The City of Portland is proud to announce that it hired seven veteran employees as part of the 2019 Maine Hire a Vet campaign. In total during the 2019 campaign, 283 veterans were hired in Maine. The veterans hired by the City of Portland are now working in the Police Department, Parking Department, Public Assembly Facilities, and Public Works.
The 11 businesses that had the most hires during the 2019 campaign were Bath Iron Works/General Dynamics, Northern Light Health, VA Togus -Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), the State of Maine, Dead River Company, Tilson, City of Portland, Casella Waste Systems, Helical Solutions, Maine Veterans’ Homes, and Estes Oil.
“The City recognizes the diverse skill sets and experience that veterans bring to the workplace,” said Mandy Levine, the City’s Workplace Diversity & Inclusion Specialist. “The City is committed to both recruiting and retaining veterans in our workforce and seeks veteran talent through collaboration with the Maine Department of Labor’s Career Center, Boots2Roots, and the National Guard Transition Services, all of which serve as pipelines to veteran talent.”
The City of Portland has proudly participated in the Maine Hire a Vet Campaign since it began in 2015. It is committed to educating its staff on the varied talents that veterans bring to the workplace. In 2019, the City hosted Chaplain (Colonel) Andrew Gibson to provide Military Culture 101 training for City staff to learn more about military culture and the unique and desirable skill sets that many veterans possess.
The Maine Hire-A-Vet campaign provides support for employers to expand the hiring of veterans through a network of state and federal agencies, resources and nonprofits, education on military language and culture, recruiting and hiring assistance, and recognition for the hiring and advancement of veterans and military family members.
The 2019 campaign kicked off on August 29 with a hiring fair at the Augusta Civic Center, officially started on Labor Day, and ended on December 9.
The average hourly wage of veterans hired was $22.78, and 254 employers signed on to the campaign. Every county in the state had veteran hires in them. Participating employers also sent 175 staff members to a “Veteran Hiring for Employers” training, which provides a “Basic Training” approach to aid businesses in recruiting, hiring and retaining veterans. The City of Portland attended this training.
Learn more at www.mainecareercenter.gov/hireawww.mainecareercenter.gov/hireavet.shtmlvet.shtml, and follow the campaign on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mainehireavet.
Veterans, military family members and civilians seeking assistance in job search and training are encouraged to contact their closest Maine CareerCenter, which can be found online at www.mainecareercenter.gov/locations. Veterans Representatives and Career Counselors are available at each location.
