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Local veteran leaders pitch ‘career bridge’ program to curb veteran out‑migration
Summary
A retired Army ranger and founder of Talent Base urged supervisors to support a veterans career bridge program aimed at retaining and placing veterans in Kern County; no board action was taken during public presentations.
Kenny Pratt, a retired U.S. Army first sergeant and founder of the nonprofit Talent Base, told the Kern County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that Kern has lost more than 10,000 veterans to out‑migration over the past decade and urged local leaders to support a structured career‑bridge program for veterans.
Presentation: Pratt described his organization’s plan to launch a veterans career bridge in January that would connect transitioning service members to employers through paid internships and professional development. He said established models exist with an 85% success rate but that local employers were not yet using them.
Why it matters: Pratt said the program would help retain veterans’ leadership and skills, create predictable workforce pathways, and support economic growth. He said Talent Base is working with local partners including the workforce development board, veteran services and Kern Community College District (KCCD) and invited county officials to join the coalition.
Board response: Supervisors thanked Pratt and expressed interest. No formal board action, appropriation or referral was taken; Pratt said the first cohort is planned for January and requested meetings with county staff to coordinate support.
Ending: Pratt asked the board and community leaders to participate in planning and employer outreach; the county did not commit funding during the morning session.
