Helping Veterans Find Work Throughout Rhode Island

As wintertime approaches, so does the need to help others who are experiencing tough situations. There are toy drives for children, clothing drives for families, and food collections for the hungry, among other events. When it comes to helping those who served their country, there are options for them as well.

The Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training has services geared toward veterans who are looking to either enter or re-enter the workplace. I recently spoke with J. Jack Andrade, the DLT’s Local Veteran’s Employment Representative, about the organization, its mission and how businesses can get involved.

Tell me more about the agency and what it does. How long has this agency been available? Who does it service (besides veterans, if applicable)? How many people does it reach? What services does it provide?

The Wagner-Peyser Act, signed in 1933, established the U. S. Department of Labor as a permanent Agency. The Wagner-Peyser Act provided Veterans with special services

through the Veterans’ Employment Services (VES).  The VES’ purpose was to provide job search, training, and assistance to veterans. The VES was converted into the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) in 1980 and became a permanent agency within the U.S. Department of Labor. VETS’ duties and responsibilities are outlined in title 38, United States code, and chapters 41, 42, and 43. The responsibilities and duties of Title 38 are administered and implemented by the states through the Jobs for Veterans State Grant (JVSG).

What is your role within the agency?

Jack Andrade – as a Local Veterans Employment Representative (LVER), I’m tasked with outreach to employers and advocating, promoting, and facilitating the hiring of veterans.

What industries are you able to connect veterans with? Are there particular industries that are sought after or are popular amongst veterans?

As all military bases and ships are cities, all civilian occupations can be filled by veterans who served in those positions. These individuals have experience in various fields, including firefighting, law enforcement, plumbing, pharmacy, machine operation, medicine, software engineering, law, technical support, and more. The Employer can use the Civilian to Military Translator website to enter their job title and find the corresponding military counterpart. They can then easily determine the skills and experience of that Veteran.

Do you have demographics regarding where the veterans are located? Are many of the applications coming from Providence, Northern Rhode Island, etc.? Looking to see where the needy be the greatest.

The state’s job board, www.employri.org, provides employment services, including labor market trends, statistics, economic, and demographic data. Searches can include area profiles, industry profiles, occupational profiles, and educational profiles for employers, industries, and available job seekers.

How does the system work for employers trying to find suitable help? Plus, how do the veterans gain access to the jobs?

Veterans can use this site as a Job Seeker and/or be assisted by the RI DLT Job Coaches.

How many Jobs are available in the database?

In a given day, there are between 200 to 400 new jobs listed. The postings can be directly entered by Rhode Island Employers or inserted from sites such as CareerBuilder, Indeed, and other employment databases. The DLT’s Employer Services unit (ESU) staff, including LVERs, can assist the employer in posting their open positions for applicants.

How can companies and/or veterans in need get details on this of this and other programs?

Our American Job Centers (AJC) in Rhode Island are located in Woonsocket, Providence, and West Warwick.  A Job Coach will provide employment assistance to all walk-in Job Seekers, one-on-one, or they can speak with a Job Coach online virtually by visiting www.Backtoworkri.com.   Employers can reach out to the Employer Services Unit through dlt.esu@dlt.ri.gov.

Do you have a contact person for this? If so, then please provide their name, phone number, and email address.

Access to these centers and services can be found here:

1. • Veterans and other Job Seekers: https://dlt.ri.gov/individuals/jobseeker-resources-2025
   • Resources for Veterans: https://dlt.ri.gov/individuals/jobseeker-resources/resources-veterans
   • Employers: https://dlt.ri.gov/employers (or through the Employer Services mailbox, dlt.esu@dlt.ri.gov)

***The persons in the photo (from l to r) are all from the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training:

Robert Kalaskowski, Assistant Director of Workforce Development

J. Jack Andrade, Local Veterans’ Employment Representative

Jean Luisi, Chief of Labor and Training Operations

Christopher Tanguay, Coordinator of Labor and Training Programs