Mar 16 2010
Microsoft Helps Prepare U.S. Veterans for Jobs
Building on its Elevate America program to provide technology training to help prepare people for 21st-century jobs, Microsoft Corp. today announced an initiative to bring together a coalition of public, private and nonprofit organizations to give veterans and their spouses the skills and resources they need to be successful in today’s civilian work force.
Microsoft will contribute $2 million in cash and up to $6 million in software over the next two years to support programs for members of the armed services and their spouses who are separating from the military and reintegrating into their civilian communities and the work force. Through a competitive funding process, Microsoft will award cash, software and other resources to eligible organizations, including veterans service organizations, work force agencies, community colleges and other nonprofit organizations.
The initiative will provide veterans and their spouses with the support they need to be successful in their transition to civilian careers, including technology skills training, job placement, career counseling and other support services such as childcare, transportation and housing. The initiative is intended to support active duty service members who are transitioning out of the military as well as members of the National Guard and Reserves who are returning to their civilian jobs.
At the NAWB Forum, Passman reported on the results of Elevate America so far:
- Twelve states have implemented the program: Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Virginia and Washington.
- To date, Microsoft has distributed more than 300,000 free training and certification vouchers to these states.
- More than 50 percent of people who received vouchers proactively took the next step — beginning a training course or taking a certification exam.
- Around 70 percent of the people who received the vouchers were unemployed.
- Sixty percent were women, and 37 percent were between 41 and 55 years of age.
- Thirty-three percent had a high school diploma or GED, and 42 percent had some postsecondary education or training (certificate, some college or four-year degree).
Organizations and veterans can find more information on this initiative by visiting http://www.microsoft.com/elevateamerica, and can get updates by following Elevate America on Twitter at http://twitter.com/elevateamerica.