Sylvan Learning, Inc. is inviting small-business owners and entrepreneurs to a free seminar, “Discover Sylvan Learning: A How-To Seminar on Franchise ownership,” in Chicago on October 15. The seminar will take place at 10 a.m. at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Forum, in conjunction with our own Veteran Opportunity Expo—which opens at 11:00 a.m. Sylvan Learning is also sponsoring the expo.

The seminar will be open to the general public, but we will restrict attendance at the Expo to job seekers who have military backgrounds, including military spouses, and representatives of organizations that are exhibiting at the Expo. Afternoon seminars will be open only to individuals who are attending the Expo. Sylvan has created an electronic pre-registration site for the seminars.

Sylvan Learning, founded in 1979, provides in-center, online, and home tutoring to students of all ages, grades, and skill levels. Sylvan delivers individual instruction, supplemented by independent learning, in reading, writing, mathematics, study skills, and test preparation for college entrance and state exams. The company recently launched a national expansion plan to convert its corporate centers to local franchises, while expanding in new and existing territories.

. . . that’s the title of an article written for us by HR professional Susan Sterritt and published in our bimonthly print magazine, Search & Employ. Susan is a learning and development consultant with Employers Resource Association in Cincinnati.  She is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources, and she served for nine years in the United States Army Reserve.

The article takes the form of an interview, with Susan answering the following questions:

Why is it a good business practice to hire disabled veterans?

Who qualifies as a “disabled veteran”?
The Americans with Disabilities Act covers disabled employees. What other laws should we consider?

Am I allowed to ask special questions to determine whether a veteran has a service-connected disability?

Are we allowed to give preference to disabled veterans over other applicants?

Are there financial incentives to be gained by hiring a disabled veteran?

Can you list some websites so we can get started?

Here is the article in full:

            Search & Employ: Why is it a good business practice to hire disabled veterans?

First, let me say that I strongly favor the hiring of veterans because I believe that is the “right” thing to do. But I can also share an extensive list of business reasons, starting with this one: Many critical skills have already been put to the test for you. 

     Absent a dishonorable discharge, veterans have mastered self-discipline, a very important attribute for most civilian positions. Individuals do not survive in the military very long if they lack self-control, the ability to take directions and follow through on responsibilities in a timely fashion, and the skill to get along and work closely with others, often under conditions of extreme stress. Veterans have been willing to put themselves on the line for the good of others and the mission at hand.  Many have served in demanding leadership positions as well. A valuable bonus for the civilian world is that veterans are accustomed to arriving at a specified place on time, day after day, “ready to roll.”

S&E: Who qualifies as a “disabled veteran”?

An individual who has served on active duty in the United States armed forces, was honorably discharged, and has a service-connected disability. The term also applies to individuals who receive compensation, disability retirement benefits, or a pension due to a public statute administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs or a military department. 

     A word of caution: Do not confuse this definition of “disability” with the more detailed definition of an “individual with a disability” used in the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act and the ADA Amendments Act). A veteran with a service-connected disability is not automatically protected by the provisions of the ADA.  However, many veterans who were wounded while on active duty meet both the definition of “disabled veteran” and the ADA’s definition of an “individual with a disability.”

S&E: The ADA covers disabled employees.  What other laws should we consider?

If the veteran was your employee previously, you will want to take a look at the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). Provisions of USERRA cover re-employment rights and the requirement to allow the veteran to return to a situation s/he would have attained had s/he never left for military service.

     If the veteran would be a new addition, you will want to consider the same aspects of the ADA (and the Amendments Act) as you would for any other qualified candidate with a disability. Title I of the ADA generally requires covered employers to make reasonable accommodations—changes in the workplace or in the way things are usually done to provide individuals with disabilities equal employment opportunities. But the fact that an individual is a qualified disabled veteran does not automatically mean any change or accommodation will be necessary. 

S&E: Am I allowed to ask special questions to determine whether a veteran has a service-connected disability?

Before anyone at your company interviews any candidate, I strongly recommend that the interviewer become intimately acquainted with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidance regarding what and how certain questions may be posed to any job applicant—not just an applicant whose disability is apparent, known, or made known. Refer to www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/preemp.html .

     If you are seeking specifically to hire someone with a service-connected disability, then, under certain conditions, you may ask applicants to self-identify voluntarily as individuals with disabilities or as “disabled veterans.” Generally, to do so, your company must fall within affirmative action planning thresholds and/or be voluntarily using the information to benefit individuals with disabilities, including veterans with service-connected disabilities. 

S&E: Are we allowed to give preference to  disabled veterans over another applicants?

In many cases, yes. The ADA neither requires nor prohibits affirmative action on behalf of disabled individuals.

     Companies with affirmative action plans often proactively recruit veterans to their workforce and also file an online VETS-100/100A report annually.

     If you are a federal employer or agency, you will have separate rules that pertain only to you, allowing you to use “special hiring authorities” to bring disabled vets on board outside the normal competitive process. You will want to take a look at Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act. Helpful information is also available at: www.opm.gov/disability/appointment_disabilities.asp,   and www.opm.gov/veterans/html/vetguide.asp.

