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This week, U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez called on business leaders to renew their commitment to the hiring of military veteran job seekers throughout the nation. The newly-released 2013 Employment Situation of Veterans report by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics cites that veterans’ unemployment dropped from 7 percent in 2012 to 6.6 percent. It also outlined a drop in 2013 unemployment for women veterans from 8.3 percent in 2012 to 6.9 percent in 2013 and a decrease from 9.9 percent to 9 percent for all Gulf War-era II veterans.

At National Able Network, we are proud to be contributing to this progress. But our work is far from complete. Every day, I have the opportunity to speak with business leaders about the value that the veterans who come out of our program can add to their workforce. As I write this, we have more than 700 veterans registered in our program. Just this month, we hosted a hiring event for a growing company and 9 of our veterans clients were hired in just one day. We have excellent job candidates and in-house expertise to share with business owners about Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). Our services take all of the guesswork and stress investment out of the hiring process.

Veterans Forward is what we call our employment services for veterans at National Able Network. And for good reason: “Forward” is a preparatory command that is followed by an executory command. This is familiar to any service member, so from the first moment veterans enter our doors, they immediately take the first steps toward civilian careers.

I am often asked how we help veterans. The truth is, there is no “one-size-fits-all” answer. Each veteran is on their own unique journey, and we offer services that run the gamut from very personalized one-on-one career counseling to open workshops and hiring events for those who just need a venue to showcase their talents. All veterans enrolled in our program receive weekly job leads, many of which are exclusively for veteran job seekers. National Able Network also operates four American Jobs Centers in Cook County that are full of priority resources just for veterans.

If you are a veteran or a business owner, I encourage you to contact us immediately. Learn more by visiting www.nationalable.org/veterans.