The Department of the Navy is conducting a hiring and support summit at the Doubletree Hotel in Tampa, Florida June 1-2.

The event is free of charge to anyone who wishes to attend, but is being conducted specifically to assist veterans and wounded warriors find employment with the Department of Defense, federal agencies and businesses in the private sector.

An "Employer Summit" was held June 1 to allow veterans, wounded warriors and others attending to join employers, human resources professionals, hiring managers and industry leaders to discuss the challenges and solutions associated with veteran hires and their transition to the civilian sector.

"The key to the next two days is getting the government civilians, transitioning military personnel and industry folks together to discuss the issues, share lessons learned and find out what works from one instance to another," said Rear Adm. Lorin Selby, commander, Naval Surface Warfare Center.

Veterans and wounded warriors attending the event are encouraged to speak with hiring officials from various federal agencies, as well as employers from partners within the local business community. In addition to hosting these important conversations, attendees, including spouses and caregivers, will be given the chance to attend workshops designed to build more job hunting skills.

"We must focus on not only getting our transitioning service members jobs," said the Honorable Franklin R. Parker, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, "but also on making sure that they are successful once onboard their new careers."

The Department of the Navy has sponsored the Veteran and Wounded Warrior Hiring and Support Summit for the last six years and as more lessons are learned, the successful career placement of Sailors and Marines has increased.

For more information, visit http://www.navy.mil/, http://www.facebook.com/usnavy/, or http://www.twitter.com/usnavy/.