Veterans Green Jobs allowed me to get out of a rut to which I was very accustomed. I have been working in and out of restaurants for the past six years. Frustrated to death, I would apply at least once a week to an alternative form of work. Sadly, I would never get a call back for an interview or even a ‘thank you for applying.’ I had pretty much given up on my job search and resigned myself to the idea that my life was one of servitude. 

This vexed me to no end, because the military had given me all the tools I needed to find a well-paying job, yet no one noticed my ultimate potential. Then I saw an ad for Veterans Green Jobs.

Sean Spurr, Virginia National Guard and Virginia Weatherization Training Program Participant

My mind had been starting to go down the “green” route for some time. I had seen how wasteful human beings can be. I had seen how frustrated people are over gas prices and their energy bills because of consumption. I felt I needed to find a way to make a difference. Veterans Green Jobs laid out a plan that sounded like it would be the right and proper path for me to take if I were to be successful in chasing my dream of change.

At first, the program seemed like a lot of information intake. But the instruction gave us the confidence we needed to keep pushing on toward our common goal. It was very much a team effort, which I enjoyed immensely. I feel all people work better in a cohesive function. 

The training also covered a wide range of other skills that I didn’t even know we were going to learn, but would prove to be very helpful in the job market. The program always catered to our needs if there was an issue or something we felt we needed to learn in collaboration with the initial intent. This allowed us all to be more productive. 

Veterans Green Jobs gives one the ability to be confident that you receive good training to help you find some kind of niche in a variety of markets. I know that I will use what I have learned to either start my own business or work my way up the ladder in a corporation that will allow me to reach the goal that I have set for myself.

Sean Spurr, Virginia National Guard
Virginia Weatherization Training Program Participant

Do I need to be a Virginia resident?
• No you do not, but you would be responsible for covering your living expenses (such as transportation, housing, food, etc.). 

What is the duration of the training course?
• 4 weeks, plus an 8-week paid internship.

What kind of training is offered?
• Training for Technician/Installer and Energy Auditor.
• General training on General Construction and Safety and Environmental Awareness.
• Preparation for Building Performance Institute (BPI) certification.
• Development service at no cost throughout the training. This includes link and referral to VA services, résumé writing, financial management and a community service project in the final week of the course.  

Where is the training conducted?
• The training will take place at the LIUNA facility in Alexandria, Virginia, located at 3660-D Wheeler Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22304.

Will I have a job at the end of the training?
• We cannot guarantee you a job, but we offer a paid ($14.00/hour), 8-week internship  at the end of the course, which will increase your chances of finding permanent employment.

What are the costs associated with this course?
• Training is offered to military veterans at no cost. Lunch will be provided each day of the 4 weeks of training.

Do I get any type of stipends throughout the program?
• Participants will receive a $1000 living stipend during the 4 weeks of training. They will also receive a $1,000 bonus upon successful completion of the entire 8-week internship.

Is there a certificate(s) earned through this training?
• Yes, you will receive 3 certifications:
• Technician/Installer
• Energy Auditor
• OSHA 10

Veterans who successfully pass the BPI Building Analyst test will qualify for Building Analyst Certification following successful completion of the field work during the 8-week internship.

What type of work will I be doing in the internship?
• Interns should be prepared to: support residential energy audits, installing insulation and implementing air sealing in attics, crawl spaces, and basements, and installing as well as installing various weatherization products throughout a residential setting.

What kind of income/salary can I expect?
• Average local (Virginia) wages range from $13-15 per hour for weatherization techs and $18-20 per hour for auditors.
 
I have a disability; will this affect my ability to participate in the program?
• Depending on your disability, it may. As a weatherization tech or energy auditor, you will have to lift up to 50 pounds or more and may be working in confined spaces such as crawlspaces and attics.

**Click Here to Apply for the Training Program**

Qualified veterans can expect state of the art training, development support, and an eight-week paid internship upon successful completion of the training.

• A $1,000 living stipend during the four weeks of training.
• A $1,000 bonus upon successful completion of the entire eight-week internship.

A central component of all LIUNA training is hands-on simulated exercises that apply classroom instruction to real job situations. The curriculum used in this program is part of a catalog of over 300 accredited training modules in construction, environmental, safety and supervision skills offered to over 140,000 workers who trained each year. Much of that curriculum has received college credit recommendation from the American Council of Education.

