Working in a civilian world: Electric Boat benefits from military experience of veterans

NORWICH — For Norwich resident TJ Smith, he’s looking forward to an opportunity that’s helped him, and he thinks can help others.

Smith is one of 22 veterans who is benefiting from a partnership between the Veterans Rally Point at Easterseals in Norwich and General Dynamics Electric Boat to get veterans into the workforce. As of March, nine have been hired, four are in the application process, and nine more are in the hiring process.

The workers who come to EB through this partnership will be just some of the 5,700 employees the company is planning to hire in 2023 to keep up with government demand for submarines.

More: Electric Boat looking to hire 5,750 new workers this year in CT and RI facilities

Opportunities at EB include jobs working on the subs, to office jobs, and other services like the company hospital and fire department, said Raymond Ryan, military recruiter for General Dynamics Electric Boat.

“It’s very much not just welders and engineers; it’s our own community,” he said.

Connecting veterans with jobs

Smith, who served in the Rhode Island Army National Guard in the 1980s, was interested in the EB opportunity as he had been out of work for four months. He needed to get a resume together and see how things would work out.

“I have some experience in interior painting and knowledge of different paints, so I put in for (the paint department) and see what that company has to offer,” he said. “I’m excited to start working there.”

Each Monday, Ryan comes to Veterans Rally Point to work with Rebekah Avery, employment specialist for Veterans Rally Point, to help veterans that might be interested in the program.

The experience working with Rally Point to get an EB job offer was “unbelievably helpful,” Smith said. Avery and others were able to help Smith with his resume, learning computer skills, and getting on job sites.

Once someone is hired at EB, they have to get the security clearance to get done. At times, they’ll have to work “a stepping stone job” to get used to the demands of a workplace, and to make a living while the security check goes through, said Ron Welch, vice president of military services for Veterans Rally Point.

It’s important to have Ryan frequenting the Rally Point, as it helps to inform interested veterans what the company culture is, the work being done on site, and more, Welch said.

Military connections

Avery also likes that Ryan can bring the military perspective, as he is a tech sergeant in the Air National Guard. Specifically, he can understand what tasks someone may have performed in the military and compare it against wheat’s needed at EB, and also help transfer those skills.

Now that Smith has been hired, he’s expecting to start in mid-May. In the meantime, he’ll be training for the paint department. He’s looking forward to having a good paying job, and supporting his family.

“I’m working hard and doing something I enjoy doing,” he said.

Offering help with getting a job ties into the idea of “wraparound services” that Veterans Rally Point provides veterans, including a food pantry, a gym, a maker space, and more, said Avery, who was a U.S. Army Sgt. First Class E-7.

"They might want to get a job, but it’s hard to concentrate when they’re hungry, or haven’t done their laundry, or aren’t physically active,” she said.

Easing the transition into civilian life

The transition from military life to civilian life can be challenging for a veteran, said Welch, who was a Brigadier General in the National Guard.

“In the military, you’re going to know what you’re going to wear everyday, when meals are going to be serve everyday, what fitness you’re going to do,” he said.

Even though people who were in the military for a large portion of their working life may have never done a job interview, Ryan doesn’t consider these veterans entry level.

“They already have the training, being a natural leader with the military skills that they have,” he said.

Electric Boat makes a good fit for veterans because of its close relationship with the U.S. Department of Defense and a rank structure akin to that of the military. The veteran’s own ability to work with diverse groups, with a good work effort and ability to work under pressure makes them good employees, Ryan said.

While Smith has had his own work history, including working at the casinos , and 17 years at the UPS in Bozrah, he said the EB opportunity and the services at the Rally Point can benefit younger veterans that have recently left the armed forces as well.

“There’s many services that are available to them to help them,” he said. “If they don’t have the answers, they can point you in the right direction.”

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Veterans Rally Point and EB partnership connects veterans with jobs