FROM MILITARY
SERVICE.
TO Residential
CONSTRUCTION.
Cosan Veterans connects veterans to the residential construction trades — documenting pathways, mapping programs, and serving as a resource for the next chapter after military service.
02 / The Gap
A Workforce in Waiting.
A Trade in Demand.
200K+
Annual Transitions
Approximately 200,000 service members transition out of the U.S. military each year — many of them seeking civilian work that draws on the discipline, problem-solving, and hands-on skill they built in uniform.
9
The residential construction industry spans nine major trade categories — from carpentry and electrical to heavy equipment and general contracting — each with its own apprenticeships, certifications, and entry points.
∞
For most transitioning veterans, the route from military service into a construction career is fragmented. Apprenticeships, GI Bill–eligible programs, certifications, and union pathways sit scattered across hundreds of providers, with no single map.
03 / Pathways
51 Programs.
9 Trade Categories.
One Map.
Cosan Veterans maintains a directory of residential construction pathways organized into nine trade categories. We document where to start, what programs exist, and how GI Bill, VR&E, and state apprenticeship benefits apply to each route.
/ 07
Drywall & Finishing
/ 08
Heavy Equipment
/ 08
General Contracting
04 / Approach
Document.
Educate.
Connect.
/ 01
Document
We catalog the training programs, apprenticeships, certifications, and pathways that already exist for veterans entering residential construction — keeping the information in one place, current, and accessible.
/ 02
Educate
We publish plain-language education on how the GI Bill, VR&E, state apprenticeship registries, and industry certifications actually work — and how veterans can apply the benefits they earned in service.
/ 03
Connect
We serve as a connection point between veterans, industry partners, training providers, and donor organizations. Cosan Veterans is not a staffing agency, contractor, or employer.
05 / Education & Housing
Pick the Program.
Pick
the Housing..
The choice between a 9-month trade school and a 4-year apprenticeship is not just a choice about how long you study. It is a choice about how your housing gets covered while you are studying — and for how long.
The veteran benefit system pays a housing component during civilian education. Some programs unlock more of it than others. A 9-month trade certificate gets you to the wage line fast but limits housing benefit coverage to those nine months. A 4-year registered apprenticeship pays an apprentice wage from day one and stacks the GI Bill Monthly Housing Allowance on top for the full duration — often the strongest combined housing solution available to a transitioning veteran.
For veterans with service-connected disabilities, VR&E (Chapter 31) includes a subsistence allowance that scales with dependents and covers housing throughout the approved training plan. For surviving spouses and dependent children of veterans who died, are permanently disabled, or were POW/MIA, Chapter 35 DEA and the Fry Scholarship carry their own housing components into civilian programs.
Cosan Veterans documents which residential construction programs pair which benefits, and how program length and structure shape the housing math. Picking the program is picking the housing reality for the duration of training.
Monthly Housing Allowance during civilian training, set by school zip code.
Benefit Reference
VA Benefits, GI Bill & VR&E
Benefit Reference
VA Benefits, GI Bill & VR&E
06 / Membership
Join the.
Network
Trade schools and apprenticeship programs are mostly limited by housing. Contractors are mostly limited by labor. The veteran population — funded for civilian training by the GI Bill and VR&E and bringing their own housing money — solves both problems at once. The members who connect to this population grow.
Cosan Veterans membership is open to schools, contractors, apprenticeship programs, suppliers, manufacturers, trade associations, and other businesses serving the residential construction industry. Three membership levels based on self-reported business size. Bigger members get more visibility and partnership depth; every member gets directory placement and access to the veteran market.
Members do not have to choose a category. The same membership covers any business serving the residential construction industry that wants to connect to the veteran workforce.
Tier 1
Small
Self-reported small business
Placeholder pricing — final rates posted at launch
- Directory listing in the appropriate hub
- Verified member badge
- Access to Cosan Veterans education resources
- Standard search placement
- Member newsletter
- Quarterly veteran market briefing
Tier 2
Medium
Self-reported small business
Placeholder pricing — final rates posted at launch
- Everything in Small
- Extended profile with veteran-program detail
- Priority search placement
- Newsletter feature opportunities
- Eligibility for Cosan Veterans podcast and blog features
- Veteran-engagement playbook
- Bi-monthly partnership office hours
Tier 3
Large
Self-reported small business
Placeholder pricing — final rates posted at launch
- Everything in Small and Medium
- Spotlight features across Cosan Veterans channels
- Event co-branding and sponsorship opportunities
- Social media amplification
- Annual partnership performance review
- Direct partnership coordination with Cosan Veterans staff
- Co-developed content and case studies
- Industry advisory board eligibility
Membership tier is self-reported by business size. Cosan Veterans does not employ, contract, train, or place veterans. Members control their own admissions, programs, and operations. Membership is a directory and partnership relationship.
07 / Get Involved
Three Ways
to Build With Us.
For Veterans
Find Your Pathway
Explore the residential construction trades, find programs that match your transition timeline, and learn how to apply the benefits you earned in service.
For Industry Partners
Build the Pipeline
Residential builders, trade associations, and apprenticeship programs: list your program in our directory and reach veterans ready to enter the trades.
Fund the Map
Cosan Veterans is a Florida 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Tax-deductible contributions sustain the directory, the education library, and the work of keeping them current.
08 /Policy
One Trade.
Fifty Licenses.
A veteran tradesperson with an active electrical or plumbing license in one state often waits 30 to 90 days to legally work in another. Military families relocate every two to three years. The math gets expensive.
Construction trade licensing is governed state by state. Fifty separate regimes, partial reciprocity agreements, twenty-two states accepting the NASCLA exam for commercial general contractors, twenty-two states with universal licensing recognition laws, and forty-nine states with some form of military spouse expedited licensure. The gaps still cost veterans months of career time and thousands of dollars per relocation.
Cosan Veterans supports the development of a multi-state trade licensure compact for residential construction trades — modeled on the Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact and the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact. Voluntary at the state level. State authority preserved. Portability granted to qualified tradespeople who hold credentials in good standing.
49
States with military spouse expedited licensure provisions
22
States that accept the NASCLA exam for general contractor licensure
22
States with universal licensing recognition laws since 2019
$1,000
Maximum DoD reimbursement per PCS for military spouse licensure costs
Benefit Reference
VA Benefits, GI Bill & VR&E
Benefit Reference
VA Benefits, GI Bill & VR&E
09 / Who We Are
Veteran-Founded.
Mission-Built.
Cosan Veterans is a Florida-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by a veteran to address a specific, fixable problem: the gap between transitioning service members and the residential construction trades that need them.
We are not a staffing agency. We do not employ, contract, train, or place veterans. We document what already exists, translate it into something veterans can use, and connect the people building careers with the people building the industry.
The mission is simple. The structure is intentional. The work is the work.
Florida 501(c)(3) Nonprofit