**Click Here to Apply for the Training Program**

Program Model

This program, which embodies the principles of adult education and activity based learning, was developed based on core competencies determined by the Department of Energy—Weatherization Assistance Program (DOE – WAP).

Veterans in the program will receive credentials in three areas of weatherization:

• Technician/Installer
• Energy Auditor 
• OSHA 10

In addition, the program offers basic training on General Construction and Safety and Environmental Awareness

Finally, veterans in the program will receive our customized Veteran Development services which include:

• Link and Referral services
• Resume writing
• Financial Management Training
• Service Learning

**Click Here to Apply for the Training Program**

Weatherization Training

Technician/Installer: 10 Days
This training will meet the demand for a skilled, safe and productive weatherization workforce. The 2-week program includes building science, sealing the building envelope, insulating and sealing ductwork, and installing insulation.

Energy Auditor: 5 Days
Veterans interested in becoming energy auditors must first have the competencies of a technician/installer and weatherization supervisor. The energy auditor program includes: selecting and suing diagnostic equipment, interpreting diagnostic results, identifying measures for improving energy efficiency, selecting, calculating and ordering the appropriate materials, and developing a written job plan.

Basic Training

General Construction and Safety and Environmental Hazards: 5 Days
Training includes: basic construction skills, tool identification and use, construction math (presented in classroom and hands-on learning environments), awareness training for asbestos, mold, avian, bat and rodent feces, lead renovator, and OSHA 10-hour certification.

Veteran Development

Our veteran development services will be incorporated into all aspects of the training courses. Through these “surround support” services we will round out the experience of the veterans participating in the program, help them recover from any barriers they are facing, and set them up for success.

Veterans will receive:

• An extensive briefing on their earned VA benefits (4 hours)
• A resume writing class and mock job interviews (4 hours)
• Basic financial management training (4 hours)
• Service learning through a community volunteering project (4 hours)

If you are interested, please contact Veterans Green Jobs at training@veteransgreenjobs.org or call 339-222-3070.

**Click Here to Apply for the Training Program**

• Please note that Veterans Green Corps programs are seasonal with no guarantee of ongoing employment.

• Post-program opportunities may include hiring on with a Natural Resource Agency or other programs in Veterans Green Jobs. If desired, each Veterans Green Corps participant will receive ongoing support from Veterans Green Jobs for education, career development-placement and social opportunities.

Veterans Green Corps (VGC) is hiring veterans who are up for a challenge and want to continue serving their country in America’s great outdoors.

VGC conservation work is focused on protecting and preserving our public lands. Done in cooperation with national forests, national parks, the Bureau of Land Management, and state and local government agencies, these projects are an opportunity to take care of our national treasures while working alongside other vets with common goals.

Two VGC crewmembers hard at work.

Veteran crews are trained and hired to work on projects such as trail construction and maintenance, fencing, habitat improvement, hazardous fuels reduction, noxious weed removal, re-vegetation and more. Prior experience doing conservation work is not required!

Projects are described below. Get in touch immediately to apply for this rewarding opportunity – and get geared up for a chance to work with The Corps Network’s Service Project of the Year organization!

Calling All Military Vets
This is tough work!

• Conservation projects are physically demanding and will often require heavy lifting and hiking with equipment and packs.
• Corps members may be required to use various hand tools for project completion.
• Crews may work and camp outside for up to 11 days at a time in frontcountry and/or backcountry locations in all types of weather conditions.
• Crews prepare all their own meals and work together as a group to complete all necessary living chores.
• A typical all-veteran crew consists of 6-8 members, 2 leaders and 1-2 members serving as veteran advocates.
• VGC programs provide all necessary training.
• Living and working in the outdoors offers an incredibly rewarding experience!

Conservation Projects

Great Basin Institute, Nevada Conservation Corps – Las Vegas, Nevada
Throughout the summer and fall seasons, a 6-person veteran crew will complete technical trail building and maintenance on U.S. Forest Service trails in the Spring Mountains. Don’t let the nearby desert landscape fool you! The Spring Mountains are rich in forests, streams and mountain vistas. Work will include constructing trail treads, cutting fallen trees from the trail, building water diversion structures, constructing rock retaining walls and much more. Crew work begins in mid-May and continues into November. Learn more about our partnering corps. (THESE POSITIONS HAVE BEEN FILLED.)

A VGC crew taking a break during a hard days work.

