RELEASE: CONTACT:

IMMEDIATE Donna Purcell Mayes (804) 786-6458 Donna.Mayes@vdot.virginia.gov

CO-0783 Nov. 13, 2007

VDOT's WOUNDED VETERANS INTERN PROGRAM PAYING OFF AFTER FIRST YEAR
Agency receives national recognition award from Federal Highway Administration

RICHMOND – It has been a year since the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) launched its Wounded Veterans Internship Program, and today the agency received the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Strive for Excellence Team Award.

The award, given at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., honors successful partnership and teamwork between FHWA and its partners.

“We are very pleased with the outcome of our program thus far,” said Levi Cary, a veteran and retired VDOT civil rights administrator who coordinates the program. “We are thrilled to receive this recognition from the FHWA. We give a great deal of the credit to our interns, whose commitment and hard work are what’s really making this program such a success.”

Since the program’s inception, one intern has graduated after securing a full-time position in the private sector. Fourteen interns are working in positions across the state as they restart their working lives as civilians.

The internship program offers wounded veterans who can’t or don’t wish to return to jobs they had before serving in combat an opportunity to work at VDOT and develop or improve job skills.

The program, a first of its kind among transportation departments across the country, was launched just before Veteran’s Day last year.

Internships typically last from six months to two years, depending on the needs of the veterans and the VDOT office in which they are placed.

Placements can include planning, finance, project management, security, procurement, quality control, information technology and engineering.

“Since joining VDOT’s program, I’ve gotten hands-on training in the traffic engineering division, working with traffic control devices and traffic sign development,” said Glenn Taylor, program intern and former U.S. Army first sergeant. “This is a good program, and I am happy to have the opportunity to get back into the workforce.”

Taylor works as an Engineering Technician III at VDOT, and he served in the U.S. Army for 26 years.

VDOT offers interns education, technical support and even emotional support through mentoring groups.

VDOT and the Virginia Employment Commission is offering interns educational sessions on searching for a job, building a resume and information on local communities close to home so these veterans can better compete with job opportunities not only in VDOT but also private sector and other government agencies.

The program is funded through a grant provided by the FHWA. VDOT continues to accept applications based on available funding.

For more information on VDOT’s Wounded Veteran Internship Program, visit http://www.virginiadot.org/jobs/WoundedVetProgram.asp.