Christie Announces $195,000 to Help Vets Land Construction Jobs
Associated Press
September 30, 2011
Where better than the ever-developing city of New Brunswick to announce state funding for a program that involves the construction industry?
On the first floor of the soon-to-be-completed Gateway Transit Village, Governor Chris Christie announced on Thursday that he is making available $195,000 for the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development to partner with the New Jersey Building and Construction Trades Council's Helmets to Hardhats program.
The program is designed to honor active and retired military personnel, National Guardsmen and reservists by transitioning them into careers in one of the state's 15 affiliated building and construction trades.
"New Jersey's veterans have served our nation and our state with courage, honor and distinction," said Christie, while standing beside about a dozen veterans who have utilized the program since its inception four years ago.
"Now we have an opportunity to do our part to help them build a better life for themselves and their families through the Helmets to Hardhats program. I'm proud to renew this vital partnership between the public and private sector that will enable our veterans to acquire the skills they need to secure career opportunities in the building trades that will lead to a promising future."
Helmets to Hardhats is a national program jointly created by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs and the Building and Construction Trades Department of the AFL-CIO.
New Jersey Helmets to Hardhats has placed more than 275 military veterans into accredited apprenticeship programs within building trades, said William T. Mullen, president of the New Jersey State Building and Construction Trade Council. Eighteen vets have been placed in jobs by the program since the funding was allocated in July, Mullen said.
"Together, we will continue to provide them with quality careers, not empty promises," he said. "They sacrifice their lives for us and we owe them more than a handshake upon returning home."
The New Jersey State Building and Construction Trades Council is a partnership of 13 county building trade councils, more than 100 local unions and more than 150,000 members that educates program participants about the demands of the industry's careers while putting successful apprentice applicants to work on job sites.
Three-quarters of state's active-duty military and 55 percent of its reserve members are under 35 -- the age group most recruited into trade apprenticeship programs, Christie said. The majority of active and reserve personnel also have high school diplomas or GEDs, a requirement of most trade apprentice programs, he said.
Electrical and mechanical equipment repair, craftwork, and engineering and maintenance are some of the most popular occupational specialties for active and reserve members, said Michael Drewniak, spokesman for the governor's office.
Dozens of construction workers on the Transit Village site participated by holding up placards supporting the program. Christie shook hands with each of them.
Among them were Mike Agabiti of Trenton and Mark Vaccaro of Hamilton, both members of the New Jersey Carpenters Local 254.
"I think it's a good program," said Agabiti, who is not a veteran. "You have veterans coming out of the military. This helps place them in the work field. They're over their fighting for our freedom to be able to go to work every day, so I think it's only right to help them in return."
"I like working with military guys because they work hard and put in long days. They have a good work ethic. I think it's a win-win."
A veteran of the Marine Corps, Vaccaro said that New Jersey's unions always have tried to support veterans. The Helmet to Hardhat program reinforces that effort, he said.
Among the program's participants who stood by Christie during his announcement was Freddie Pimient, a 29-year-old Newark resident who served in the Marine Corps from 2001 to 2008 in Afghanistan, Iraq and Cuba.
"It's hard to get into the union, so this gives a little push," said Pimient, who landed a job in the construction field a year after his discharge.
While refusing to comment specifically, some on-site construction workers voiced concern about the program taking away jobs from the state's many unemployed construction workers.
The industry's unemployment rate recently dropped from 20.1 percent to 16.3 percent, according to the Building Contractors of New Jersey trade association.
State funding for Helmets to Hardhats furthers the administration's commitment to military veterans, Christie said.
In addition to supporting all programs provided by the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Christie said, he has signed legislation that strengthens the support network for military families after the death of a service member, as well as a program that awards high school diplomas to veterans who dropped out to serve in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
What you can do - For more information about the New Jersey Helmets to Hardhats program, visit: http://www.njbctc.org/h2h/index.html.
Source: http://www.app.com/fdcp/?unique=1317395592902