Southwest Conservation Corps – Salida, Colorado
Two summer technical trail crews, and one fall technical trail crew, each with 8 veterans, 2 crew leaders and 6 crew members, will work in the southern Colorado Rockies based out of the Arkansas River headwaters in Salida, Colorado. Trail work will commence in the Rio Grande National Forest with an emphasis on maintenance. Crews will often camp out in the backcountry for days at a time, and the schedule will be nine days on/five days off. Work includes rock removal from trail tread, tree clearing with crosscut saws in wilderness areas, and rehabilitation of water diversion structures. Summer crew members will train May 30, and work will be completed by August 20. Fall crew work will be completed September 6 to October 30 (training starts one week prior for crew leaders). Learn more about our partnering corps.

Southwest Conservation Corps – Durango, Colorado
One summer and one fall saw crew, each with 8 veterans and 2 crew leaders, will conduct fire mitigation and hazardous fuel removal in the southern Colorado Rockies. This work is focused on decreasing the risk associated with wildfires, which pose great threats to intermountain communities throughout the western U.S. Crews will receive chainsaw training to safely reduce wildfire risk by cutting out weak, dead and crowded trees in overgrown forests. The project will begin in August and end in November. Learn more about our partnering corps.

Annie, a saw crew member on the job

Montana Conservation Corps – Medicine Bow – Wyoming and Colorado
Two 8-person saw crews will be formed to remove dead trees that are victims of Mountain Pine Beetle attacks. Over time, dead standing trees present a hazard as they become weak and eventually fall. Crews will be trained on safety and use of chainsaws to eliminate this risk along trail corridors and public use areas. Each crew will have 2 crew leaders and will operate throughout the Routt/Medicine Bow National Forest along the Colorado-Wyoming border. The summer project begins June 14 for crew leaders and June 21 for crew members, and will continue for 12 weeks. Learn more about our partnering corps.

Utah Conservation Corps – Logan, Utah
A 4-person trail crew will be formed to perform conservation work on public lands. Projects will be completed in Providence Canyon in the Cache National Forest May 26 to Aug. 14. Women are strongly encouraged to apply – we need a woman to fill out this crew! Learn more about our partnering corps.

Apply Today
And get ready for the experience of a lifetime.
Contact vgc [at] veteransgreenjobs.org

Who is eligible: All honorably discharged veterans, veterans with a DD 214 or paperwork showing current military status, veterans with all levels of experience.

Before you begin the application, please read the following:

Thank you for your interest in Veterans Green Jobs training and workforce opportunities. Due to the wide range of projects and courses Veterans Green Jobs provides, our application is extensive.

Please have your employment history, education history, contact information for a reference and critical information documents (DD214) handy before beginning the forms. There is no way to save your progress.

Mandatory questions are marked with an *. You will not be able to submit the application until these fields are completed. Failure to properly complete the field (i.e. incorrect email format) will result in a processing delay for your application.

On the application, there is a checkbox for proof of service. If you currently possess a copy of your proof of service, please check this box. We will contact you regarding electronic submission of your proof of service later. If you do not have a copy, we can work with you to obtain one.

Additional disclaimers are included in the application for specific fields. They are marked with . To view the disclaimers, simply hover your mouse over the image.

Veterans Green Jobs takes assisting veterans very seriously and any attempt to imitate a veteran or provide fraudulent information will be reported under the Stolen Valor Act.

There is something I find rewarding about an early to bed – early to rise, day of hard work. In addition, the Veterans I am lucky enough to serve with, bare the knowledge, functionality, and cohesion of a professional crew with decades of combined experience. We have three more similar hitches leading into the end of August, and I am looking forward to the wealth of knowledge to be attained from such a diverse yet united group of individuals.

On August 24th Veterans Green Corps will be launching its 13-week, Fire Fuels Reduction Program. The program’s overview will include fire fuels reduction & mitigation, noxious tree removal, and forestry and wildfire education projects on Colorado Public lands. Work will include: wild land urban interface thinning; beetle-kill Juniper thinning; Russian Olive and Tamarisk removal; and habitat enhancement thinning projects. Members will receive firefighting and power equipment national standard S-212 and 130/190 certifications.

I need to express thanks and admiration for the dedicated folks at the Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC) in conjunction with Veterans Green Jobs for the outstanding opportunities they’ve made available to myself and my fellow Veterans.

If you are a current era Veteran looking for a challenge, and could use some work, don’t hesitate to check the web site and fill out an application.

