The Virginia Department of Transportation is recruiting up to 10 veterans for a model internship program.

VDOT made the announcement this week about the Wounded Veteran Internship Program, which aims to train veterans, primarily from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, who can no longer work in their former jobs because they are not physically or emotionally able.

“This will be a place of transition for the veterans,” said Louis Bromley, the program’s coordinator. He added the internships could lead to full-time positions at the department or a better resume to find employment elsewhere.

The veterans would be placed in the temporary, but full-time paid positions, that match “their aptitude and interests,” said Sande Snead, a VDOT spokeswoman. “These are mature people who have served their country and now have an opportunity to start a new career.”

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Snead said several current employees have volunteered as mentors to the new interns and many others offered possible positions in their departments. The department plans to place the interns in positions near their homes.

The program is funded through a two-year, $500,000 grant from the Federal Highway Administration. VDOT hopes the program will become a model for other departments of transportation around the country, Snead said.

cgoodman@dcexaminer.com