(Host) Almost a third of the Vermont National Guard members who served in Afghanistan have returned home to no job.
Guard Adjutant General Michael Dubie gave his annual report on Tuesday to the Legislature.
(Dubie) "We’re thinking around 30 percent are unemployed. And they may be unemployed for a variety of different reasons. Some people gave up their job because they went on duty two years in advance to help us get ready or whatever. Some of the people lost their jobs because a company went out of business while they were gone, or their job went away."
(Host) Dubie says he’ll ask the Legislature to shift some money that’s currently devoted to college tuition. Instead, Dubie wants the money to be spent on workplace retraining.
Dubie says some Guard members could be trained as commercial truck drivers, for example.
(Dubie) "Those are the kind of things that we’re trying to think of. How can we make some small changes in language that would actually open the door for more people to get better trained for a better job?"
(Host) The Guard is sponsoring two different job fairs for its members.
And it’s also trying to spread the word among employers in the state that well-trained Guard members need work.