-Ray Curry
USMC OIF Veteran
Veterans Green Jobs Energy Efficiency Professional

June 2, 2009:  A Call to Arms: Veterans Become Green Job Heroes

Garett Reppenhagen, OIF Veteran 1st Infantry Division
Regional Program Director, Veterans Green Jobs

In Arthurian Legend the Knights of the Round Table gathered in Camelot in a call to arms for a higher purpose. The knights were driven by honorable principles, and their sense of equality and common cause united them.  Although they swore allegiance to King Arthur and Camelot, they served people in need and they served each other. Through trials and perseverance, the knights overcame personal struggles and elevated their kingdom into a utopian realm that was prosperous. Camelot also became a symbol of their aspirations.

King Arthur claims that, “Deeds themselves are useless unless they are for some higher purpose.” The veteran participants in the phase one training have not only answered the call to service, but have taken on a higher purpose: the ambition to help restore our environment, economy and communities.

Their aim is to build a society that has affordable renewable energy, sustainable habits, respect for our environment and wild-lands, and support for those suffering from disasters due to the consequences of global climate change.

These heroes have stepped forward to claim their contemporary quest, and have already achieved so much. The Home Energy Efficiency Audit Training (HEAT) that these veterans have completed is a pioneer course that will be the Veterans Green Jobs flagship training program to be expanded into a national program.

The veterans have gone from strangers to brothers in a short seven week period, working and studying together to hone their knowledge and skills. Brothers don’t always get along and sometimes become competitive, but they also look after each other and are friends when friends are in need. The course has tested their faith, their patience and their will, but by the end of the course, steel has emerged from the fire, and squires have ascended to knights.

It it would appear that we are entering a time in history when we need champions to step up. The damage we have already inflected upon our habitat is severe and many of the worlds most educated feel we are approaching the point of no return. However, dark times produce exceptional individuals. King Arthur has also said, “There is no worse death than the end of hope.”

Garett Reppenhagen, Veteran Crew Leader near Bluff, UT - April 2009

I look upon the fifteen vets that have joined Veterans Green Jobs first program and I have hope for our future.  Their character and unique strengths, combined with their military experience and their sense of service, make them the most qualified leaders to carry our citizens through this dangerous era.

They assemble into a team dedicated to their mission. However, many leave here as knights-errant on solo quests, which they must accomplish through their own initiatives. Some will remain in groups to take on tasks by working together and empowering more veterans to join the cause.

No matter where their adventures take them, I will have utmost confidence in their capabilities, I will cherish the times we have spent over these last months and I will be honored  to be gifted with their continued friendship.

Fellow knights good luck in your efforts and we will meet once again in at our Round Table and build a new Camelot.

Ray Curry, HEAT Program Participant

After deploying to Iraq, I have many-a-buried-memory of entering strangers’ homes. These invasive orders were to directly ensure the safety of my Unit and myself. However, typically finding nothing of note, they made me feel like a perpetrator. In a detachment of security personnel, we become a tightly-knit fire team, equipped with high-speed gear to ensure the efficiency of our movements and missions.

As a ‘Green Veteran’ I have now been equipped with the training, tools and team for a different much-needed mission. Entering the homes of strangers on a daily basis to conduct home energy audits, I initially felt a hint of apprehension. Knocking on the first door, a 93 yr old woman named Patricia answered and I could immediately see that we shared that apprehension. After brief introductions, noting that we were veterans, I could see a sense of trust and respect begin to establish itself. We found ourselves sitting around the kitchen table, hearing stories and updates on her family members that were and are in the military.

Patricia was more than happy to show us around her home, giving us a brief – yet thorough – history of each room and appliance. As I examined the crawl space under her home, attic, and the rest, I began to feel an overwhelming sense of service and connection, knowing we were going to be able to make sure her pipes didn’t freeze and her heat wasn’t shut off this upcoming winter. I was no longer the perpetrator, but the fixer.

Accurately articulating the myriad of emotions I feel, assisting one family at a time would end in futile attempts. I am encouraged because my fellow participants in VGJ’s HEAT program all share these feelings towards this community. Daily, the second-wind of service re-enters my focus, and I am honored to be a part of the driving force that will tend to our suffering environment, heal our ailing economy, and re-connect and empower our communities.

-Ray Curry
USMC OIF Veteran
Veterans Green Jobs Energy Efficiency Professional