(PRWEB) November 11, 2014
This Veterans Day, the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC), the largest technology council in the nation, today announced expanded programs to aid military veterans as they transition to civilian employment opportunities and to support employers in their efforts to recruit, hire, train and retain qualified veteran employees.
Launched in August 2013, the NVTC Veterans Employment Initiative offers an online community and job board at http://www.novatechvets.org. The site, hosted by Monster.com, provides tools designed to assist service members’ transition into the civilian workforce including a military skills translator to match their skills to civilian jobs, a searchable database of jobs at NVTC member companies, and educational resources to help them develop skills to thrive in a private sector career. Since the site’s launch, more than 300 companies have had jobs on the website, which currently has more than 8,000 jobs posted. In addition, NVTC members can access a resume database of over 970,000 veterans, use state of the art search tools to find the right potential employee, and navigate other tools to post and manage job openings.
This month, NVTC also will begin the second cohort of its VETWORKING program, which launched earlier this year 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 veterans’ professional skills development, builds their professional networks and empowers them through the support of fellow job seekers or newly-employed colleagues. The pilot of this program has been organized and hosted by the MITRE Corporation. NVTC will be expanding this program further in 2015 with the support of additional member companies.
In addition, NVTC is releasing today the archives of a series of webinars designed to educate human resources professionals, recruiters, hiring managers, CEOs and COOs on best practices in veteran hiring. Past topics include understanding the business case for hiring veterans, interviewing veterans and understanding a veteran resume. Live webinars are hosted monthly for NVTC members. Visit http://www.nvtc.org/events for more information.
Over the past year, NVTC also has hosted three 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. Unlike traditional job fairs during which candidates circulate to employer tables, these events allow employers to pre-screen applicants and resumes before speaking with small groups of veterans in a round robin style. Four additional recruiting days are planned for 2015.
The NVTC Veterans Employment Initiative is also working 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. Additionally, NVTC is working to facilitate internships and OJT opportunities within the region’s technology business community. In 2015, the NVTC Veterans Employment Initiative is launching a pilot program with its academic institutions to engage 50 student veterans with internships and career opportunities with 50 NVTC industry partners.
“I want to thank the NVTC Veteran Employment Initiative co-chairs Steve Cooker of Monster.com and David Lucien of DCL Associates, as well as all of the volunteers from our member companies, for their commitment to growing the programs and tools of the Initiative,” said NVTC President and CEO Bobbie Kilberg. “Through an ecosystem of businesses, academic institutions, support organizations and policymakers, the NVTC Veterans Employment Initiative assists both veterans and employers, while also 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.”
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.
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.