Politics & Government
Amtrak Jobs Help Veterans Get Back on Track
The rail service plans to hire 3,000 employees in the next year.
By Ben Gross
Amtrak will fill 25 percent of new hire positions with military veterans by 2015, according to the Washington Business Journal.
In 2012, 14 percent of Amtrak’s new hires were veterans, the journal reported. The 42-year-old company announced that it has 3,000 positions to fill in the next year, meaning at least 750 will be veterans.
Find out what's happening in Potomacwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Amtrak has partnered with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Hiring our Heroes group, the Wounded Warrior Project, Army PaYs and RecruitMilitary to assist in the search. Amtrak also will have a presence at 30 military job fairs nationwide.
“Veterans bring a unique skill set to the job and are a great fit for our positions,” Amtrak’s chief of human capital Barry Melnovic told AL.com.
Find out what's happening in Potomacwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Amtrak’s website illustrates how military skills can transfer to Amtrak positions. Examples include:
- Military operations (infantry, construction, heavy equipment operator) can transfer to Amtrak trackman, train crew, construction equipment operator or engineer.
- Military communications (computer technician, communications maintainer, signal) can transfer to an Amtrak IT system engineer, console operator or control specialist.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
