AIA Virginia partners with Virginia’s Department of Veterans Services to Support those in Architecture School who have Served in the Armed Forces.
Governor Northam Announces More Than 50,000 Veterans Hired Through Virginia Values Veterans Program.
If your firm is interested in finding out how you can support this program, then click here to let us know.
Background
Virginia has a unique opportunity to help Veterans gain career employment. Our Commonwealth has one of the youngest Veterans population in the United States, and the fastest growing Veteran labor force in the United States. Thousands of new Veterans enter Virginia’s workforce each year, and that number is projected to rise in the coming years. The Virginia Values Veterans (V3) program was created by the Department of Veterans Services in 2012.
It is an employer-focused program that aims to:
- Educate employers on the value of hiring veterans
- Train organizations on how to effectively recruit/hire/train/retain veterans
- Connect engaged certified companies with qualified veterans
View more info here: https://dvsv3.com/
Purpose
This initiative is a product of Section 3.2 of AIA Virginia’s Strategic Plan 2017-2020. Section 3.2 states to “Re-envision University and collegiate programming to enhance positive relationships and improve the professional pathway for students.” In addition, this partnership aims to strengthen the relationship between AIA Virginia and the Commonwealth of Virginia. The purpose of this initiative is to facilitate opportunities for veterans to gain professional architectural experience while enrolled in Virginia schools of architecture.
AIA Virginia expects to deploy this program for the Summer of 2020.
Partnership Approach and Responsibilities
V3 Training for Firms
- AIA Virginia will solicit and recruit a select number of firms from around the Commonwealth to receive the training.
- The Department of Veterans Services provides free two-hour training which can be completed either online or in person.
- By committing to the V3 training, firms are committing to hire a veteran who is enrolled in an accredited Virginia school of architecture program for a summer internship.
- Due to the limited number of veterans in architecture school, it is the goal of this partnership to ensure that each veteran has a summer internship to begin earning AXP hours.
- AIA Virginia will track and display on its website the participating firms and the region of Virginia each firm is located.
Again, if your firm is interested in supporting this cause, click here to let us know.