–The Virginia Chamber Foundation, the Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS), and Navy Region Mid-Atlantic (NRMA) are launching a new joint initiative called the HIRE VETS NOW Fellowship Program. The HIRE VETS NOW Fellowship Program is a NRMA  approved SkillBridge program that will allow transitioning military within their last six months of service, with proper command approval, to fellow or intern with approved Virginia Values Veterans (V3) Certified companies.

Beginning in September, the HIRE VETS NOW Networking events on Naval Station Norfolk will connect Fellowship employers and transitioning military with the business community prior to their leaving military service. Transitioning service members will gain valuable private sector experience while Fellowship employers will have an opportunity to recruit highly skilled veteran talent.

The HIRE VETS NOW Fellowship Program will launch at the HIRE VETS NOW Networking and Hiring Event on September 27 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Vista Point Conference Center on Naval Station Norfolk. Additional events are scheduled for Naval Station Norfolk on November 15, 2018 and throughout 2019.

“We are pleased to continue our successful partnership with the Virginia Chamber Foundation and to now join with Navy Region Mid-Atlantic to kick off this exciting new initiative. This program will give transitioning servicemen and women the opportunity to intern with some of the Commonwealth’s most innovative and successful private employers,” said John I. Newby II, Commissioner, of the Virginia Department of Veterans Services. “The skills they learn will be invaluable as they seek new careers in the civilian workplace and perhaps careers with some of our V3 Certified Employers.”

“SkillBridge programs are designed to link transitioning service members with civilian training opportunities, in an effort to enhance the probability of employment post separation,” said the NRMA’s Amanda Slosson. “The HIRE VETS NOW Fellowship program is currently one of the ten approved programs available here in Hampton Roads, but the only one that facilitates opportunities for transitioners to network with Veteran certified employers offering SkillBridge compliant internship opportunities.”

The HIRE VETS NOW networking events are open to all transitioning military members, veterans and their spouses. There will be no charge to attend but pre-registration is requested. For more details, interested service members and veterans can visit www.vachamber.com/hirevets, www.dvs.virginia.gov or email or call Rose Dare at r.dare@vachamber.com (804.237.1451).

About The Virginia Chamber Foundation

The mission of the Virginia Chamber Foundation is to strengthen Virginia’s long-term competitiveness through implementation support for Blueprint Virginia 2025. The Foundation conducts research, provides metrics for the state’s progress and produces events on issues facing business.

About the Virginia Values Veterans (V3) Program

The Virginia Values Veterans (V3) Program is a Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Veterans Services Program. Its mission is to help employers understand, design and implement nationally recognized best practices in recruiting, hiring and retaining veteran employees. For more information on the V3 Program, please visit www.dvsv3.com.

About VDVS

The Virginia Department of Veterans Services (VDVS) operates 29 benefit offices throughout the state that assist military veterans and their families in filing claims for federal veterans benefits; two long-term care facilities offering nursing, assisted living, and domiciliary care for veterans; and three cemeteries that provide an honored final resting place for veterans and their families. VDVS provides veterans and family members with direct linkages to services including behavioral healthcare, housing, employment, education and other programs.  The Department also operates the Virginia War Memorial, the Commonwealth’s monument to honor the memory and sacrifice of Virginia’s men and women who served and fought to defend our way of life from World War II to the present. For more information, please visit www.dvs.virginia.gov.

###