Veterans Green Jobs Fact Sheet

ABOUT US
Veterans Green Jobs is a nonprofit organization, and our mission is to engage, transition and connect military veterans with meaningful employment opportunities that serve our communities and environment. We help veterans find career opportunities in stable economic sectors related to energy efficiency and energy conservation; clean and renewable energy; natural resource conservation; environmental restoration; and other sustainability sectors.

Founded in 2008, Veterans Green Jobs operates programs in a variety of sustainable fields. We believe that by equipping our nation’s military veterans with transferable skills, tools and resources, Veterans Green Jobs will enable veterans to maintain their sense of service, give back to their community, and contribute to a healthy, sustainable and secure future for people and the planet.

KEY FOCUS AREAS 
Service Transition. Our award-winning service transition programs provide short-term, work-intensive projects for those just completing military service or veterans ready to make a transition to a new vocational path. Hands-on projects provide veterans with transferable skills and experience, and guide them toward exciting new career and education opportunities.

Outreach, Recruitment and Placement. We are systemizing a job placement agency model that will connect veterans with employers and certified training programs across the country. By building relationships with private companies and education partners, and by working with veterans to develop employable skills, we will help directly place veterans in career positions or provide an opportunity to join the Veterans Green Jobs workforce.

Enterprise. We are building a self-sustaining organization through revenue-generating enterprises in collaboration with the public sector, private businesses and other nonprofit organizations. We are exploring enterprise opportunities in industrial and commercial energy efficiency, recycled building materials and contract workforce deployments.

Education & Training. Working in partnership with higher education institutions, conservation groups, and public and private entities, we develop education and training programs in home energy efficiency and weatherization, outdoor conservation and other sustainability fields to help veterans prepare for careers in the green jobs economy.

OUR WORKFORCE 
Throughout our programs, we make military veterans more employable by building their skill base and offering training and hands-on experience. Our training programs help veterans successfully transition to the civilian workforce and create a pathway toward employment or education opportunities. Our weatherization program directly hires both veterans and non-veterans to fulfill our contract with the Governor’s Energy Office in cooperation with our service partner, EnergyLogic Solutions, a veteran-owned organization. Regardless of their affiliation,
all of our staff members serve our mission.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Home Weatherization. Veterans Green Jobs has been awarded more than $11.8 million in contracts by the Colorado Governor’s Energy Office to provide home weatherization services to income-qualifying households in Denver, Jefferson County and the San Luis Valley. While creating new job opportunities, these services help residents stay comfortable in winter and summer, reduce utility bills, increase health and safety, and lower carbon emissions.

Veterans Green Corps. This unique program consists of veteran crews who learn how to protect and preserve natural resources. Through partnerships with conservation corps, national forests and parks, the Bureau of Land Management and government agencies, these projects offer opportunities to take care of our national treasures while working alongside other veterans. Each cohort gains firsthand experience in projects such as fire mitigation, trail building, noxious weed clean-up and more. Corps programs are offered in California, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico and Nevada – and are rapidly expanding nationwide.

Go Green Warehouse. Our Go Green Warehouse is a discount home-improvement materials store, which opened to the public in May 2011. It helps do-it-yourself homeowners, home-flippers and builders save money, conserve resources and protect the environment, while financially supporting our programs that train and employ military veterans. The Go Green Warehouse is our way of creating a long-term, sustainable nonprofit enterprise.

Veterans Green Force. Our outreach, recruitment and placement agency matches veterans’ prior military experience to the skills and qualifications that are required by green sector employers. We assist veterans individually by directing them to local training programs or to certification and graduate courses in higher education, or directly connecting them with available jobs.

Veterans Development. Recognizing a national need to help military veterans effectively reintegrate back into civilian life, we offer support services that link veterans to important resources. These include education and training, veteran benefits services, mental and physical health services, career counseling and placement assistance, and alternative tools for coping with stress.

Green Jobs Academy. In partnership with the Bucks County Community College Green Jobs Academy in Pennsylvania, we offer a training and pre-apprenticeship program that prepares military veterans for a career in electrical and solar work. The pilot program covers instruction in electrical, solar photovoltaics and sustainability, and internships.

Providing A Permanent Change of Station. VGJ recognizes a critical national need to reverse the high rates of joblessness among our veteran population, especially those who are homeless, low-income, minorities or women. We equip veterans with the skills needed to seek and acquire green jobs by offering classes, training and hands-on experience; referral services for transportation and housing; job placement assistance; and consistent follow-up across several VGJ program areas. Throughout our work, we constantly strive for ways to help veterans reach – in military terms – a permanent change of station.

AWARDS TO DATE 
In 2010, our work was recognized with the City of Lakewood’s (Colorado) Community Sustainability Award, the Corps Network’s Service Project of the Year Award, and the U.S. Forest Service’s Regional Forester Honor Award. In 2011, VGJ was a proud recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Colorado Holiday Commission Marade Committee’s New Vision Award.

Learn more about VGJ from our Donation Partner, Giving First