Helmets to hardhats will help transportation people leaving active duty: veterans can obtain good skills, start a new career and help build Alaska.

• Author: Martin, Gary L.
• Position: BUILDING ALASKA - Cover story

Surveyor Ellery Gibbs searches for an exact location using a Trimble 5700 GPS real-time kinematic. Gibbs works for Bush Construction Surveys Inc. in Wasilla. He received his training and experience during eight years of service in the Navy Assisting Gibbs is Timothy Koerber; he is about to drive a metal stake in the ground, marking the spot identified with the Trimble real-time kinematic.

America's armed forces have always provided an excellent pool of quality workers for industry. Not all servicemen and women leave active duty with marketable skills for the civilian world. But most who have served in the military leave with a work ethic, maturity and the ability to follow orders.

Combine those attributes and a manpower shortage in the construction industry and you get Helmets to Hardhats. H2H is a national program that was started three years ago to help military personnel leaving the service find valuable training and job opportunities within the construction industry.

The program is available to men and women from all military branches, including the National Guard and reserves. It also does not make a difference how long a individual has been out of the service or whether or not they have skills and training in the trades.

"People leaving active duty bring a lot to the table with their military experience," said Ed Flanagan, Veteran Outreach project coordinator for Alaska. "These people, for the most part, stand out in terms of maturity, ability to deal appropriately with authority, the ability to work both independently or part of a team, and demonstrate dependability, like showing up to work on time."

Flanagan Says

Since 2003, Flanagan says there have been more than 800 registrants for the program in Alaska. He said it is very difficult to know how many of those people have received jobs or training because they have the option of accepting job offers directly from companies both in and out of the state.

Helmets to Hardhats is headquartered in Carlsbad, Calif., (near San Diego) and is administered by the Center for Military Recruitment Assessment and Veterans Employment. As of June, more than 21,000 candidates, nationally, have been referred for jobs or apprenticeships. This was done through the proactive support of the building and construction trade unions, quality employers and the jointly administrated apprenticeship committees throughout America. Currently, H2H has 45,000 contacts listed on the Internet. Eligible candidates may...