The Georgia Department of Labor’s (GDOL) Valdosta Career Center, along with other local organizations, will participate in a hiring event Wednesday, July 23, to help veterans find jobs and get information about educational and training opportunities and other benefits.

The event will be held from 1-3 p.m. in Brooks Hall, Building 500, on the Valdosta Campus of Wiregrass Georgia Technical College, 4089 Val Tech Road. The event is co-sponsored by Valdosta Veterans First, a non-profit organization established in 2011 to improve the lives of veterans, service members, and their families. As many as 400 service members are expected to be released from active duty at Moody Air Force Base in the fall.

Employers and organizations expected to participate in the event include: Brain Injury Advocate Services of Georgia, Convergys, DeKalb County Police Department, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Goodwill Industries, Gwinnett County Police Department, Hopes and Dreams Riding Facility, House of Heroes, Lurk Enterprise Solutions, Chapter 1000 of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, New Hire Solutions, North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System, Park University, Saft America, South Georgia Medical Center, Troy University, Valdosta Fire Department, Valdosta State Prison, Valdosta State University, Valdosta-Lowndes County Jobs, and Webster University.

Representatives of the GDOL, Wiregrass Georgia Technical College, Valdosta State University, U.S. Veterans Administration (VA), and other veteran service organizations will be on hand to provide information about employment, education, training, and benefits available from the VA.

The event is part of the Operation Moody Transition campaign, a community-wide effort by local businesses, employers, and colleges to identify jobs, internships, and educational opportunities for the ex-service personnel at Moody and other veterans. Earlier in the month, the GDOL hosted a workshop for employers who wanted to hire veterans, especially personnel set to be released from Moody.

For additional information about the event, contact Miranda Moore at the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce at (229) 247-8100, extension 231, retired Lt. Col. Tim Oliver of Moody at (229) 561-5251, or the GDOL’s Valdosta Career Center at (229) 333-5211.

GDOL provides a wide range of employment-related services to help veterans find jobs and career paths. A list of GDOL career centers may be found on the department’s web site at www.gdol.ga.gov.