Christine Thropp
Dave Dacquino, chairman and CEO of Serco Inc. and past Wash100 Award recipient, and three other heads of companies within the government contracting sector have called on other GovCon executives to join the Department of Labor’s Apprenticeship Pilot Program that aims to help service members transition to careers in the private sector.
Dacquino urged industry to support the initiative in a joint letter with Haywood Talcove, CEO of LexisNexis Risk Solutions‘ government unit and 2020 Wash100 winner; Chris Brady, president of General Dynamics‘ mission systems business and 2020 Wash100 awardee; and Doug Wagoner, president and CEO of LMI and previous Wash100 recipient.
According to the executives, companies can have a diversified workforce and enhanced workplace culture by tapping into the transitioning military community, which also has a strong work ethic and better retention rates than civilian counterparts.
The department’s initiative provides paid on-the-job training to enable TSMs to apply technical skills, which are acquired from being in the military, to meet civilian workplace needs. DOL offers the pilot at eight military installations and employs counselors to assist veterans and spouses in securing apprenticeship opportunities.
Lockheed Martin, Amazon, DCI Technology Solutions and over 100 other companies have launched their apprenticeship programs to expand military retirees’ access to employment opportunities.
“It is our goal to have at least 200 veterans hired through the Apprentice Program by GovConExec companies,” shared Dacquino, Talcove, Brady and Wagoner.
Companies interested in joining the program are asked to send inquiries to the DOL apprenticeship pilot team at VETSapprenticeship@dol.gov or Michael.H.Anderson@serco-na.com.
