Obama administration seeks grants for veterans jobs programs

2/3/2012

The Obama administration recently unveiled a plan that would not only help rebuild America's infrastructure but also put a dent in stubbornly high veteran unemployment. The administration hopes to obtain more grant money to form the so-called Veterans Jobs Corps, The Associated Press reports.

The program will be targeted specifically at veterans that served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The subset of soldiers have an unemployment rate of about 13.1 percent, significantly higher than the civilian rate of 8.3 percent. The Veterans Jobs Corps will take a page out of the Civilian Conservation Corps, which helped unemployed Americans get back to work in the 1930s while rebuilding roads, trails and levees.

"When one looks back at the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps, we take great comfort that those who take on these kinds of activities will leave a lasting legacy for the United States," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told the AP.

Among the other initiatives put forward by Obama is an incentive for towns to hire former soldiers as first responders, such as police and firefighters.

The programs may become increasingly important in the coming months and years as thousands of servicemembers are expected to leave service. According to Reuters, as many as 80,000 troops may be cut.