Editorial : Local veteran unemployment rates deserve serious attention, action

Syracuse University announced Tuesday its support and partnership with JPMorgan Chase & Co. on the financial corporation’s new Technology Education Certificate program, which will provide post-9/11 veterans free online training in global technology and enterprise.

The program will help alleviate an incredibly local concern. State officials, business leaders and veteran organizations recently met in Syracuse to discuss Central New York’s staggering veteran unemployment — estimated at 900 veterans across eight area counties.

JPMorgan’s initiative and SU’s continued support of veterans represent necessary and responsible reactions to the astonishing reality that veteran unemployment in America has risen to 15 percent.

Often misconceived as having served in historical wars, many veterans today are young men and women returning from two ongoing conflicts abroad. Unable to translate their recent experience into civilian careers, unemployment of these young, post-9/11 veterans stands at 20 percent. Creating a free program targeting our young peers utilizes the wealth of a financial giant like JPMorgan in a socially responsible way.

Educational centers like SU must lead, as they have for decades, in transitioning young veterans from combat to productive civilian lives through vocational and other educational programs. Veterans hardly lack the skills to succeed in today’s workforce, but they need the guidance of institutions like SU and the resources of corporations like JPMorgan to market their abilities. Improving unemployment rates among veterans in Central New York uplifts this fiscally strapped region as a whole.