IT Jobs and Vets: A Good Fit

By Steve LeSueur, EditorIf U.S. military personnel can operate some of the world's most technologically sophisticated aircraft, ships, tanks and weapons, shouldn't they be able to step into some of the hundreds of thousands of technical jobs that go unfilled in the private sector?The answer is yes, according to companies that help veterans find jobs and to the high-tech companies that hire them.Staff Writer Gail Repsher spoke to industry officials and to some veterans who have made the transition to the private sector, finding that military personnel have qualifications that make them attractive to companies such as Electronic Data Systems Corp. and Oracle Corp."They represent one of the largest pools of qualified candidates today," said Thomas Macauley, vice president of operations at the Military Transition Group, regarding the 200,000 veterans that leave the military each year. "They are going to come out with a lot of management skills, as well as their specific technology skills.""Military alumni traditionally have strong discipline, a focused career horizon and are very committed to achieving goals," said Scott Wilson, a human resources manager for EDS' eastern U.S. operations.Read Gail's story in our Workplace section, as well as her front-page story describing how Colorado officials are putting to good use former Lowry Air Force Base by creating a high-tech lab to help train workers and attract jobs to the state. Military assets ? both property and personnel ? are proving valuable resources in filling industry's need for a skilled work force.XXXSPLITXXX-