A Cary company that specializes in military recruitment has received a $200,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to help veterans translate their military skills into jobs in the wind industry.

Orion International, which has 25 employees at its Cary headquarters, will develop a training curriculum for veterans that is tailored to the wind industry.

The grant was awarded to Gemini Energy Services, a division of Orion that focuses on the wind industry.

Orion has also committed an additional $154,000 to help with training, tools and equipment costs, and will oversee the continuation of the program once the grant funding has been exhausted.

“Veterans are ideally suited for the wind industry due to their leadership experience, technical skill, and proven performance under the most difficult of situations, and yet a lack of wind-specific training can present a barrier to entry,” said Mike Starich, president of Orion International, in a release. 

Orion, founded in 1991, specializes in placing military veterans into the civilian workforce.

Colleen Whiteside, the company's marketing director, said the Department of Energy grant would result in the hiring of an instructor and up to 25 military technicians.

Orion says it has thus far place more than 450 veterans in jobs in the wind industry.