Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and
Defence Personnel Dan Tehan has called for more
Australian businesses and ex-service organisations to
step up and support the Prime Minister’s Veterans’
Employment Program.
Mr Tehan said 23 organisations had registered their interest in
participating in the Industry Advisory Committee and
eight ex-service organisations had registered to
participate in the program since its launch in November.
A number of companies have also expressed interest in
offering employment opportunities to veterans.
The Industry Advisory Committee will develop
information for business on how to embed veteran
employment strategies into their recruitment processes.
The Committee will also play a role in promoting the
skills former Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel
can offer employers.
“The key aim of the Prime Minister’s Veterans’
Employment Program is to raise awareness in the private
sector about the unique skills and experience our former
ADF personnel can bring to business. We want to
encourage businesses large and small to take a closer
look at our veterans and realise their skills can help a
business grow and succeed,” Mr Tehan said.
“We have seen an excellent response from Australian
businesses and ex-service organisations wanting to help
our veterans find meaningful jobs that utilise their
unique skills and I encourage more business leaders to
register their interest in the program.
“The men and women who serve in Australia’s armed
forces are the best in the world and during their
service many acquire formal trade or professional
qualifications that are recognised in the civilian
workforce.
“They also gain unique skills such as
problem-solving, leadership, team work and the ability
to work in high-pressure environments and live by core
ADF values such as honesty, honour, initiative,
integrity, respect and loyalty.
“Developing strategies to recognise and transfer the
talents of our former ADF personnel to the private
sector will be good for business and good for our
veterans, so we need even more people providing valuable
leadership in this area.”
Mr Tehan said the Government had created an
employment information page for veterans on its
jobactive website and added a ‘defence force experience
desirable’ flag for vacancies, as announced at the Prime
Minister’s Veterans’ Employment Program launch. The
information page is at
https://jobsearch.gov.au/jobseeker-info/employment-assistance-for-veterans
A chairperson for the Industry Advisory Committee
will be announced in February with a first meeting
scheduled for late March 2017.
The inaugural Prime Minister’s Veterans’ Employment
Annual Awards to recognise the success of Australian
businesses employing veterans will be held later this
year.
Any business or ex-service organisation that would
like to register for the Prime Minister’s Veterans’
Employment Program should email
veteransemployment@dva.gov.au.