Washington Business Winter 2019 | Washington Business | Page 51

business backgrounder | education & workforce Share Your Business with Top Decision Makers in Washington State. “The goal is for them to work with a college and work with a transition counselor to figure out the best path forward for them as they transition out of the military and move into the civilian sector.” — Cary Ingram, VIE-25 Coordinator And soldiers are able to go to class during their so-called “duty day,” while still working active duty in the armed forces. “This is a huge benefit for those transitioning,” Ingram said. “Ultimately it just gives them six months more to prepare for that separation date.” It also helps America’s workforce shortage. There were many headlines in the second half of 2018 that highlighted the huge number of job openings, which sometimes exceeded the number of people looking for work. There were still 7 million open jobs as of September, the federal government reported. Overall, the VIE-25 program is just one piece of a much larger puzzle. And it works. The program is focused on a labor pool that’s already equipped with many of the soft skills Washington employers need, supporters say: Reliability, punctuality, problem-solving and teamwork, for example. By helping these veterans gain new certifications, the state has taken a step in the right direction, and made Washington’s workforce shortage that much better. To learn more about workforce challenges and solutions, please contact AWB’s Amy Anderson at 360.943.1600 or [email protected]. Advertise with Washington Business magazine is distributed to more than 8,000 subscribers ranging from CEOs and managers to owners of small, medium and large businesses statewide. Our readers—including top executives, industry leaders and state and national lawmakers—are your customers. Target your message and get results with Washington Business magazine. To inquire about our rates: Call Celeste at 360.705.3058 E-mail: [email protected] Download a rate card: www.awb.org/WaBusinessAds winter 2019 51