As the state celebrates National Veterans and Military Families Month in November, the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity continues to expand and enhance services it provides to support veteran career-seekers and Michigan businesses.

A new feature on Pure Michigan Talent Connect, the state’s jobs portal, gives users the option to conduct custom searches for veteran-focused job listings. Search for those positions at MiTalent.org. Veterans also may elect to make their veteran status visible to employer searches.

In addition, LEO has launched a new online tool — the Michigan G.I. Bill search engine — that allows veterans and eligible dependents to search for training and educational opportunities approved for G.I. Bill benefits within the state. The web portal can be found at https://app.wda.state.mi.us/SAASearch.

“We’re proud to honor the service, sacrifices and contributions of veterans and military families,” said Stephanie Beckhorn, LEO’s director of the Office of Employment and Training. “Through Veterans’ Employment Services and other initiatives, we’ve demonstrated a long-standing commitment to supporting veterans, including specific services and resources that benefit both veteran career-seekers and Michigan employers.”

Veterans’ Employment Services provides a host of intensive services to eligible veterans and spouses who are unable to obtain employment through the core services provided by Michigan Works! Service Centers. The services include individualized, one-on-one career support designed to reduce or eliminate barriers into the workforce. The Veterans’ Employment Services team includes Veterans’ Career Advisors, who work directly with eligible veterans, and Veterans’ Employment Representatives, who focus on employer outreach on behalf of veterans.

Veterans’ Career Advisors work with veterans and eligible persons with significant barriers to employment. Their individualized career services include comprehensive assessment interviews, career guidance services, individual employment plans and staff-assisted job search activities.

Veterans’ Employment Representatives perform a wide range of duties on behalf of veterans. They promote the advantages of hiring veterans to employers, employer associations and business groups. They also advocate for veterans by participating in career fairs and workshops, conducting employer outreach, and promoting employment and training opportunities in conjunction with unions, apprenticeship programs and businesses.

“Businesses that hire veterans are accessing a unique pool of employees who have demonstrated integrity, a commitment to excellence and a desire to do the best job possible,” Beckhorn said. “Veterans typically possess a level of training, maturity and discipline that can benefit any organization.”

Michigan Works! Service Centers support veterans seeking employment, including resume assistance, mock interviewing, writing effective cover letters and resumes, and exclusive workshops to assist with employment searches. Veterans with at least one day of active military service and eligible spouses are eligible to receive Priority of Service, giving veterans and eligible spouses the right to take precedence over a non-covered person in obtaining employment and training services at Michigan Works! agencies. Contact the nearest Michigan Works! Service Center by calling 800-285-WORKS (9675), or visit MichiganWorks.org.

Businesses looking to hire a veteran should contact a Business Solutions Representative at any local Michigan Works! Service Center.

Veterans looking for information concerning education, healthcare, benefits or quality of life programs should go to the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency’s website, MichiganVeterans.com. The MVAA’s Michigan Veteran Resource Service Center can be contacted by calling 800-MICH-VET, or 800-642-4838.

More information about Veterans’ Employment Services can be found at Michigan.gov/VES.