Job Fair Benefiting Military Veterans to be Held in Chicago

Helmets to Hardhats

CHICAGO, Aug. 24, 2007 - A job fair designed to match military veterans with promising post-military career opportunities is scheduled for Aug.28, 2007 in Chicago. Details of the event, which is being sponsored by the national “Helmets to Hardhats” program (www.helmetstohardhats.org) are as follows:

Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2007
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Crystal Gardens at Navy Pier
700 East Grand Avenue in Chicago

A Press Conference featuring Illinois Lt. Governor Pat Quinn, Teamsters Local 786 President Mike Yauger, Helmets to Hardhats National Executive Director Darrel Roberts, Building & Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO President Edward C. Sullivan, International Brotherhood of Teamsters Vice President Cheryl Johnson and others will be held at noon at the same location.

“As a Vietnam veteran myself, I know how hard it was for me to transition from the military to civilian life. We want veterans to know they are not alone…that programs such as Helmets to Hardhats stand ready to assist them with their transition,” said Mike Yauger, president of International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 786 in Chicago (www.chicagoteamsters.org) - a primary sponsor of the job fair.

The job fair will have immediate positions available through many corporate partners, along with opportunities for entry into a vast array of union skilled trade apprenticeship programs. “ Helmets to Hardhats is about standing up for what’s right,” said Darrell Roberts, the program’s National Executive Director. “These folks served our country with honor and distinction…and no one deserves a better opportunity for a solid and rewarding career than they do.”

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Helmets to Hardhats is a national, federally funded program that exists to connect National Guard, Reserve and transitioning active-duty military members with quality career opportunities within the building and construction industry. The program is sponsored by America’s 15 building and construction trades unions (and involves each of their apprenticeship and training programs), along with several national construction industry employer associations.