BILLINGS — Fifty percent of veterans leave their first civilian job within the first year after leaving their military service. With 13,000 veterans in Yellowstone County alone, the city of Billings saw a need to bridge that gap and enlisted the help of nonprofit, Vet READY, an organization that works to enhance work environments for vets.
The CEO of Vet Ready, Dave Nordel, held the first training session in the six-week program for the city's department heads at the new Billings City Hall Wednesday morning.
"The gap between leaving active duty military and coming into the civilian world is really wide. There's not a safety net," Nordel said.
With 30 years in the Air Force, Nordel said it was something he experienced firsthand.
"I get out and I come into the corporate world. And it doesn't look like a military world," said Nordel.
It's why he started Vet READY three years ago, something city of Billings Director of Human Resources Karla Stanton said is desperately needed.
"Our turnover is higher than it's been in years, like many other employers. And there's a need to find another group of people. And our realization that 20, 30% of Yellowstone County are veterans, we thought what a great resource it does to help them too," Stanton said.
"The need for the veteran is a new team, a new sense of purpose, a new home, a new set of battle buddies. And on the corporate side or the city side, or why we're here, is they need quality employees," said Nordel.
One of the exercises Nordel had city employees practice was choosing words they thought would accurately describe veterans.
"What stood out most to me is, when we were asked what our perception of veterans are and it's loyal, dedicated, respectful. And when you asked the veterans in the room how they felt, it was broken and conflicted and those kind of things, that was really surprising to me," Stanton said.
It was an eye-opening moment for Stanton and the rest of the team.
"Just understanding how to work with them and that they do really view themselves differently. And what we need to do is an employer to make them feel more like they're part of the team," Stanton said.
Nordel said it starts with spreading awareness and educating the community.
"You've got to find your veterans. But detecting policies, procedures, culture, awareness," said Nordel. "The community probably needs a Veterans Day parade."
With veterans making over 12% of Montana's population, double the national average, Nordel believes Billings could set an example for the rest of the state when it comes to retaining veterans within the workforce.
"This is just the beginning of a relationship. To maybe turn Billings into the North Star of how communities should prepare themselves for veterans," said Nordel. "If you think about where we line up and those numbers I used, this is really the epicenter. We have an opportunity to make a national impact, not just on a local impact."
He and the city are excited to work together to create an environment where veterans can thrive as employees.
"Once you've gone through the process, you see where the gaps are. And you can start to fill those gaps. And we start to heal. And heal is a big word. But we start to heal," Nordel said. "And it changes the narrative on our transition. And when you're at that place,(...) then people want to come. And why would you not want a community full of veterans? I think we're pretty cool people."
