Yang-Tan Receives Grant to Assist Vets

The K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan Institute on Employment and Disability has received a $350,000 grant from the Kessler Foundation to help improve employment outcomes for veterans.

The grant money will support Combat to Careers (C2C), which will assist 100 veteran students with disabilities at the State University of New York at Oswego and at East Central College in Missouri in obtaining full- or part-time employment through apprenticeships, with an emphasis on meeting the needs of women veterans.

“Apprenticeship programs are being expanded to grow the economy, retool and expand the workforce, and help businesses reach a larger, more diverse pool of workers, including veterans,” said Kathleen Lee, business outreach consultant at the Yang-Tan Institute. “Through C2C, we can demonstrate how the proper support and training can improve employment outcomes for veterans with disabilities in general and female veterans by testing and validating new employment methods with this population.”

More than 2.6 million post-9/11 veterans have returned to civilian life. Many of them face significant military to civilian transition challenges, including physical and mental disabilities, military sexual trauma and translation of their military skills for success in college and civilian employment.

Women, who make up about 15 percent of these veterans, face unique challenges and typically have unemployment rates higher than their male peers.

By the end of the two-year grant period, it is anticipated that both SUNY Oswego and East Central College will have sufficient data and resources to make improvements in their own veterans career development services, while Yang-Tan will have enough information to help other institutions implement employment programs for post-9/11 veterans.