WSST provides details of the Annual Hiring Red, White & You! Job Fair
Workforce Solutions for South Texas
November 1, 2022
LAREDO, Texas — Workforce Solutions for South Texas (WSST) will host the Hiring Red, White & You! Job Fair on Thursday, November 10, 2022, at the One-Stop center, 1406 Jacaman Road.
The event is an initiative from the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) with the purpose of connecting veterans and their spouses in Texas with employers seeking the exceptional skills of veterans, service members, and their spouses.
The event will be open to everyone to visit more than 60 booths, between employers and providers, between 10 am and 1 pm.
“We are extremely grateful to our veterans because they gave much to our country. We celebrate so many freedoms and so much happiness in our country because of all the things the veterans have done for us,” said Rogelio Trevino, Executive Director for Workforce Solutions for South Texas during a press conference celebrated on Tuesday, November 1st. “Although we know our veterans come back to civilian life with fantastic skills and so much training, at times it is difficult for them to find employment back in civilian life. So, we want to facilitate that for them and make it easier for them.”
According to TWC, over the past ten years, Hiring Red, White & You! has connected more than 114,000 job seekers, including more than 40,000 veterans to 20,000+ employers and over 3,000 same-day hires.
Trevino said the employers participating in the job fair are offering meaningful and substantial wages so that the veterans can live comfortable lives.
“These employers are offering jobs that start off at $14 an hour and up. That’s something that we definitely wanted to ensure that we are offering our veterans meaningful jobs.”
Gabriel Lopez, a veteran and Assistant Director for the Texas Veterans Leadership Program, explained that employers who hire veterans may be eligible for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, which allows them to receive up to $9,600 on federal business income or payroll tax benefits when they hire from certain qualified groups of veterans.
“It’s a win-win for everybody. The veteran gets hired, and the employer gets some credit on their taxes”, said Lopez.
He added that there are many reasons why employers should hire a veteran.
“The transition is very difficult. Is hard to compare the job we do in the military to the civilian workforce,” Lopez said. “But what is transferable is the leadership qualities, the skills they earned while they were on service, the organizational skills, team building.”
For more information about the 11th Annual Hiring Red, White & You! Job Fair, visit the South Texas Workforce Board website at www.southtexasworkforce.org.
