How we’re creating pathways to tech careers for veterans
November 19, 2020
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Maggie Pollard, Managing Director
Accenture Federal Services Management Consulting, U.S. Air Force Veteran
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Christopher Green, Senior Manager
North America Inclusion and Diversity Recruiting Lead and Military Employee Resource Group Co-Lead, U.S. Navy Veteran
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Our veterans have invaluable skills they’ve learned in the military—including leadership, teamwork, innovation, and grit. Transferring these skills and continuously building new ones is vital for the next step in their career.
We’re helping create pathways to technology career fields for veterans through participation in initiatives like a new U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) program, Veteran Employment Through Technology Education Courses (VET TEC).
The importance of tech skills
Career opportunities in advanced technology areas are on the rise.
To better understand the impact of technology and other factors on veteran education and workforce trends, we collaborated with VA. We conducted a social-listening study to analyze veteran sentiment around the GI Bill, which provides educational assistance to service members, veterans and their dependents.
We learned that many veterans are considering launching a career in or reskilling in the technology field. In fact, 62% of conversations trended toward careers with tech skills and using the GI Bill to gain a competitive advantage in the job market.
Pairing veterans with industry-leading training providers, the VET TEC program helps graduates acquire skills in IT such as information science, software, computer programming and data processing, offering them a pathway to technology career fields.
It offers an alternative to completing a four-degree, with the opportunity to develop skills over a matter of months.
Pathways to high-tech jobs
As the VET TEC pilot continues to evolve, VA is working with employers like Accenture, who are dedicated to propelling VET TEC graduates into high-tech jobs.
As a flagship member of the VET TEC Employer Consortium, we help veterans bridge the gap between program completion and meaningful employment, while also fostering a network of employers and training providers for graduates to leverage at all stages of their career.
Accenture is working with VA at every step of the process to:
- Strengthen the program’s veteran hiring pipeline by providing direct employment opportunities, internships and externships for VET TEC graduates and students.
- Further graduate vocational goal setting by participating in mentor programs, interview prep sessions, company “Lunch & Learns” and resource fairs, among other initiatives.
- Expand VA’s reach by collaborating across VA departments to explore opportunities to help expand Accenture’s utility to veterans, sharing information and best practices to help graduates succeed in the high-tech sector.
Our commitment to military hiring
This work is personal to us. We believe that hiring veterans changes lives, drives innovation at companies and even boosts economic growth.
In addition to our client work with VA and other collaborations, we are committed to supporting military service members, veterans and military spouses.
From establishing a dedicated military hiring team to creating an internal Military Employee Resource Group (MERG) with chapters across 31 United States offices, we offer a military-friendly culture that reinforces retention, offers military-connected assistance and provides comprehensive training and upskilling opportunities.
Military Times named Accenture on its “Best for Vets: Employers” list. Here are some of the ways we’re bringing our commitment to our veterans to life:
- We hired 5,000 military service members, veterans and military spouses between 2015 and 2020.
- We launched a Veteran Integration Program to ensure a successful transition into Accenture.
- We established Junior Military Officer, Student Veteran and Technology Apprenticeship programs.
- We awarded a $100K grant to Merivis, a Texas-based veteran service nonprofit, to provide Salesforce training programs for veterans.
Read more about our commitment to helping our military veterans and spouses build technology skills and create the opportunities they need to grow their careers into the future.
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