U.S. Army teams up with Metra to aid service members in career transitions

CHICAGO - The U.S. Army and Metra have joined forces to enhance job opportunities for service members transitioning to civilian life through the Partnership for Youth Success (PaYS) program.

This collaboration aims to connect veterans with potential employers who appreciate their unique skills and backgrounds.

The PaYS program offers a valuable platform for soldiers looking to embark on new career paths, guaranteeing five job interviews and possible employment opportunities. This initiative is designed to open doors for service members by aligning their military experience with civilian job roles.

Metra, the latest employer to join this effort, is committed to helping veterans build their resumes and effectively communicate their transferable skills. During a ceremony on Monday, Metra's CEO, James Derwinski, a Navy veteran, emphasized the importance of bridging the gap between military and civilian workforce language.

"A lot of people go to interviews and they look at job sites and they try to figure out, how does my missile experience equate to potentially civilian careers," Derwinski said. "And so we worked with Army PaYS over the past several months, taking basically all the job descriptions from the military and then lining them up with the job descriptions for the work that we do. So hopefully the experience then starts off very positive."

The PaYS program, established in 2000, has since formed partnerships with over 1,300 employers, providing invaluable support to veterans as they transition to civilian careers.