Last week, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper hosted a veteran roundtable discussion focused on supporting the state’s veterans during their transition to civilian life.
The Governor was joined at the NCWorks Career Center in Jacksonville by North Carolina Chief Deputy Secretary of Commerce, Jordan Whichard, and North Carolina Department of Military & Veterans Affairs Director of Transition Services, Andrea Allard, along with several veterans for the discussion.
“Our veterans sacrificed so much to protect our country, and we owe them a deep debt of gratitude,” said Gov. Cooper. “North Carolina is the most military-friendly state in the nation, and we want to continue supporting veterans as they transition to civilian life so that they and their families will continue calling North Carolina home.”
“Our NCWorks Career Centers, in Jacksonville and across the state, are proud to serve Veterans, transitioning service members and their families,” said Whichard. “We understand the challenges that some veterans face in making a transition to the civilian workforce, but we also know that they bring valuable skills, talents and experience to any business that hires them. It’s our mission – and our privilege – to connect veterans with great employers and opportunities, including those in North Carolina’s growing industries like clean energy and advanced manufacturing.”
At the roundtable was Jerry Ensminger, a Marine Corps veteran and who fought for decades to get answers, closure and justice for those impacted by the past water contamination at Camp Lejeune. In January, the CDC released a new study stating that those stationed at Camp Lejeune between 1975-1985 had at least a 20% higher risk for multiple types of cancer including leukemia and lymphoma.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to join this discussion with Governor Cooper and two fellow veterans today to highlight the need for justice for those affected by the water contamination at Camp Lejeune,” said Ensminger. “We must continue working to right this wrong and give the veterans and families who were impacted the support and compensation they deserve.”
Also involved in the discussion were veterans Elisha Trujillo and Craig Verbois. Trujillo served in the Navy for four years and found employment at Jones Companies in Jacksonville through the NCWorks program. Verbois is a former Marine and leader in his workplace and community. Thanks to a nomination from NCWorks, Verbois received a vehicle to assist in his commute to work from the National Auto Body Council’s Recycled Rides Program.
The N.C. Department of Commerce works in close partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor and employs 52 NCWorks Veterans Services professionals (all of whom are veterans themselves). These professionals, located at NCWorks Career Centers across the state, help connect veterans to employers, as well as to training opportunities.
The department also partners with North Carolina For Military Employment (NC4ME) on special hiring events. In the 2022-2023 year, North Carolina’s workforce system supported more than 5,700 veterans who received some type of job-seeker service through their local NCWorks Career Center.