Auditors find low enrollment in vets jobs program

WASHINGTON — Federal auditors say a job-training program designed to help veterans re-enter the workforce has more than 60,000 empty slots, left unfilled despite efforts to reduce the jobless rate among veterans.

The program is geared toward unemployed veterans between the ages of 35 and 60. It covers up to one year of tuition for training in high-demand jobs at local community or technical colleges.

In all, Congress allowed for up to 99,000 participants, and the inspector general for the Department of Veterans Affairs found that only about a third of the slots were being used. The program is just one of a range of education benefits for veterans. Most of those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan qualify for one of the others, so they’re not eligible for this particular program.