As part of an ongoing commitment to veteran-friendly employment, Carolina Handling will present the 2024 VET (Veteran Employment & Transition) Summit to be held September 13 in Greer, South Carolina.

Produced by The RECON Network, the free, one-day conference at Greer City Hall will focus on transition employment for service members, veterans and military spouses. The summit is designed to address challenges with the military-to-civilian job transition process and explore career opportunities for veterans and military spouses with hiring companies.

“There are more than 18 million veterans across the United States and many of them, along with military spouses, are currently unemployed, underemployed or undereducated,” said Jordana Megonigal, CEO of The RECON Network. “The transition from the military to civilian or corporate employment has challenges that must be addressed to ensure our veteran and military populations can find their fit within our workforce, and The VET Summit is one step in doing so."

One of those challenges, according to Megonigal, is finding a career with purpose. Each year, around 200,000 veterans will transition out of the military, leaving behind a shared mission and a high sense of purpose.

“It’s not simply about finding a job. It’s about finding a purpose,” she said.

More than 12 percent of Carolina Handling associates served in the U.S. Armed Forces, with many finding the skills they learned in the military transferable to jobs in the material handling industry.

But matching skillsets is just the beginning. Veterans and transitioning military also are in search of structure and Carolina Handling offers that, too, says Regional Sales Manager and U.S. Coast Guard Veteran Andy Donnon.

“When I first came to Carolina Handling, I often joked that whoever established the organizational structure must have been an Army guy,” Donnon said. “There are layers and structure everywhere with a support person in place all along the way.”

Carolina Handling Service Manager David Ten Eyck, a U.S. Army veteran who served two tours of duty in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, agrees.

“We have a structure that is much like the military with team leaders and service managers. When you identify a problem, you can act quickly because you know who to go to,” Ten Eyck said.

“Our training also is outstanding,” he continued. “We have crawl, walk and run phases that start with online learning and continue to hands-on learning in the field. We operate with standard processes that eliminate uncertainties and there is an open-door policy like you find in the military. If I’m not available, my guys know they can go to the next man up.”

A veteran-friendly employer in South Carolina and a participant in Military Recruit, Carolina Handling this year was approved as a DOD SkillBridge Authorized Organization by the U.S. Department of Defense.

SkillBridge gives active-duty service members and select groups of the National Guard and Reserves within 180 days of their separation date the opportunity to gain civilian work experience through job training, apprenticeships and internships.

Essentially, it lets service members “test drive” civilian jobs and allows companies to access a highly trained and motivated workforce at no cost.

“Coming out of military service, you’re afraid that the team foundation and focus won’t be there, and you’re worried about how you’re going to bridge the gap,” Carolina Handling’s Donnon said. “But I think employers want people who have the standards taught in the military and can motivate others to hold to those standards of culture, team and identity.”

That’s what the 2024 VET Summit hopes to accomplish.

From identifying potential gaps in the hiring process to translating skills and even navigating the emotional pulls of discouragement and motivation, the VET Summit is designed to address all challenges associated with the transition process and uncover opportunities between job-seeking veterans and their spouses and employee-seeking companies.

An in-person event that will be streamed online, the 2024 VET Summit features educational seminars, exhibits and networking opportunities. Attendees also can participate in a free Career Choice GPS assessment sponsored by SmartWork Network. This predictive assessment helps service members searching for civilian employment to find their "natural" job fit.

Go HERE to register for the 2024 VET Summit.

Go HERE to view career opportunities at Carolina Handling.