COLUMBUS, OH — Following the success of the Solar by Soldiers program in connecting Ohio veterans with clean energy jobs, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced a new initiative to connect unemployed veterans with jobs in the booming natural gas industry. Prior to today’s official hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs in Columbus, Brown was joined by Lisa Phelps, Vice President of Chesapeake, which has agreed to host the first in a series of jobs fairs to connect Ohio veterans with jobs in the energy industry.

“The unemployment rate for young veterans is unacceptably high. Our commitment to our servicemembers shouldn’t end when they return home as skilled, experienced civilians,” Brown said. “In partnering with Chesapeake, we will begin to tackle this problem by connecting unemployed veterans with jobs in the energy sector.”

Brown and Phelps were joined by Benjamin Noland, a central Ohio veteran. After years of job searching, Noland heard a Columbus news report on Brown’s work with Solar by Soldiers, an effort to train unemployed veterans for jobs in the solar energy industry. After contacting Solar by Soldiers, Noland is now employed by Tipping Point Renewable Energy working on solar installation projects. In August 2011, Brown helped launch the Solar by Soldiers program and marked the completion of the first solar array built by the program at Flannagan’s of Dublin.

As a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Brown convened today’s field hearing in Columbus to examine barriers that veterans face to finding employment. Last month, the Senate passed the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011, a bill to provide tax credits to companies that hire unemployed veterans. It includes legislation cosponsored by Brown—the Hiring Heroes Act—that would ensure that all servicemembers transitioning to civilian life receive the job training skills they need to find employment.

Testifying at today’s hearing were: Kyle Burks, a recent Columbus State graduate and U.S. Army Veteran originally from Freemont; Benjamin Noland, U.S. Marine Corps Veteran from Kenton; Rebecca Lee, executive director, Pickaway County Veteran Service Commission; Lisa Phelps, vice president, Human Resources, Chesapeake Energy Corporation; Joyce Cange, director, Cleveland Regional Office, Veterans Benefits Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs; Sherrè Isaac Collier, Services Division Chief, Manpower, Personnel, and Services Directorate Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command; and Robert Creel, Ohio State Director, Veterans’ Employment and Training Service, Department of Labor.

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