VETS BEYOND THE UNIFORM FOUNDATION

The Problem:
Over 200,000 veterans transition from the military each year, with many of these veterans choosing to enter the civilian workforce. Military of these veterans typically utilize transition organizations that function with the “standard” mission of simply placing a veteran in a job in the civilian workforce that is like the one they held in the military.

Unfortunately, statistics show that a growing number of veterans have trouble keeping employment after leaving the service, and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has indicated that as of December 2022 there were over 290,000 unemployed veterans in the United States.

Compounding these high numbers of unemployed veterans is the rate of first year turnovers amongst military veterans entering the civilian workforce is alarming at over 45%, and by the second-year veteran turnover numbers rise to almost 65%.

These high numbers demonstrate that the “standard transition” model does not always work, and the veteran’s need for immediate survival after they leave the military (i.e. food, pay, shelter) may force them to take the first job, any job, that comes along, which does not always lead the veteran down the path towards a successful career.

Getting veterans to stay beyond the first year of employment has been quite a challenge, and research has indicated that military veterans typically leave their first civilian job due to mismatches in: Skills, Culture, Expectations, Purpose, and Career Goals.

Many of these unemployed heroes can struggle with lowered self-esteem, feelings of being undervalued, higher divorce rates, combined with potential addictions & homelessness.

The Solution:
Veterans have received basic military training and have been provided the additional leadership and occupational training required to perform in their military roles. However, even the best trained veterans are missing the key skills needed to successfully integrate into today’s corporate workforce.

In order to help mitigate the large number of veteran turnovers and to reduce the culture & skills mismatches, we have created a program unlike other programs; the VETS - Beyond the Uniform program, which also known as Veterans Educational Transformation Solutions - Beyond The Uniform. We are much more than a standard Military Transition Program.

The VETS - Beyond the Uniform program is designed to help veterans and military spouses be successful in “new” careers by providing them with free access to a wide range of services including specialized assessments, one-on-one coaching & mentoring, video interview packages, and access to over 200 workshops designed to support the missing skills & certifications to help them successfully integrate and be effective in new career paths in the civilian workforce.

We have provided services to over 300 applicants last year, and we anticipate over 900 this year. This grant will help to fund our services for more military veterans and their spouses.

Our program is distinctly different from the “standard” transition programs that simply transition military veterans from the military service into similar civilian jobs. The VETS - Beyond the Uniform program provides military veterans free access to a wide range of services including specialized assessments, one-on-one coaching & mentoring, video interview packages, and access to hundreds of workshops to support the missing skills & certifications to help them successfully integrate and be effective in the civilian workforce.

The VETS - Beyond the Uniform program also works with companies and organizations looking to implement successful "veteran ready" hiring & retention programs.

The Transformation Program:
The VETS – Beyond The Uniform mentors & trainers work with each veteran to help them identify the military skills they bring to a new civilian career, while also helping them identify any potential gaps in the skills needed. We then provide them with the training to fill any skills gaps, while also coaching them on how to properly adjust into the new culture of a corporate workforce.

Our program is designed to reduce veteran unemployment and improve each veteran's chances for successful long-term careers by providing the veteran with a wide range of services. These services include specialized assessments, one-on-one coaching & mentoring, video interview packages, and access to hundreds of workshops to support the certifications & skills required in the civilian workforce.

Our team members have advanced degrees and hold certifications such as Senior Professional in Human Resources, Executive Career Coaches, Master Life Coaches, Resilience Building Leadership Trainers, Veterans at Work certification, and some are former corporate recruiters.

Our coaches, mentors, trainers and team of advisors are extremely enthusiastic about our VETS – Beyond The Uniform Program, as are the partners who have joined to support our critical mission.

Partners such as The Rosie Network, Veteran’s Ascend Staffing, Veteran’s Tax Credits, Hire Heroes, Zero8Hundred, Veteran’s Chamber of Commerce, Vets2Industry, and Excelsior College are just a few of the organizations that have rallied around us.