COEUR d'ALENE - Prodding businesses to put returning servicemen and women on the payroll. Training soldiers on rejoining the workforce while they're still in service.

These are a few possibilities to address widespread need for career opportunities for veterans, according to a panel presentation on Wednesday at the Western Governors' Association annual meeting.

"One of the questions I received as the agenda went out was, 'This is something we haven't spent much time on, why this subject, and why now?'" said Gov. Butch Otter, WGA chairman.

But there are roughly 2,800 soldiers returning this fall from Iraq and Afghanistan to Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana and Utah, he said.

"We need to be prepared," Otter said.

Christine Gregoire, governor of Washington, said she hopes to see states facilitating post-service employment, which she found a major concern during a visit to National Guard soldiers in the Middle East.

"The same thing was said by the majority of (soldiers) - 'I'm worried when I come home, am I going to have a job? Am I going to be able to provide for my family?'" Gregoire said.

The panel, which spoke before representatives of 19 states and three territories at The Coeur d'Alene Resort, included spokespersons from federal and state veterans services, and the nonprofit sector.

Jim Nicholson, former secretary of Veterans Affairs, said there is 11 percent unemployment among post 9-11 veterans.

"We can stipulate that this is a problem," Nicholson said.

Veterans aiming to enter the job market immediately are struggling, he said, likely because of minimal education and lack of experience with civilian interactions.

"That is particularly acute in the environment we're in now, in a restricted job market," he said.

Governors can step in to help, he said.

Many soldiers are trained in areas applicable to private sector jobs, he said. State offices can push employers to seek out veterans with those abilities, he said.

"I would put your top talented, motivated person on it, who reports directly to you," Nicholson said.

Hopefully that direct engagement will result in more hiring, he added.

"It's the right thing to do," he said.

Robert Hedelund, director of Marine and family programs for the U.S. Marine Corps, voiced frustration with the Corps' Transition Assistance. The program, only a few days long, isn't effectively helping soldiers assimilate back into society, he said.

"We pulled 5,000 Marines who departed service, and asked what they got out of Transition Assistance," he said. "It's a pretty sad tale."

The Corps is looking at revamping the program, however, by providing Transition Assistance throughout soldiers' service, Hedelund said, instead of at the very end.

Soldiers will be directed on starting new careers and training, as well as education, he said.

There is a bill in Congress that would allow soldiers to receive job training during their service, he added, but there is some opposition.

"The blowback we get is, 'We're not paying tax dollars for you to train people to get them back into civilian life,'" he said.

Idaho has myriad programs available to help veterans, said panelist David Brasuell, administrator of Idaho Division of Veterans Services, like tax incentives for businesses that hire veterans.

Brasuell suggested all state officials become familiar with how different departments help veterans.

"You will know who to refer that veteran to, or that veteran's spouse," he said.

Jeff Bacon, director of the nonprofit Wyakin Warrior Foundation, said he hopes states are aware of how many disabled veterans are returning home.

He would like to see more disabled veterans assimilated into society together, he said, so they can share their experiences and find support.

Governors present for Wednesday's panel agreed they want more opportunities for veterans.

Otter said he wants to see it easier for soldiers trained with certain technology to become certified in related industries.

He would like to see what can be done legislatively so military training can apply to civilian certifications, he said.

Gary Herbert, governor of Utah, said he would like to pursue a program like Washington's, that tracks the status of National Guard soldiers for at least a year after they leave service.

"I'm taking a page out of Washington state, to make sure we're doing all we can with the National Guard," Herbert said.

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer said he would prefer the armed forces provide civilian job training for soldiers.

"We have found they are the best in converting citizens to warriors, but there have a long ways to go to convert warriors back to citizens," he said.