The Association for Talent Development wants to make it easier for companies to hire veterans.

Last week, the organization announced the ATD Values Vets Conference, which will feature resources and content to help companies acquire, retain, and help advance veterans in the workplace.

“The ATD Values Vets program has been designed to help enterprises with existing veteran initiatives to become more effective, and to encourage those enterprises with a desire to make veterans a part of their talent development strategies to get started,” Joe Barto, president of the Training Modernization Group, a co-organizer of the event, said in a statement.

Geared toward employers, veteran resource groups, and vets themselves, the conference will take place in Washington, DC, November 6-7, just before Veterans Day. It will include speakers from several vet-friendly employers who will share their advice and best practices for hiring and retaining veteran employees in both the private and public sectors.

Veterans appear to be faring slightly better in finding employment than their civilian counterparts, according to September data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  But a study conducted last fall by the Military Benefit Association found that two-thirds of currently employed vets reported it was at least somewhat difficult to find a job after leaving the military.

“While there is substantial training available to military personnel months before they separate, service members still face many struggles as they make the transition to the civilian sector,” retired U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt.  Roy Gibson, president of MBA, said.

Several associations, such as the International Franchise Association and the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States, offer skills training programs specifically tailored to veterans. IFA’s Operation Enduring Opportunity, an expansion of the organization’s VetFran program launched after the first Gulf War, has brought more than 151,000 veterans and their military spouses into the franchising industry, including about 5,000 as franchise owners, since 2011.

Meanwhile, associations and other groups are also helping veterans gain access to their disability benefits and better manage their finances.

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