S&E: Are there financial incentives to be gained by hiring a disabled veteran?

In some situations, small businesses—those with gross receipts not exceeding $1 million or with no more than 30 full-time employees—are entitled to an income tax credit for expenditures incurred while making their business accessible to individuals with disabilities. The best advice is to consult your company’s tax attorney about this—and again, speak with your state’s employment service.

S&E: Can you list some websites so we can get started? 

I would start with the comprehensive government agency sites, such as those of the EEOC for ADA issues, and the Department of Labor (DOL) for USERRA. Then, visit www.dol.gov/vets, www.servicelocator.org and www.va.gov. 

     To reach out to Veterans Service Organizations, try www.va.gov/vso. When you are ready to learn more about reasonable accommodation, look at www.jan.wvu.edu and www.tricare.mil/cap.

     Another valuable site is www.disability.gov, which the DOL launched in late July for people with disabilities, their family members, veterans, caregivers, employers, and others. The new site, previously named www.disabilityinfo.gov, features comprehensive information about disability-related programs and services, as well as social media tools.

 RecruitMilitary sincerely hopes all of our clients and prospects win their share of the available stimulus dollars, and when you do, please spend that money on hiring great veteran talent – the talent you will need to perform well on these contracts.

LISTEN to Ed HERE    

Thanks to Ed for his great work on the RecruitMilitary PSA's (public service announcements) and his awesome support of  our mission to help veterans and military families across the country find quality career opportunities.

FYI: Ed Autry was awarded two Air Force Commendation medals and an Air Force Achievement medal for his service as a military broadcaster.

You too can hire a 'real veteran voice'... a man who's both a broadcast veteran... and a military veteran. Check out his website www.EdAutryVoiceovers.com

As RecruitMilitary has evolved within the military-to-civilian niche, we've learned a lot about how organizations and candidates interact.  The biggest need among the 200,000 military veterans who transition out annually is to find a job or career.  Pretty simple.  But the recession has helped candidates and organizations alike consider that everyone has a lot more options than that.  And we help not just the transitioning group, but everyone who has honorably served.

We're working with more than 65 franchisors nationally - they are all seeking veterans and military spouses to work with.  We have more than 100 educational institutions who are seeking new students from the military niche.  With discounting and financing programs for veterans, franchising makes a lot of sense to potential entrepreneurs.  With the new GI Bill, going back to school makes more sense than ever.

So our events have evolved into large scale expos - where all legitimate organizations with opportunities - educational opportunities, franchising opportunities, and job and career opportunities are very welcome, and all these attending organizations are flourishing in their recruiting efforts due to the great candidate traffic.

How did we come up with the name change?  We asked you - our customers and opportunity-seeking candidates.  Here is what you told us:

Customers - we surveyed 62 different organizations and the majority of these respondents stated they liked the name "expos" better than "fairs" or "events".  Interestingly, the majority of respondents were direct employers - and yet, they still voted for expos ahead of fairs.

We asked 209 different veterans what we should call the events.  The overwhelming majority selected "All Veterans Total Opportunity".   This was selected from a group of choices that included career fairs, career and education fairs, and several others.

Internally, after much discussion, we decided to shorten that to RecruitMilitary Opportunity Expos.  As many of our readers and customers know, we produce these expos in huge and popular venues:  NFL and MLB stadiums, museums, and other terrific, media popular locations.  So an expo is the right name - and the opportunities (all well vetted and legitimate) better describes all of the choices our exhibitors bring to each expo.

The report also said that 6.7 million jobs had been lost since December 2007 (the month that appears to have been the start of the recession.)

It appears the economy is on its way - if you are going to work with just one person in 2009, make it a transitioning military person, a military veteran, or military spouse.  

Fortunately, there have always been these four great business reasons: 1) character; 2) skills & training; 3) diversity; and 4) security clearances – each of these could be the subject of a separate blog.

As a result of The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, there is now a fifth great economic justification for employers to do the right thing; employers can take up to $2,400 for every qualifying veteran that they hire between now and December 31, 2010 (retroactive to January 1, 2009). To qualify, the veteran hired must:

• be discharged or released from active duty in the Armed Forces at any time during the 5-year period ending on the hiring date, AND
• be in receipt of unemployment compensation under State or Federal law for not less than 4 weeks during the 1- year period ending on the hiring date.

Contact us for more help navigating through this process.

FIRST

There are 2.6 million positions available at the end of May, up from 2.5 million in April.

Sectors Hiring

537,000: Jobs open in education/health services in May
520,000: Jobs open in business/professional services in May
302,000: Jobs open in retail in May

Where the Jobs Are Geographically

545,000: Job openings in the Northeast
922,000: Job openings in the South
517,000: Job openings in the Midwest
567,000: Job openings in the West

In and Out

52.9 million: Number of hires from May '08 - May '09
57.8 million: Layoffs, resignations, and others in same period

The new bill includes a housing and book stipend and tuition support equal to the highest public in-state rate and allows the transfer of benefits to a spouse or child.  It really increases the choices a veteran has to increase his or her education.

Now is a great time to take the recession off and go back to school.  Contact us for information on schools - or information on contacting veterans about your different educational programs.