When Jeff Baty worked on jet engines in the U.S. Air Force, he got a lot of satisfaction out of using his considerable skills to accomplish an important mission. But since he earned his honorable discharge in 1995, Jeff felt a void in the work he was doing and often longed to put his military skills back to use.

 

All that began to change when he contacted the Local Veterans Employment Specialist for Union Wallowa and Baker Counties, Brian Papineau. As a veterans’ representative covering a lot of territory in Eastern Oregon, Brian splits his time between the La Grande, Enterprise, and Baker City offices. He met Jeff at the Enterprise office, a few miles from Jeff’s rural Joseph home, and started the application process for a grant program designed to help veterans get the skills they need to succeed.

 

The Hire Oregon Veterans Project (HOV) is funded by a U.S. Department of Labor grant from their Veterans Workforce Investment Program (VWIP). Oregon veterans who meet eligibility requirements benefit from the program by receiving funds to help them obtain employment, training, and other support services needed to succeed. The statewide $750,000-a-year grant was won through a competitive process by Community Solutions for Clackamas County, a local service provider who has developed a strong partnership with statewide veterans services offered through the WorkSource Oregon Employment Department. As co-grantees, the department’s veteran representatives target and distribute the funds to eligible veterans.

 

Once Jeff got successfully enrolled in the HOV Program, Brian and Jeff began searching for opportunities for Jeff to meet his career goals. One day, Jeff picked up a magazine at the Enterprise office called G.I. Jobs ® . In it, he found an apprentice opportunity for an engine mechanic at Columbia