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Subscribe to RSSBrian Roberts, Comcast Chairman and CEO, announced this morning that his company and NBCUniversal would commit to hire 1,000 veterans as part of the Hiring our Heroes campaign.
"It's clear that the leaders of tomorrow are the youth of today. There's no better youth of today than the people who've been fighting overseas and protecting our country," Roberts told TODAY's Ann Curry.
Watch the full interview below.
NBC News is part of NBCUniversal, which is co-owned by Comcast with GE. TODAY.com is a joint venture between NBCUniversal and Microsoft.
The 1,000 positions will be filled over the next three years. Comcast was one of 100 companies interviewing applicants at the USS Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum Hiring our Heroes career fair today in New York City. Other events were being held online and in Chicago and Fort Hood.
Retired Lt. Col. Kevin Schmiegel, founder and executive director of Hiring Our Heroes, and Navy veteran John Finneran of Capital One talk about their dedication to helping veterans find sustainable jobs.
Comcast's announcement comes on the heels of Capital One's pledge to work with the Chamber of Commerce to create a campaign aimed at hiring 500,000 veterans by the end of 2014. The band KISS is also looking for a veteran to hire for their summer tour with Motley Crew.
More from Hiring our Heroes:
Hiring our Heroes 'unlocks the potential' of vets
Jill Biden: Veterans will 'get the job done'
Bloomberg: NYC is committed to hiring veterans
For more on Hiring our Heroes, an initiative from NBC News and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that aims to get veterans back into the workforce, click here. Learn more about job fairs for veterans here.
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Thank you very, very much for such great coverage of the Hiring Veterans effort throughout the country. I'm sure this helps these deserving people and boosts morale for them--knowing they DO have the support of those of us at home.
My son is currently deplolyed but will retire in September I hope this is an ongoing opertunity . He has been deployed to Irac and Afganistan a total of 5 times.
Blind and other vets who require a screen reader aren't welcome. 100% Flash based.
At least at the "virtual job fair:"
I watched the morning show concerning the Hiring of Heroes, and it's a joke in itself. It's nice when filthy rich millionaires that are CEO's, Mayor's, VP's or whatever, telling the world and the Today show crew how they want to do so much for the vets....bull feathers. I worked for 23 years in a telecommunications field, but with 24 surgeries behind me (5 upper and lower spine fusions), and with spinal stenosis setting in, I have no recourse for any work in this real world. In 23 years, I've never been late to a job on any day, and with my degree behind me, I was willing to give to any employer all that I could give. Top that off with my VA who refused to give me medical assistance, combined with my age of 58 and no assistance from Social Security Disability, I find myself literally laughing at Biden, Bloomberg, and anyone else that states they are doing what the can for vets. Come sit in my shoes and see if you don't laugh at the lunacy in their statements, and then ask Matt and his cohorts....do you "actually believe this garbage"???
Am I ever with you Darrell2004. I'm an out of work Viet Nam Vet - Aerospace Engineer. They talk about the "Heroes" (which they are), but they're talking about in the last 10~15 years - not us older guys. I totally empathize with your back issues too. My being out of work was because my wife is going through similar things - Stenosis, surgery, paralysis, etc. They are 'Talking the Talk", but they're not "Walking the Walk"!!!!!!!!!
We’re hoping you have a good Dr. (Drs) through all this – making sure they have/are doing all the proper tests, types of films (X-ray, MRI), etc. Wrong diagnosis, etc. has led to a bad and painful path.
retired with benifits should be disqualified,they have an income,all unemployed should have the same chances at jobs not the prefered few,just another excuse for employers not to hire long term unemployed or the over 50 unemployed and as a vet i am dissapointed that these leaders choose to push jobs for one group and not the total unemployed
Brian Roberts is a TOOL. Its all about IMAGE for comcast. Sure, lets give crappy paying jobs to veterans while the CEO makes 30 million a year. They are also laying off hundreds of techs this year...hmmmm
AVOID COMCAST Folks...
We think this is a great idea. As a VietNam Era veteran myself, it was difficult to find a niche in the world when we came back. We own a building just across the street from Dobbins AFB in Marietta, Georgia and would be honored to speak with someone about using it as a hiring center for returning vets. Anyone interested can contact me by responding to this comment or emailing directly jim@rightconnections.net
Really?? What about the rest of the unemployed? My husband has been out of work for 3 years and no one seems to care about that. I commend the men and women who serve for what they have done, and am grateful for the sacrifices they have made. However, what makes them more worthy of finding a job than anyone else? My husband has a family to support too. I really don't appreciate all of the other unemployed being pushed aside in favor of the veterans who are returning home.
Are you kidding me? I have been unemployed for the last three months and I'm a desert storm vet. These guys don't get special treatment and these comcast low lifes are tooting there own horns looking for publicity.
You should read the article closely and see how great the other vets think this particular company is. Wanna be a telemarketer or a door to door canvasser? Because that is what comcast hires in droves....you might as well be a counter jockey for 7-11
I wonder how many of the employers at that job fair are offering living-wage positions. Probably not very many.
Comcast & Capital One - $8-$10 an hour customer service rep or telemarketing jobs
Or you can be a retail store manager pulling in about $10 to $11 an hour.
Or you can work part-time as a cashier for $7.50 or $8 an hour.
Or you can work in a call center for $8 to $9 an hour.
Even if there are other companies at this job fair that are offering jobs that pay better than these paltry wages, the likelihood of them hiring very many vets is slim.
Most job fairs in general are a joke in and of themselves. You walk in and most of the employers are temp agencies, or companies looking to hire people to sell things for a low wage or commission-only, or retail jobs that pay minimum-wage, and etc. Sure you can come in all dressed for success with your resume in hand and the employers will gladly take them from you but you'll never get any callbacks. Other employers will decline to take your resume and tell you to apply online.
I'm all for these job fairs if they're actually going to hire Veterans for positions that pay a living wage and are in fields they received training for while they were in the military. But if these fairs are like the ones I've been to only offering temporary or part-time low-wage employment, that's a slap in the face to the men and women who have fought to keep our country free.
Here in NYC, I've watched Capital One grow from a credit card company to a full fledged banking institution. And unlike the other big banks, they've maintained an appreciation for the community and for real people. I'm so proud to patronize a company that is not only committing to this effort, but taking the lead on it. Way to go Capital One, and all the other employers, big and small, who take this seriously, and will put our veterans back to work!