Our first class of veteran students exceeded our expectations. The interest across the country for the program will be opening doors for veterans for quite some time.
Austin, Texas (PRWEB) September 03, 2014
Bridge360, an Austin-based software quality assurance company, celebrated its charter class of the Veterans4Quality™ training program today at the Veterans4Quality Certificate Ceremony hosted by Whole Foods Market, one of the program’s first employment partners.
The charter class of the Veteran4Quality training program included 15 veterans who completed the curriculum and on-the-job training program. The veterans included those that served in deployments ranging from Vietnam to Iraq representing all four branches of service.
Experts at Bridge360 designed the quality assurance curriculum and on-the-job training program to accelerate training for returning veterans to enter the high tech profession. The free fast-track training program for returning veterans provides coursework and hands-on training to allow military veterans to transition into careers as software quality assurance engineers.
“Tens of thousands post-9/11 veterans are entering the civilian workforce currently. Though they are amazing leaders with a work ethic and loyalty that is unmatched, many skills do not transfer directly to civilian careers,” said Brenda Hall, Bridge360 CEO. “At the same time, we are in a software quality assurance industry that is in great demand as companies are finding consumers have lost patience with bad software. Furthermore, software quality assurance is not a degree that is taught in universities. So, it just makes sense to combine our expertise with the veteran need in order to close a marketplace gap.”
The initial Veterans4Quality program began coursework in April through a partnership with Park University, which promoted the program to its veteran students and provided facilities. During the four-month program, students completed coursework and a paid on-the-job training program with local industry leaders Alchemy Systems, Dell, Multimedia Games, NewComLink and Whole Foods as well as Bridge360. During the ceremony, students were presented with a Software Quality Assurance Certificate and were honored for their work by their on-the-job training companies.
“These veterans have served our country and are coming home to various expenses, on top of adjusting to new way of life away from war. They deserve the chance to make a living with a quality job that will support them and their families," said Brad Power, head of web and e-commerce programs for Whole Foods Market. "Ultimately, it is our goal to help provide them with the necessary set of skills to increase their marketability for a career in technology."
The second Veterans4Quality class will begin on September 16, with an advance course following later in the month. Bridge360 is still enrolling veteran students for this program as well as recruiting companies to host on-the-job training programs. In addition, Bridge360 is planning to start classes in New York later this fall through a partnership with the State University of New York (SUNY) with a goal of training 150 students by the end of 2015 between Austin and New York.
“Our first class of veteran students exceeded our expectations. The interest across the country for the program will be opening doors for veterans for quite some time,” said Hall. “It just goes to prove that you don’t have to be a big company to make a difference.”
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About Bridge360
Bridge360 is leading the charge to bring quality back to software, implementing quality solutions for clients throughout the entire software development lifecycle. This includes program management, architecture, design and development, testing and support, and maintenance. By specializing in solving complex problems at every phase of the project, Bridge360 removes roadblocks to bring clients’ software and applications to any market with the highest level of quality.
The Bridge360 customer base includes world technology companies, leading system integrators, federal and state government agencies, and small to enterprise businesses across the globe that embrace the return on investment that quality brings to their business. Bridge360’s clients span industries from legal to healthcare, automotive to energy, and high tech to high fashion; all counting upon Bridge360 to clear a path for their success.
Bridge360 was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas. Recent acclaims for the company have included 2013 and 2014 listings on Inc. 5000 and Austin Business Journal Top Women-Owned Businesses. Bridge360 was recognized in 2013 as a Software 500 and Austin Business Journal Fast 50 company, and was also the 2013 recipient of the International Service Award presented by GlobalAustin and the Austin Chamber of Commerce. In 2014, Bridge360 launched the Veterans4Quality program, a fast-track career-training program in software quality assurance provided for free to returning veterans.
