How to Recruit Veterans Near Naval Station Great Lakes

Naval Station Great Lakes sits just north of Chicago, in Lake County, Illinois. It is a strong source of veteran talent in the Midwest. Many employers in the area do not know that. They drive past the gate every day and never think to recruit from it.

Great Lakes is different from other Navy bases in one big way. It is the Navy's only boot camp. Every enlisted Sailor in the fleet starts here. On top of that, a large share of new Sailors stay on base for technical "A" school training. That mix shapes the local talent pool in a way no other base does.

This guide shows a midsize company how to recruit veterans near Naval Station Great Lakes. You will learn who the Sailors near Great Lakes are. You will see what skills they bring, and how to reach them before they leave. Hire in the Chicago metro and want skilled, disciplined people? This pool should be on your list.

What makes Naval Station Great Lakes a unique talent pool?

Great Lakes has been training Sailors since July 1911. People on base call it "The Quarterdeck of the Navy."

Since 1994, it has been the Navy's only enlisted boot camp. Every new enlisted Sailor in the fleet now passes through Great Lakes first.

In fiscal year 2025 that was more than 42,000 Sailors. That was the command's highest output in a decade. It ran about 10,000 above the year before, per the Navy's Recruit Training Command.

The bigger story for you is what happens after boot camp. Many new Sailors stay right there at Great Lakes for technical training. This is "A" school, where they learn a trade. The base runs Training Support Center Great Lakes. That command houses and mentors the A school students. Separate Navy schools on base teach the courses.

So the area holds two kinds of military talent. Sailors who trained here and later come back, plus the petty officers who taught them. Both groups are worth your time.

Why does the boot-camp role shape the local pool?

A base built around training does two things to the talent near it. First, it draws in skilled instructors. The petty officers running A-school and boot camp lead and train others every day.

Some finish their shore tour here and stay in the area. New to Navy ranks? See military rank explained for civilian recruiters.

Second, some Sailors who train here come back to the Midwest when they get out. Some came from the region and want to return. Others met a spouse or put down roots during training. That can put them inside your hiring radius.

Who are the veterans near Great Lakes that you can hire?

The pool here leans toward two groups. One is junior enlisted Sailors who trained here and came back. The other is the instructors and petty officers who trained them. These are the skill sets you will find.

One caution before you go further. The area around the base is a full job market of its own. Not every Sailor near Great Lakes is a technician. And a job title on a resume does not always say what the person did day to day. Read the resume for the work, not the rating code.

What does the technical training mean for your hires?

Sailors at Great Lakes go through long, hard schools. An electronics technician spends about 11 weeks in apprentice technical training. Then comes about 22 more weeks in the ET strand at Great Lakes. That path runs about 33 weeks in total.

A fire controlman does the same 11 weeks first. Then comes about 16 weeks in a fire control strand. That path runs about 27 weeks. Those numbers come from the DoD Advanced Electronics rating card.

Think about what that means. A 22-year-old with this background has already finished six to eight months of technical school. The Navy paid for it. You did not. They know how to troubleshoot, follow a tech manual, and work to a standard. That is rare in an entry-level hire.

How do you read a Great Lakes Sailor's resume?

Many resumes from Sailors come in heavy with Navy terms. Rating codes, ship names, and acronyms. If you screen on the raw words, you will pass on strong people. Translate first, then judge.

The same experience can read two ways on paper.

The Sailor in the first box and the candidate in the second are the same person. One version gets screened out. The other gets an interview. Your job, or your recruiter's job, is to do that translation before you decide.

Want a deeper screening process? Our guide on how to evaluate a veteran's resume walks through it step by step. For the title-decoding piece, see how to read a military job title on a resume.

How do you reach Sailors before they leave the area?

Timing matters near Great Lakes. Some junior Sailors separate after one enlistment. Reach the ones who come back to the Midwest early. If you wait until they post a resume on a job board, you may be late. Bigger employers and the trades may have talked to them first.

Start before their separation date. This order fits a midsize team.

Want more on timing? Read our guide on how to hire transitioning service members before separation. We also cover how to recruit recently separated veterans 0 to 12 months out. To meet Sailors on base, see how to get base access to recruit at a military installation.

Is SkillBridge a hire or a tryout?

SkillBridge is a tryout. Hiring comes later, and only if you both want it. A Sailor on SkillBridge is still on active duty. The Navy still pays them.

Treat it like a long interview. You can make an offer during the program. You cannot pay them during it. Employment and pay normally start after the separation date. If it does not work out, you both walk away clean.

Your business must have been registered with a U.S. state for at least three years to host. Government employers are exempt from that rule. You can learn the rules on the official SkillBridge site. Our guide on how to become a SkillBridge host company covers the setup.

Why is the junior enlisted pool worth your attention?

A lot of employers chase senior veterans with 20 years of experience. There are not many of those, and everyone wants them. The junior pool near Great Lakes is bigger and easier to win.

These are Sailors with three to six years in. They are young, but they are not raw. Many have held a security clearance. All of them met a standard every day. A lot of them learned a trade on the Navy's dime. For a midsize company, that is a strong entry-level or skilled hire.

The jobless rate for all veterans was 3.5 percent in 2025. That is below the rate for non-veterans, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Veterans compete well in the civilian market.

Want help deciding how to weigh entry-level vets? Our guide on how to recruit junior enlisted veterans for entry-level roles goes deeper on this exact group.

How does a midsize company win this pool?

You will not out-spend a Fortune 500 firm near Great Lakes. You do not need to. A midsize company wins on speed and clarity, not salary.

A big company can run a Sailor through many rounds over a month. You can meet them, make a clear offer, and close in a week. To a Sailor who needs a job by their separation date, fast and simple beats a famous name.

Get your hiring system ready first. Our veteran recruiting strategy playbook covers the full process. To size the local market, see how many veterans are in your local talent pool.

Should you count on the WOTC tax credit?

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit covered some veteran hires. Right now it is not active. It covers only hires who began work by December 31, 2025. Congress has not renewed it.

So base your decision on the talent, not the credit. You can also check the Department of Labor employer page for current hiring resources.

How does BMR help you recruit near Great Lakes?

The hard part of hiring a Sailor is the front end. Finding them early, and reading past the Navy terms. BMR helps with both.

BMR is a veteran talent platform. Sailors and veterans build civilian-ready resumes on it. 77,901 resumes have been built on BMR. BMR adds over 1,000 new profiles a month.

For a midsize company in the Chicago metro, that means you can start a search today. You do not have to wait for a job fair or hope a resume lands in your inbox.

Want a Navy analog? See how the same approach works near other bases. We cover recruiting veterans near Norfolk's Naval Station and veterans near Submarine Base New London.

Now you can read past the Navy terms on a Great Lakes resume. On BMR, describe a role like field service technician. See matching veterans who have consented to employer search. Filter by branch, clearance, state or location. Profiles stay anonymized. Message the Sailors who fit. Interested candidates reply to you directly. Search for Navy-trained veterans for Illinois roles.