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Goodwill Industries and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Working for Disabled Veterans

Partnership Aims to Expand Employment Resources for U.S. Veterans

September 26, 2005

Rockville, MD - U.S. veterans with disabilities will have access to expanded job training and placement services through a new partnership between Goodwill Industries International and the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service (VA).

“Since the end of World War I, Goodwill Industries has been helping our service men and women find work when they return home from duty,” says George W. Kessinger, President and CEO of Goodwill Industries International.  “Goodwill will draw on its decades of experience to to identify meaningful employment for our veterans, who have made great sacrifices defending our country.”

Under a Memorandum of Understanding signed by both parties, the VA may refer veterans with disabilities to local Goodwill agencies for career services such as work assessment, skills training and job-readiness, as well as job placement assistance and post-employment support. The new agreement will enable Goodwill to enhance its services to veterans with disabilities who need new job skills and support.

"Both VA and Goodwill are committed to providing these brave men and women with opportunities to seek career advancement, job mobility, greater financial security, and economic well-being for their families,” says the Honorable R. James Nicholson, Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that more than two million veterans across the country have a disability and of those, over 54 percent are unemployed. Goodwill can help prepare many of these veterans to work in a number of sectors, including retail, construction, manufacturing, and technology.  Working with local employers, Goodwill will train participating veterans for positions that fit their professional interests, while helping them move up the career ladder.

“The partnership between Goodwill and the Veterans Administration will spotlight an under-utilized pool of workers that deserve the opportunity to enjoy the dignity of working,” says Kessinger.

The Department of Veterans Affairs Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service program is a national employment resource providing customized employment solutions for service-connected disabled veterans.  Visit the web site at: www.vetsuccess.gov.

Goodwill Industries International is a network of 206 community-based, autonomous member organizations in 24 countries that provide job training and career services to people with disabilities, welfare recipients, and other job seekers. In 2004, more than 723,000 people benefited from Goodwill’s career programs.  Visit the web site at: www.vetsuccess.gov.