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Bureau of Prisons recruits vets in spite of shutdown

Posted at 1:30 PM, Jan 16, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-17 01:51:00-05

COLORADO SPRINGS – The partial shutdown of the federal government hasn’t stopped the Bureau of Prisons from looking for new employees. Recruiters from the Florence Correctional Institution are holding a job fair today at the Mount Carmel Veterans Service Center looking to fill some 50 positions with starting salaries of at least $43,000.

The prospect of working without pay didn’t deter job seekers either.

“The shutdown will not be forever,” said Rudolph Rodriguez, an Army veteran with experience working in juvenile detentions. “I’m sure, eventually they’re going to be picking up people.”

Gail Michael’s husband serves in the military. She said they’ve built up their saving in the event that Uncle Sam continues to withhold pay for essential employees beyond a potential hire date.

“We’ve gone through Dave Ramsey, Financial Peace University,” she said.

Ramsey is a syndicated radio talk show host who encourages listeners to build up their savings to an amount equal to three and six months worth of their income.

Mount Carmel regularly hosts jobs fairs and job training classes for veterans, active duty military, and their spouses.

“Employers out there love military veterans and their spouses,” said Paul Price, the Center’s Director of Transition Employment. “They understand discipline, they understand accountability, they’ll come to work on time, they’re not doing drugs.”

Gail said the employment services offered by Mount Carmel are a blessing because military spouses face unique barriers to employment.

“We move around so much, and so we may have only been in a job for six months,” she said.

That limited experience can sometimes be viewed negatively by prospective employers.

Today’s job fair will last until 3:00 p.m. at the Mount Carmel Veterans Service Center, 530 Communication Circle in Colorado Springs.