Northern Virginia Technology Council Veterans Employment Initiative Celebrates One Year of Supporting Veteran Employment
Herndon, VA (PRWEB) September 18, 2014 -- The Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC), the largest technology council in the nation, is celebrating the one year anniversary of the NVTC Veterans Employment Initiative and its efforts to connect veterans to employment opportunities in Virginia's technology community.
The NVTC Veterans Employment Initiative is driven by the Northern Virginia business and technology community, in conjunction with the region’s academic institutions and policymakers. Since its launch in Aug. 2013, the Initiative has developed or expanded several programs to support NVTC member companies in their efforts to recruit, hire, train and retain qualified veteran employees in order to help match veterans and military spouses with jobs, internships, mentorships and certifications.
“The NVTC Veterans Employment Initiative has brought together the technology business community with our region’s academic institutions and policymakers to ensure veterans’ valuable skills and talents are matched to private sector needs,” said Initiative Co-Chair David Lucien of DCL Associates. “We are thrilled by the support the Initiative has received in its inaugural year and look forward to expanding our efforts to help connect veterans with employment in our technology sector in the coming years.”
Through the NVTC online community and job board at http://www.novatechvets.org, Monster and Military.com provide tools designed to assist service members’ transition into the civilian workforce. Veterans can use the military skills translator to match their skills to civilian jobs, access a searchable database of jobs at NVTC member companies and tap into educational resources to help them develop skills to thrive in a private sector career. Currently, more than 200 companies have jobs posted on the website for a total of more than 5,000 jobs. In addition, NVTC members can access a resume database of over 950,000 veterans, use state of the art search tools to find the right potential employee, and navigate other tools to post and manage job openings.
“The goal of the Initiative is to connect veterans to employment opportunities and companies while ensuring the long-term success of veterans who are hired,” said Initiative Co-Chair Steve Cooker, executive vice president of Global Government Solutions for Monster Worldwide. “The Initiative could not have been successful in this goal without the hundreds of NVTC members that have recognized veterans’ tremendously valuable skills and experience. They’ve realized that veterans are an unmatched talent pool, and that hiring, retaining and training veterans gives companies a competitive edge.”
Over the past year, in addition to the online community, NVTC has hosted: two recruiting events, in conjunction with the Virginia Department of Veterans Services, to match companies with qualified transitioning service members, veterans, military spouses and members of the National Guard and Reserve; a training event to help area companies learn how to recruit, onboard, train, and retain America's veterans, transitioning military, and serving National Guard and Reservists; monthly webinars designed to educate Human Resources professionals, recruiters, hiring managers, CEOs and COOs on best practices in veteran hiring; and the NVTC Veterans Employment Initiative Sporting Clays Tournament, which benefitted the Veterans Employment Initiative through the NVTC Foundation.
This year, NVTC also launched a new program called VETWORKING to connect veteran job seekers to other veterans in the region’s technology sector. Through small group interactions and opportunities to participate in industry events, the program facilitates development of professional skills, builds their professional networks and empowers them through the support of fellow job seekers or newly-employed colleagues.
Through its member volunteers, the NVTC Veterans Employment Initiative also has worked with the region’s colleges and universities to address the skills gap faced by many veterans as they leave military service and to match veteran training and certification to the workforce needs of Virginia’s technology sector. NVTC members and staff also have collaborated with state and federal policymakers to expedite additional legislative and/or regulatory action that enhances companies' ability to hire and train veterans on any federal contract.
Earlier this year, NVTC created the NVTC Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) charitable nonprofit, to support the work of the NVTC Veterans Employment Initiative. In July 2014, NVTC announced that Northrop Grumman Corporation committed to donating $250,000 over two years as the lead sponsor of the NVTC Veterans Employment Initiative to help veterans find jobs in the region’s technology community.
“We are grateful for Northrop Grumman’s commitment to veterans employment,” said NVTC President and CEO Bobbie Kilberg. “Through their generous contribution and the efforts of the members leading this effort, the NVTC Veterans Employment Initiative will enhance its ability to assist both veterans and employers in Virginia, strengthening our regional economy and easing the transition to civilian life for those who have served our country. We encourage any company with a commitment to veterans employment to get involved.”
On Sept. 23, NVTC members, business leaders, community stakeholders and press members are invited to a briefing highlighting the programs of the NVTC Veterans Employment Initiative and progress made since the Initiative launched in August 2013. To register, please contact Sarah Jones at 703-904-7878 ext. 207 or email sjones(at)nvtc(dot)org.
For more information about the NVTC Veterans Employment Initiative, visit http://www.nvtc.org/veterans. Or visit the veteran online community and resource at http://www.novatechvets.org.
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The Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) is the membership and trade association for the technology community in Northern Virginia. As the largest technology council in the nation, NVTC serves about 1,000 companies from all sectors of the technology industry, as well as service providers, universities, foreign embassies, nonprofit organizations and governmental agencies. Through its member companies, NVTC represents about 300,000 employees in the region. NVTC is recognized as the nation's leader in providing its technology community with networking and educational events; specialized services and benefits; public policy advocacy; branding of its region as a major global technology center; initiatives in targeted business sectors and in the international, entrepreneurship, workforce and education arenas; the NVTC Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity that supports the NVTC Veterans Employment Initiative and other priorities within Virginia's technology community; the Equal Footing Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity that serves local area youth; and The Entrepreneur Center @NVTC, which mentors new technology entrepreneurs. Visit NVTC at http://www.nvtc.org.
Sarah Jones, Northern Virginia Technology Council, http://www.nvtc.org/, +1 (703) 268-5142, [email protected]
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