While we reserve a few days per year to honor our veterans, these heroes are part of the fabric of our lives all year round. When we devote time, resources, and care to America’s veterans, we are not only celebrating these individuals for their patriotism, but we are also honoring them for the sacrifices they have made for our freedom. Today and every day, our team at Friday Services expresses gratitude for all the brave men and women who have served our country in the United States Armed Forces. We invite you to join us in reflecting on the many heroes in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard who have given us all so much through their service.
Friday’s Commitment to Veteran Job Assistance
Unemployment is just one of many challenges facing our veterans when they return to civilian life. At Friday Services, we are dedicated to providing comprehensive veteran job help and have helped more than 600 veterans find employment in western North Carolina. Check out our detailed guide on simple and specific resume advice for veterans, which includes a military skills translator that converts the language you used during your service into terms a civilian employer can better understand.
We put together this list of several local organizations that share our commitment to providing veteran job help and supporting our nation’s heroes. Many of these organizations partner with one another to offer the most comprehensive knowledge and veteran job assistance. When we combine our efforts, there is no limit to what we can do.
Veteran Job Resources in North Carolina
Goodwill’s Operation GoodJobs
Goodwill Industries of Northwest NC offers classes and veteran job assistance to the community at the Asheville Center. In the words of one Goodwill employee, “We provide a wide range of services, but at the core is helping people find employment and get job ready. We have an open resource lab that people can use at any time on a walk-in basis called Career Connections. In Career Connections, we help people with job search, interviews, interview clothes, applications, and so on.”
In addition to referring veterans to Friday Services, Goodwill also posts Friday Services’s job openings in Career Connections. Veterans are encouraged to inquire about scholarships that help cover the cost of classes held at the center.
For the past couple years, Goodwill’s free program—Operation GoodJobs—has assisted veterans and their families with not only employment, but also resources throughout western North Carolina, including the VA, Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (ABCCM), NC Works, and State VocRehab, among others.
When enrolling a veteran, the veteran job assistance program considers:
- Career assessment
- Individualized career plans
- Job training and credentialing
- Financial education
- Job placement and career advancement services
- Transitional services
- Family support services
- Connections to healthy food and nutrition services
- Assistance with early education and child care
ABCCM
Lack of housing can be a huge obstacle to employment for veterans. Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (ABCCM) supports veterans from their offices on the campus of the Veterans Restoration Quarters in Asheville. One program manager explains, “[We] help men and women living in ABCCM’s transitional housing who are ready to re-enter the workforce identify a living-wage career path that excites them, to get the short-term training they need to follow that career path, and then help them find a permanent job in the community.”
As part of program enrollment, ABCCM offers veteran job assistance via career assessments and helps veterans map out their career and self-sufficiency goals. “For homeless male and female veterans, ABCCM offers transitional housing, training, an extensive curriculum of free life skills courses taught on campus, employment assistance, case management, assistance with finding permanent housing, paying rent, transportation, accessing health care, disability claims, and legal needs. For female veterans at Steadfast House, we also offer enriching childcare. For those participating in the Transitional Employment Program, we also offer them jobs to get them jump started into a good career.”
Friday Services has proudly helped 34 residents of Veterans Quarters find jobs. ABCCM’s Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) not only covers the finances of short-term training and job assistance for homeless veterans, but also provides support and encouragement. A program representative shares, “I think collaboration within ABCCM’s ministries, with our volunteers, with other agencies and with employers to bring the veterans all the resources they need to gain self-sufficiency is what has made our HVRP program so successful.”
NCWorks
Under the NC Department of Commerce, NCWorks is a program of the NC Division of Workforce Solutions, which is responsible for referring people to jobs and helping them find suitable training to become work-ready. NCWorks encourages employers to list open jobs with NCWorks and to hire qualified veterans in Buncombe, Madison, Transylvania, and Henderson counties.
From workshops to one-on-one appointments, NCWorks Career Centers offer support for people seeking employment. Western North Carolina Centers are located at 48 Grove Street in Asheville, Blue Ridge Community College Flat Rock and Brevard, and A-B Tech in Marshall.
There are several ways to interact with NCWorks and receive veteran job assistance. You can register online, by phone, or in person at one of the locations. Veterans receive priority for service and will be served first as a walk in. That is, they will be served ahead of civilian walk-ins. It is advantageous for a veteran seeking employment to have as much information as possible in the NCWorks system. During the first 24 hours that a job is posted, the system will only locate veterans who possess the required skills. Veterans who are good matches will be contacted. After 24 hours, the job will become open to everyone.
Veterans Healing Farm
Since 2013, Veterans Healing Farm (VHF) has provided a safe, peaceful environment for veterans to receive beneficial therapies and learn farming and homesteading skills. Programming includes agritherapy, equine and canine therapy, art and music therapy, and more. Spending time at VHF allows veterans to connect and spend time with other veterans and learn healthy habits together, such as nutritious eating, building relationships, and exercise. Friday Services is proud to volunteer with VHF and support veterans referred to us by the VHF team.
Job Help For Veterans With Friday Staffing
If you are a veteran, our team at Friday Services would love to help you find a new job. Check out our open jobs and apply today! Contact us with any questions—and thank you for your service.
