NAPOLITANO LAUNCHES TRAINING PROGRAM FOR FORMER MILITARY MEMBERS

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By ERIC GRAF
Cronkite News Service

PHOENIX (Wednesday, Nov. 28) _ Gov. Janet Napolitano on Wednesday helped launch Arizona’s participation in Helmets to Hardhats, a national program designed to provide construction jobs and training to National Guard, reserve and former active-duty military members.

“Helmets to Hardhats is another unique and novel way we can show our support to veterans,” Napolitano said at a news conference announcing the program.

“Veterans will be able to find quality construction careers,” she said.

“They have given a great deal to this country, and we owe it back to them,” said Brigadier Gen. Richard G. Maxon, director of the Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services.

The program, which is funded by the federal government at a cost of about $6 million a year, is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

Helmets to Hardhats’ role in Arizona is creating “linkages and partnerships” for veterans and other service members while helping address the construction industry’s consistent need for skilled men and women, Napolitano said.

With continuing growth across the state, construction remains an important part of Arizona’s economy, she said.

Helmets to Hardhats will provide assistance to servicemen and servicewomen trying to reestablish their lives as civilians by connecting them with employers who need workers with the skills and leadership developed in the military.

The program has worked well across the country and promises to help both veterans and the construction industry in Arizona, said Sean McGarvey, secretary-treasurer of the Building and Construction Department of the AFL-CIO.

“We’re in the fifth year of our program, and it’s our most successful,” McGarvey said.

Around 15,000 people across the country have gone through Helmets to Hardhats, which is a continuation of a long-standing relationship between unions and veterans, he said.

“Building trade unions and military have intersected for a hundred years,” McGarvey said. “This is nothing new for us, but this program is new.”

Helmets to Hardhats is about more than finding unemployed veterans a short-term job, said William P. Hite, general president of the United Association, which represents workers in the plumbing and pipe-fitting industry.

“It’s not just a job. It’s a career,” Hite said.

While much has been made of the downturn in housing across the state, plenty of construction opportunities remain as Arizona continues to grow, he said.

“Residential may be down, but heavy industrial more than makes up for it,” Hite said.

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Web Link:
_ Helmets to Hardhats: www.helmetstohardhats.org

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CAPTION WITH BC-CNS-HELMETS TO HARDHATS: Gov. Janet Napolitano answers questions Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2007, during a news conference launching Arizona’s participation in Helmets to Hardhats, a national program offering job training to former members of the military. At left is William P. Hite, general president of the United Association, a union representing workers in the plumbing and pipe-fitting industry. (Cronkite News Service Photo/Eric Graf)