Workshops For Warriors Helps Veterans Transition To Advanced Civilian Manufacturing Jobs

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - Transitioning out of the military and into civilian life isn't easy. But Workshops for Warriors is making a significant difference in the lives of veterans.

Headquartered in San Diego,the non-profit trains, certifies and places veterans and transitioning service members into advanced manufacturing jobs.

"I had no job lined up, and I saw the skills that they could provide for me, so I decided to jump on and take the risk," says Rossi Patterson, who struggled to find work with a degree in business management.

The four-month program provides hands-on training in fields like welding and robotics.

"It takes anywhere from four to 40 months to train a service member to be competent in their job. Yet, America provides five days of training for them to become civilians again," explains Workshops for Warriors founder and CEO Hernán Luis y Prado.

Workshops for Warriors is the only accredited school in the nation to provide training at no cost to veterans and provides a pipeline of skilled labor.

"You're going to need a vanguard of highly experienced, competent, dedicated people, and that's what veterans will do," Hernán says.

95 percent of more than 850 veterans who graduate from the program find employment. The starting salary for a job is about $60,000. Many vets land jobs with major companies like Tesla, Boeing, Google and SpaceX.

Patterson landed a job after graduation and says Workshops For Warriors "actually changed my life in the most positive sense." He now mentors other veterans.

"They don't know if they're gonna get the next paycheck, so I'm there to walk them through the actual transition process," he says.