“Much of our work is done with veterans who live in rural and frontier communities, so we try to engage through extensive outreach efforts,” explains Paul Messett, veterans employment representative, Oregon Employment Department, based in Bend, Oregon.

He adds, “We also work closely with our partners in the community because we can’t do it all.”

WorkingNation sat down with Messett at the NASWA Veterans Conference in Washington, D.C.

Messett, who served as a medic in the military, says many times veterans are looking for a different path after their service. “We team up with partners in the community to expose veterans to on the job training programs, and apprenticeships. We expose them as much as possible to all of the options.”

Learn more about the Oregon Employment Department.