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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 219-5573
African American veterans are leaving military service
with skills much in demand in today's civilian labor market, but many still
face employment barriers based on discrimination and negative stereotypes.
Breaking down these barriers and informing employers about the abilities of
today's veterans is a top priority of the Department of Labor's Veterans
Employment and Training Service (VETS).
That's the message Assistant Secretary for Veterans
Employment and Training Preston M. Taylor brought to the NAACP Convention in
Charlotte, N.C. today. Taylor told the participants at a workshop on the
relationship of racism and veterans issues that "African American veterans are
well-educated, self-disciplined, reliable, motivated, and drug free."
One in four African American veterans earned less than
$10,000 in 1992, compared with just one in 10 white veterans. "That's
essentially a minimum wage existence," said Taylor.
Because of employment barriers faced by African Americans
and other groups of veterans, Taylor assured the workshop participants that
VETS is "devoting more attention and resources to minority groups, the
disabled, and other veterans with two strikes against them."
Taylor told participants that the unemployment rate for
the nation's one and a half million African American veterans in the work
force, was about seven percent in 1995, nearly double the rate for white
veterans. African American male veterans aged 20-24 were three times as likely
to be jobless as whites.
Concluding that African American veterans face a double
stereotype based on racial discrimination and misinformation about today's
veterans, Taylor said, "Too many Americans are still living with the old
Vietnam syndrome that veterans are drones and drug addicts."
The reality, according to Taylor, is that veterans leaving
the armed services today are more highly educated than ever before, most are
computer literate, and many have acquired skills in occupational categories
much in demand in the civilian labor force. Taylor pointed with pride to the
six million veterans who have received job counseling, vocational guidance,
training, and placement services and the 1.7 million veterans helped into jobs
since President Clinton took office.
In order to increase services to veterans in a time of
reduced government spending, Taylor outlined actions being taken by the
Department of Labor to help those groups needing more intensive and specialized
services. Veterans service representatives in the employment service system
triage every incoming veteran and those needing the most assistance, including
many African Americans, receive a customized case-management approach.
"We will be redirecting the focus of veterans service
representatives that will prepare them better to serve the differing needs of
African American, Hispanic, women, and other categories of veterans needing
help entering the civilian labor market," Taylor said.
The rapid growth of America's Job Bank, the consolidation
of the employment service system, and other high technology initiatives are
forging stronger links between matching the work force needs of employers and
the skills of available workers. Veterans will have access to more and better
jobs because of these initiatives, according to Taylor.
As assistant secretary of the Veterans Employment and
Training Service (VETS), Taylor oversees all Department of Labor veterans'
employment and training services, veterans' reemployment rights, and
affirmative action requirements of federal contractors. VETS also monitors
performance standards for the delivery of employment services to veterans by
state employment service systems, coordinates all transition assistance
programs for separating service members, and conducts a nationwide outreach
program to inform employers, veterans, reservists, and national guard members
of the services available to them.
Taylor, himself an African American, is a retired
brigadier general and was deputy adjutant general of New Jersey before coming
to the Department of Labor. He served on active duty in the Air Force from 1954
to 1960.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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