Hiring veterans into the trades

Why veterans fit the trades

Service work rewards the habits military training builds: following procedures exactly, working safely around hazards, showing up on time, maintaining equipment and staying calm when something breaks at the worst moment. Many veterans also bring hands-on technical experience from maintaining generators, power distribution, climate control, vehicles and aircraft. Those skills transfer directly to HVAC, electrical, appliance repair and building maintenance work.

The pool is large. In 2025, 17.3 million men and women in the US were veterans, accounting for about 7% of the civilian noninstitutional population age 18 and over^[1]. The jobless rate for all veterans rose from 3.0% to 3.5% in 2025, still below the rate for nonveterans at 4.2%^[1]. Many veterans are working, so an attractive offer has to compete with their current job, not just with unemployment.

Where veterans come from in your area

• Recently separated service members near military installations, often looking for a civilian career within months of leaving.
• Veterans already in other jobs, such as warehouse, security or delivery work, who want a trade with a future.
• National Guard and Reserve members, who may need flexibility for drill weekends and annual training.
• Military spouses, who can be strong candidates for CSR, dispatch and office roles.
• Veterans in community college trade programs, often using education benefits.

Contact the transition office at the nearest installation, your state workforce agency’s veteran employment staff, and local veteran service organizations. The Defense Department’s SkillBridge program connects service members who are near the end of their service with civilian employers for training and internships; check the program’s current employer requirements before applying to take part.

Translate military experience

Many veterans undersell their technical experience in civilian applications because they describe it in military terms. Do the translation for them in the ad and the interview. A Navy electrician’s mate, a Seabee utilitiesman, an Army interior electrician, an Air Force HVAC/R technician or a Marine Corps refrigeration and air conditioning technician has done work close to what your techs do every day. Other roles carry over less directly but still bring useful skills.

Use the GI Bill to fund training

Veterans who have GI Bill eligibility can use their benefits while they learn a trade through on-the-job training or an apprenticeship. The VA describes this as a monthly payment for living expenses, and Post-9/11 GI Bill users may also get money for books and supplies^[2]. Eligible trainees include veterans and some family members using transferred benefits, while active-duty service members cannot use the on-the-job training benefit^[2].

For an employer, the benefit makes a training wage more attractive, because the veteran’s income is topped up while they learn. The training program usually has to be approved for GI Bill use, which is simpler if it is already a registered apprenticeship. Most electricians learn the trade in an apprenticeship^[4], so electrical contractors in particular can offer a recognized path. See registered apprenticeships for HVAC and electrical for the setup steps.

Write an ad veterans will answer

1. 01

   Name the career, not just the job

   Say where the role leads: apprentice to licensed tech to lead tech, with the pay at each level.

2. 02

   Translate requirements

   Write "experience maintaining mechanical or electrical equipment, military or civilian" rather than a list of civilian credentials.

3. 03

   Mention training and benefits

   Say that your program can work with GI Bill on-the-job training benefits if it is approved.

4. 04

   State the schedule

   Include typical hours, on-call expectations and flexibility for Guard and Reserve duties.

5. 05

   Show respect, not slogans

   A short line that you value military experience is enough; describe how you train and support new techs instead.

More on structure and wording is in our guide to technician job ads that get applicants.

Interviewing and onboarding

Ask about specific equipment and situations: "Tell me about a system you maintained and a fault you diagnosed." Veterans are used to structured evaluation, so a hands-on skills check fits well. During onboarding, give them what they had in the service: a clear plan, a named mentor, written standards and regular feedback. The adjustment many veterans find hardest is the lack of structure in a small civilian business, not the technical work.

Be aware that many veterans have a service-connected disability: in August 2025, 5.8 million veterans, or 34% of all veterans, had one^[1]. Most of these do not affect the ability to do trade work, and disability-related questions belong after a job offer, not in the interview. Focus the interview on the skills and duties of the job.

Concerns owners raise, and practical answers

• They have never worked on residential equipment: many have worked on larger or more complex systems, and residential specifics can be taught in ride-alongs within weeks.
• They will not like customer-facing work: ask about times they explained a problem to someone outside their unit; many have briefed officers and trained junior members.
• They will leave for a government job: make the career path, pay steps and training plan concrete, and some will choose your growth path over a slower one elsewhere.
• They will need time off for Guard or Reserve duty: plan around the drill schedule like any other planned absence, and treat it as part of the deal.
• They will expect too much structure: give them the plan, the mentor and the standards in writing, which helps every new hire, not just veterans.

Working with Guard and Reserve schedules

Guard and Reserve members usually know their drill weekends and annual training dates well in advance. Ask for the schedule at hire and enter it in your dispatch calendar so on-call rotations and peak-season shifts are planned around it. Treat these absences as fixed, the way you would treat a planned vacation, and never make a hiring or scheduling decision that penalizes someone for their service. A clear process also helps your other techs, who know in advance when they will need to cover.

Tax credits and incentives

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit has offered employers a federal tax credit for hiring certain veterans and other target groups, with certification required before the credit can be claimed. The Department of Labor page for the program states that WOTC is authorized until December 31, 2025^[3]. Check whether Congress has extended it before you count on it for a hire, and if it is available, file the required forms with your state workforce agency on time. Some states offer their own incentives for hiring veterans, so ask your state workforce agency as well.

Measure whether it works

Track veteran hires the way you track any recruiting source: candidates met, hires, techs still employed after a year, and how quickly each one reached solo calls. After a few hires you will know which channels produce people who stay, whether it is a transition office, a veteran service organization or referrals from your own veteran techs. Ask each veteran hire after 90 days what nearly stopped them from applying and what made them say yes, and use the answers in your next ad.

A 90-day plan for a veteran hire

1. Week one: tools, truck, safety procedures and the first-year plan in writing, with a named mentor.
2. Weeks two to six: ride-alongs on a range of call types, with a weekly review of what they learned.
3. Weeks seven to twelve: supervised calls, then simple solo calls with photo and note reviews.
4. Day 90: skills check, pay step and the next set of goals, including any license or certification.

Demand for these skills keeps growing. About 40,600 HVAC openings and 72,700 electrician openings are projected each year^[5][6]. A veteran hire with a clear plan and a career path is one of the most reliable ways to fill them, and a strong veteran hire often becomes the best recruiter for the next one.