The U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is furthering its commitment to U.S. military veterans through a new workforce development program known as VALOR, or Veteran Applied Laboratory Occupational Retraining. As part of a five-year plan, the VALOR program aims to provide Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) high school cadets and veterans starting their civilian careers valuable hands-on training experiences and full-time technical career placement and security at Fermilab.
Fermilab’s new VALOR program will reach out to local high school ROTC cadets with learning and career opportunities through multi-year summer internship experiences. Photo: Lynn Johnson, Fermilab
Fermilab created the new program in coordination with the DOE Office of Science to offer military veterans 10-week paid internships and six-month paid apprenticeships in a broad range of laboratory specializations that include fabricating, assembling, calibrating, operating, testing, repairing or modifying electronic or mechanical equipment, systems, devices or databases. Additionally, Fermilab will reach out to attract high school JROTC cadets to amplify learning and career opportunities through multi-year summer internship experiences.
“The Department of Energy is committed to supporting veterans through VALOR to greatly expand opportunities for them by providing multiple opportunities for STEM-based technical learning and training,” said Harriet Kung, interim associate director of science for high energy physics at DOE.
“With VALOR, Fermilab strives to provide veterans at the start of their civilian career valuable hands-on training experiences, increase awareness of Fermilab and upon completion of the program, remain at Fermilab as their full-time employer of choice,” said Sandra Charles, Fermilab’s equity, diversity and inclusion officer.
VALOR was created as an extension of Fermilab’s VetTech internship program, which was established in 2016 and was recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor as a 2019 HIRE Vets Gold Medallion Award recipient. The award recognizes job creators who demonstrate a strong commitment to recruiting, hiring and retaining our nation’s veterans.
Those interested in VALOR are encouraged to apply at Fermilab jobs.
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is America’s premier national laboratory for particle physics research. A U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science laboratory, Fermilab is located near Chicago, Illinois, and operated under contract by the Fermi Research Alliance LLC. Visit Fermilab’s website at www.fnal.gov and follow us on Twitter @Fermilab.
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