WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Amy Klobuchar introduced a bill this week intended to increase job training and apprenticeship opportunities for post-9/11 veterans.
According to Klobuchar’s office, 18 percent of veterans who have left service in the past three years are unemployed. This is almost double the national unemployment rate.
“When our soldiers sign up for service, there isn’t a waiting line and there shouldn’t be a waiting line when they come home and need a job,” Klobuchar said in a statement.
Current regulations specify that veterans cannot use their educational benefits to pay for an apprenticeship or on-the-job training. Instead, benefits can basically only go towards paying for school.
“Not every returning soldier chooses to go to college but they still want a job,” said Klobuchar. “Job training, from pipe-fitting to law enforcement, should be covered by the G.I. Bill.”
The proposed bill would classify job training and apprenticeships as eligible programs for educational benefits.
