New Program Offers Assistance to Separating Guardsmen

Soldiers and airmen looking for a career with great pay and benefits that puts a market value on their military skills after they leave the military may want to check out a new federally-funded program called "Helmets to Hardhats."

Information about the program can be found at http://www.helmetstohardhats.org/ or by calling, toll free, at 1-866-741-6210 to learn more about the program and to register.

This not-for-profit program opens a line of communication between the Guard and Reserve and the country’s construction industry. Service members with construction skills, and who are separating from the military, can use it to job opportunities. Helmets to Hardhats also provides those who want to learn construction skills to find training programs that allow them to learn while getting paid.

Information about the program can be found at www.helmetstohardhats.org or by calling, toll free, 1-866-741-6210. Among the 10,000 opportunities listed on the site are positions for bricklayers, carpenters, cement masons, electricians, operating engineers, painters, plumber and pipe fitters, ironworkers, insulators and roofers.

Additional information can also be obtained by contacting Cliff Mashburn, South Eastern regional recruiter for Helmets to Hardhats, at (404) 427-1293 or by e-mail cmashburn@eaglegroupint.com

Funded through the FY2003 Department of Defense budget, Helmets to Hardhats was launched in January. It is administered by the Center for Military Recruitment, Assess-ment and Veterans Employment. The center was established by Congress to serve as a one-stop shop for what have been deemed to be the best construction jobs across the nation. The Army administers the center’s funding.