King County Councilmembers approve study on creating internship program for veterans

The Metropolitan King County Council gave its unanimous support Monday, April 23, 2012 to a motion calling on King County to explore ways to tap the skills and knowledge of a vital and underutilized group: Veterans.

The Council will seek ways to incorporate their technical and leadership skills into the county job pool. 

“Returning veterans deserve our thanks and support, but can face significant challenges transitioning back to civilian life including finding a job in this tough economy,” said Councilmember Bob Ferguson, sponsor of last year’s successful renewal of the King County Veterans and Human Services Levy. “A veterans internship program benefits the County by developing and empowering a quality workforce, and helps expand the job prospects for our returning veterans.”

One of the greatest challenges facing veterans returning to civilian life is employment. The unemployment rate for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts has remained consistently higher than the national average. Many veterans return to civilian life with technical and leadership skills gained during their training and deployment that could translate well to civilian governmental jobs—with a little help. The adopted motion focuses on assisting veterans in translating those skills in today’s job market.

The motion calls on the Human Resources Management Division of the Department of Executive Services to explore ways of implementing a veterans internship program and presenting the results of their inquiry to the Council by August 23, 2012.