Hiring Most Veterans Wins Teledyne Award
Frank Grasso recalls that when Teledyne Ryan Aeronautical Co. was searching for aircraft assembly employees early last year, the company had trouble finding the number and quality of people it needed.
That problem has changed since last February, when the firm decided to participate in a federal Department of Labor program created to help Korean War and Vietnam-era veterans find permanent jobs.
Since then, Grasso says, the San Diego-based aerospace manufacturer has hired and trained more than 200 veterans--more than any other business in the country, according to the Labor Department. And the company expects to train 148 more veterans during the next six months.
Grasso, who is in charge of the training program for Teledyne, said Wednesday he is happy that the company, with the Labor Department’s help, was able to start its own training program.
He was equally happy when he recently learned that the Labor Department will today present Teledyne Ryan an award for being the nation’s top employer of veterans under the Emergency Veterans’ Job Training Act.
“I thought (the award) was a very positive thing,” Grasso said. “It’s nice to see that we’re building a good relationship in the community . . . . There was a need for the vets, and there was a need for the company. When we married the two needs together, we came up with a great marriage.”
About 6,000 veterans in San Diego, Riverside and Imperial Counties have been certified eligible for the program since its inception in 1983, said Steve Brown, a public information officer with the Labor Department. In San Diego County, about 482 veterans have been placed in jobs since last November, which is about 20% of the statewide total, he said.
The Labor Department’s goal is to place 3,186 California veterans in jobs by March 1, Brown said. Since last year, 2,203 veterans, “69% of our goal,” have been placed in jobs, he said.
Veterans and employers can apply to the Labor Department or the Veterans Administration for certification, Brown said. Through the $300-million program, if requirements are met, the employer can receive from the government 50% of the veteran’s starting salary--up to a maximum of $10,000 --during the training program. Employers wishing to participate in the program agree to hire the veterans on a permanent basis after they complete the training, and stipulate that no current employees will be displaced.
The training programs generally last for at least six months and are targeted for growth industries, occupations requiring technical skills or occupations where demand exceeds supply. Veterans who qualify for the program must have been unemployed 15 of the 20 weeks prior to applying.
Korean War and Vietnam-era veterans were selected for the program because “they have a higher rate of unemployment than veterans as a whole,” Brown said. Brown said he didn’t know why unemployment among these veterans was higher, but he said it could have been caused by a lack of training or problems that the veterans have while trying to adjust to civilian life.
The Labor Department is presenting the award to “thank Teledyne Ryan for its role” and because “we want to draw attention to the act itself, for more employers to step forward and offer jobs to (veterans),” Brown said.
