Chicago Transit Authority Continues Major Push to Hire Vets

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The following article is written by Monster.com, which has a dedicated section to helping connect job seekers with transportation jobs. For more, visit the Monster Transportation Career Resource Center

The Chicago Transit Authority made a pledge in 2012 to honor U.S. veterans with an aggressive hiring plan.

During Veterans Day 2014, the CTA announced the number of employed U.S. military veterans reached 358.

"We recognize the value and experience that U.S. military veterans bring to the CTA," CTA President Forrest Claypool said in a statement. "We have found that many veterans, by virtue of their military service and the skills learned during their service, translate well and make them well-equipped to serve this agency and its customers."

Since Jan. 1 of this year, the CTA has hired 71 veterans as part of the agency's aggressive veteran hiring plan.

Claypool signed an executive order in 2012 that creates a veteran hiring preference, to provide opportunities to men and women who have served in our country's armed forces. The order set a CTA goal to attract at least a 20 percent pool of veterans during the application process for positions, including drivers, mechanics, engineers, managers and other workers.

 

To encourage veteran hiring, the CTA considers equivalent experience to take into account military experience when considering applicants for jobs, such as servicing vehicles or equipment.

Since the signing of the executive order, the CTA has hired veterans in many positions, including bus operators, flagmen, mechanics and customer-service assistants. The CTA recently hired a veteran who was awarded a Purple Heart for service in Iraq and also hired a veteran to assist in recruiting efforts. Twenty-eight currently serve in manager or coordinator positions.

As part of CTA's strategy to recruit top talent, this year CTA officials attended various community events, including the Illinois Veteran's Job Fair, Memorial Day Veteran's Hiring and Resource Fair and the Hire Our Heroes Job Fair.

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