EDISON, New Jersey—February 22, 2012—As America’s veterans experience an 11 percent unemployment rate, the HRO Today Forum has made a commitment to tackling the issue in a roundtable discussion at its sixth annual HRO Today Forum and Workforce Congress from April 30 to May 2 in Washington, D.C.
HR serves as the critical bridge between unemployed veterans and the companies that want to hire them. The Forum’s “Hiring Heroes — Integrating veterans back into the workforce” session features Emily King, author of “FIELD TESTED: Recruiting, Managing, and Retaining Veterans,” who will chair a roundtable discussion during the Forum’s Workforce Congress. The goal is to help HR officers gain a comprehensive understanding of these issues so they can advise to their chief executive officers on implementation strategies.
The USO’s Shauna VanBuren will participate in the Big Idea Lightning Round, which showcases a rapid-fire series of innovations that will change the way attendees think about HR. VanBuren will share about an event series designed to help prepare veterans for post-service employment.
“As the landscape of our military changes, the USO continues to adapt to meet their needs,” said Susan Thomas, vice president, USO Warrior and Family Care. “Through this session at the HRO Today Forum, we will highlight the unique format of our Career Opportunity Days, in cooperation with our partners, Hire Heroes USA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. These events enable transitioning service members and their spouses to connect with potential employers in an intimate atmosphere and participate in mock interviews to help them to build their hope and confidence to seek a next career.”
There is robust interest among both the private and public sectors in hiring veterans, as evidenced by President Obama’s recent Veterans Jobs Corps initiative and GE’s plans to hire 5,000 veterans over the next five years and sponsor 400 veterans’ job fairs this year.
GE has experience hiring veterans, but most organizations do not, and that can create unexpected difficulties. Employers aren’t prepared to deal with the issues that can arise when hiring veterans: concerns from their new co-workers, workplace accommodations for wounded warriors and more.
In addition, many veterans lack the career development skills — networking, navigating the career ladder, managing their career — earned by their age-cohorts while they were serving overseas.
“There’s no question that companies are opening their arms to our veterans, but there’s also no point pretending that hiring them doesn’t pose certain challenges,” said Richard Crespin, president of SharedXpertise and chairman of the HRO Today Forum. “We’re bringing together experts who can share best practices and the HR officers who need that expertise with the hope of more successfully matching veterans to jobs.”
The HRO Today Forum provides a uniquely collaborative environment for an exclusive audience of HR, recruitment, and technology executives and government representatives to discuss the future of HR. Attendees will work with peers and policy-makers to tackle some of society’s thorniest workforce issues.
Registration for the HRO Today Forum is available at http://www.hrotodayforum.com/index.php/register/.
About the HRO Today Forum (www.HROTodayForum.com)
The HRO Today Forum, taking place April 30-May 2, 2012 in Washington DC at the Gaylord National, brings together the former HRO, MSP, and RPO Summits along with the HR DemoShow to attract HR Executives to engage with Providers, Government and NGOs to make an impact on current workforce issues. Through a highly interactive setting, the Forum provides the big picture, dynamic dialog, and deep dives on the issues surrounding how HR Officers operate the Global Business of HR.
Sponsors for the HRO Today Forum 2012 include: (Premier) Adecco RPO, Guidant Group, FutureStep, AdvantagexPO; (Gold) Taleo, ADP, Kenexa, SourceRight, AllegisTalent2, AdeccoMSP, Staff Management; (Silver) Pinstripe, TPI/ISG; WilsonHCG.
About SharedXpertise
SharedXpertise is the leader in providing media, summits and forums that develop professional practices in the areas of corporate responsibility, human resources and financial management. Its media offerings include print and online publications; its summits are conferences and its forums offer association membership programs. SharedXpertise serves strategy-level corporate executives in the human resources, finance, compliance and sustainability professions in North America, Europe and Asia.
Media contact:
Elrond Lawrence,
Fisher Vista for SharedExpertise
831.632.2183
elawrence@fishervista.com
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