July 30, 2014
David Shepardson

General Motors Co., Raytheon Co. and the U.S. Army are teaming up to help soldiers returning to civilian life get jobs at GM dealerships as service technicians.

GM has the largest U.S. dealer network with 4,300 and in the coming years will need about 2,500 new technicians. Such qualified staff can be a struggle to find, while the unemployment rate among returning Army veterans is more than twice the national average. The push comes as the Army plans to reduce its size from 574,000 to 450,000.

At the Pentagon on Tuesday morning, the companies and Army announced the creation of “Shifting Gears: Automotive Technician Training Program,” a multi-year partnership that will begin in August at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas. Shifting Gears will be part of the Army’s Soldier for Life support program, which helps soldiers reintegrate into their communities after leaving the Army.

Source
The Detroit News