The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veteran Employment Services Office (VESO) celebrated a new partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that will extend career readiness services to Veteran job seekers nationwide. VA and USDA came together to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the Feds for Vets program on Thursday, December 6. This partnership connects talented Veterans to federal career opportunities. Feds for Vets is a government-wide solution that provides comprehensive tools to help Veterans successfully transition to civilian careers. Under the MOU, USDA will leverage the Feds for Vets online Career Center to recruit and hire Veterans to its workforce.
VESO launched its flagship initiative, VA for Vets, offering comprehensive online career tools and coaching services in 2011. This year, VESO is expanding VA for Vets by joining federal agencies, like USDA and the Department of Defense, in Feds for Vets partnerships that will ensure more Veterans have the resources they need to start careers in public service.
Since its inception, VESO has set the standard for Veteran hiring and exceeded the Office of Personnel Management's Veteran hiring goals. VESO has broadened the awareness and usage of veterans preference and special hiring authorities, enabling VA to hire Veterans in record time. VESO also pioneered large-scale career hiring fairs that connected more than 12,000 Veterans with resume writing, interview training and coaching services.