General Electric has committed to hiring 5,000 veterans over the next five years, some of them from right here in the Capital Region. The company was one of several at a career fair for members of the military. YNN's Beth Croughan has more.

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ALBANY, N.Y. -- "I joke a lot, you know, I went from working for an Admiral to working for the General," said GE U.S. Navy Energy Coordination and Program Manager Chip Cotton.

The former Naval officer is one of more than 10,000 veterans employed by General Electric and the company has committed to hiring 5,000 more vets over the next five years.

Tuesday, Cotton joined current colleagues and other former military members at a veteran career fair. Company officials came to recruit servicemen and women.

"We are hiring veterans because veterans make wonderful employees. You know, at GE, we say they have the skills that we need, they have the values that we value. They're just a perfect fit for our organization," said Ret. Maj. Dave Ferguson, the Military Staffing and Recruiting Manager for GE.

Ferguson, a retired Army officer, was hired through a GE recruitment program 15 years ago. But now, along with recruiting, he's tasked with training.

"There's this career search, the interviewing, the resume writing. All of that stuff which tends to be very foreign to US Military folks," he said.

It's part of the "Hiring our Heroes" program. Through a partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, employees are helping vets make the career transition to any company.

"The major advice, that I try to pass on to all the veterans that are looking for work is don't sell yourself short," said Cotton.

Tuesday's event is one of 400 being held by the Chamber throughout the country this year