ASU first HBCU in U.S. to sign partnership with Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service

ALBANY – Albany State University leaders signed a historic partnership with the U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service this week.

The first-of-its-kind program establishes a collaboration to enhance career readiness and employment support for veterans and military-affiliated students at historically black colleges and universities. It creates a pipeline for military-affiliated students to access federal job opportunities.

Interim ASU President Lawrence Drake said it’s exciting for ASU to be the first HBCU to join in this partnership.

“We believe that the relationship with veterans, the importance of connecting veterans to industry, and the importance of preparation of veterans for industry is a vital part of the role that we play as an institution,” Drake said. “We should be at the forefront of it.”

The program provides an increased awareness of federal jobs available as well as resources to apply for them, Alex Bynum, ASU’s director of military and adult education, said.

“A lot of people don’t know the opportunities available,” she said. “So this provides exposure to what those options are.”

One opportunity is training on how to build a federal resume. Bynum said these resumes look different from a normal civilian or private sector job resume. Learning how to federalize one’s resume has been extremely helpful for students, she said.

Drake said it is often challenging for veterans to find ways they can transfer the skills they’ve gained during their military service into jobs after service.

“You’re not sure how to transfer critical thinking, problem-solving or emotional intelligence into the civilian world,” he said. “We ought to be a partner in doing that, and actually creating credentials that demonstrate mastery in those skills can be a very important part of helping this transition take place.”

ASU’s military-affiliated student population has more than doubled from about 200 students in 2020 to 550 for the current semester, Bynum said. She said the reason for this growth is an increased knowledge of resources available to this population in higher education.

Bynum said her main focus since she started her position was better informing the community of federal GI benefits and other Veteran Resources that pay for college education. Albany has a relatively large military-affiliated population due to the Marine Corps Logistics Base. Bynum said this includes a high number of disabled veterans.

“I started seeing more and more (individuals with a military background) come to Albany State,” she said. “So I love the impact that ASU has across the state and nation, but what I very much value in this military population is being able to help the people in our backyards.”

Bynum said this population can take advantage of federal resources to attend ASU.

“Having a centralized office and a person to talk to is very important, and ASU has put the resources in place to make sure that happens,” she said.

Drake said ASU is ready for its military-affiliated student population to grow, not only attracting local military but those from out of Albany and Georgia as well.

“One of the exciting things is that if we do this in the right way, when veterans are looking for their last duty station before they exit the military, a lot of times they may not consider Albany,” he said. “But we want them to consider.”

Drake said for many, if they get the right instruction and support at ASU, they might choose to stay in the Albany community.

“People that remain in our community and make it stronger, build their families … you would see how this community can continue to grow,” he said.

Staff Photo: Lucille Lannigan
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