Governor McAuliffe Announces Virginia Values Veterans (V3) Program Reaches 20,000 Hires ~ The award-winning program reaches Governor’s goal over 400 days early ~
Governor Terry McAuliffe today announced that Virginia Values Veterans (V3) Program-certified employers have hired 20,000 veterans across Virginia since 2012. The V3 program reached the 20,000 hired veterans benchmark over 400 days ahead of schedule, as Governor McAuliffe challenged the program to meet the goal by January 2018. Speaking at the Dominion Charity Classic’s V3 Hiring Event, Governor McAuliffe thanked the over 700 Virginia employers who have joined the V3 Program and have committed to making veterans an integral part of their workforce.
“The success of the Virginia Values Veterans program is a clear example of the enormous benefits innovative public-private solutions can bring to our economy and to families across the Commonwealth,” said Governor McAuliffe, speaking at today’s announcement. “The V3 Program connects Virginia companies with veterans seeking employment, and has shown that hiring veterans is one of the best business decisions an employer can make. We will continue the progress of this outstanding program, and continue to ensure that Virginia remains the best place in the country for veterans and their families.”
The V3 Program is a national award-winning training and certification program for employers, and helps employers implement best practices in recruiting, hiring, and retaining veterans. As part of the V3 certification process, employers set individual goals to hire veterans and report progress on those goals back to the V3 Program.
“I’m very proud of our partners in the V3 Program,” stated Virginia Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs John C. Harvey, Jr. “More and more companies are committing to the program, and surpassing their own goals. The momentum is huge – for veterans, businesses, and the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
The announcement was made at the Dominion Charity Classic’s V3 Hiring Event Presented by WestRock, at which 12 employers met with nearly 100 veterans to discuss job openings and career opportunities. The Dominion Charity Classic is a charitable tournament in the PGA Champions tour, and the title sponsor, Dominion Resources, Inc., announced last year that it would donate all charitable proceeds to the Virginia Veterans Services Foundation on behalf of the V3 Program.
For more information about the V3 Program, contact V3 Program Manager Andrew Schwartz at (804) 371-2682 or Andrew.Schwartz@dvs.virginia.gov, or visit the V3 website here.
About the V3 Program:
The V3 Program is an official Commonwealth of Virginia Program, organized by the Virginia Department of Veterans Services (VDVS), which operates 26 benefit services offices that assist veterans and their family members in filing claims for federal veterans benefits; two veterans care centers offering skilled nursing, Alzheimer’s/dementia, and short term rehabilitative care for veterans; and three veterans cemeteries that provide an honored final resting place for veterans and their families. VDVS provides veterans and family members with direct linkages to needed services including behavioral healthcare, housing, employment, education, and other programs. The Department operates the Virginia War Memorial, the Commonwealth of Virginia’s monument to honor the memory of Virginia’s men and women who demonstrated a willingness to serve and fight to defend our way of life from World War II to the present. To learn more, please visit www.dvs.virginia.gov.