Veterans looking to break into the job market can soon find employment in information technology.
TRiVet, a non-profit veteran-run computer service, will have an informational meeting next Friday at the SUB.
TRiVet, or Tapia Ramos Veteran Entrepreneurial Training Systems, is a 30-day program that teaches veterans how to fix virus-infected computers, said creator Joe Tapia Ramos.
He said veterans will initially make $25 per computer they fix, but they can later transfer their consumer base, start their own business and increase profits.
Tapia Ramos said that although veterans get education benefits after their military service, many can’t afford to take time off work to attend classes. He said out of the estimated 30,000 veterans in New Mexico, only 3 percent actually get a college degree.
“One of the reasons they don’t finish is that they can’t afford it, especially if they have a family,” Tapia Ramos said. “They can’t go to school and work a full-time job.”
Adrian Cisneros said he has been participating in the program since January. He said TRiVet will help veterans who are returning from Afghanistan and Iraq.
“People think these guys are coming out of the military with pensions, but they’ve got nothing,” Cisneros said. “I struggle on a monthly basis.”
Tapia Ramos said fixing each computer takes five to six hours, but veterans often work on computers simultaneously.
“This program lets veterans work less than half the time they’d have to at a regular job and make two or three times as much money,” Tapia Ramos said. “This gives them more time to go to school and have less financial worries.”
Tapia Ramos said TRiVet charges customers $115 to fix a computer — $10 less than the average cost in Albuquerque. After a veteran receives $25 for their work, the rest of the money is given back to other programs that help veterans.
Tapia Ramos said the program is aimed to help veterans who toured Iraq and Afghanistan. He said TRiVet is looking for students who are already enrolled in school at UNM or CNM to start making enough money to stay in school.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Patrick McSween, veteran and Resident Representative of New Mexico Veterans Integration Centers, has been involved with the TRiVet project since it began in January.
He said even if the veterans decide that they don’t want to finish college for some reason, they can take what they’ve learned at TRiVet and start a business.
McSween said the TRiVet program should soon be popular enough to help veterans state-wide.
“These veterans fought for our country — they have some pride,” McSween said. “They don’t want a handout. They want a job and an opportunity.”
BOX:
TRiVet informational meeting
SUB
Sept. 27, 2-4 pm
RSVP by September 18th to Patrick McSween at 505-506-9249 or Joe Tapia Ramos at 505-553-3435
