Most businesses today understand the value of the veteran workforce within their organization. Yet, many still find it challenging to tap into this essential pool of talent. Why?
Individuals transitioning from the military, and their spouses, face significant geographic dispersion and strict transitionary timelines. This unique setting implies that frequent and early-stage talent acquisition strategies are key, but also challenging – many companies find reaching this talent to be resource (time, money, travel) prohibitive.
On top of the geographic and timing challenges, the Department of Defense (DoD) prioritizes approved Department of Labor (DoL) Apprenticeship and SkillBridge programs. And while any company can create a SkillBridge or apprenticeship program, it can take anywhere from months to years to get the program certified, and even longer to geographically expand it.
For this reason, many companies find value in partnering with other SkillBridge program and apprenticeship providers to effectively market their business to the military community and hire transitioning service members.
Many private and public sector resources are available to help companies more efficiently find and attract talent from the military community. While this list is not exhaustive, the below organizations are both sizable and reputable.
The U.S. Department of Labor offers a Registered Apprenticeship Resource Hub with a partner finder feature. You can utilize the platform to find already approved apprenticeships and get in touch with different companies depending on your hiring objectives.
Since its inception in 2011, Hiring Our Heroes has stayed committed to its mission of connecting the military community with civilian companies to create economic opportunity and a strong and diversified workforce.
A non-profit organization, HOH hosts regular military recruiting events both online and in-person and serves as a conduit between employers and specialized training and employment providers they can partner with.
In addition to developing strategic partnerships, companies must ensure that their own marketing and advertising materials, as well as any internal processes focused on veterans are well-defined. Having a military talent acquisition and retention strategy is key to being not just veteran friendly, but veteran ready.
60% of veterans struggle to explain how their military experience would interest a civilian employer and list this as their most significant challenge in finding a job.
Your first line of contact in HR should be knowledgeable of the unique qualities Military Community offers – Veterans, Guard/Reservists, Spouses or Dependents.
Provide an opportunity to say YES by using inclusive and clear language in job descriptions.
Examples of inclusive language might include:
Service members are accustomed to well-defined career progression offered through the military. For employers in the civilian world, it’s important to be clear about the application procedure for your business and the specific role. You want to paint a picture of what employment and growth at your organization looks like.
Detail Procedures
Simplify Applications
Highlight Career Path
Your brand materials give a snapshot of your organization and help recruits to imagine themselves as a part of your team.
Be sure to highlight any training programs you have for veterans, VA benefits programs, feature your military recruiters, highlight the veteran culture in your workforce and more.
Like any employee, veterans are interested in employers who can offer competitive pay and quality of life. For employers invested in military talent acquisition, you may wish to consider:
As previously stated, attracting talent from the military alone is not enough to meet your objectives. You need to be able to retain the great talent you’ve found. Mentorship programs for the military community employed in your business are a key strategy for many employers.
By creating a mentorship program linking your internal military community together, you can:
This doesn’t have to be complicated – it can be as simple as making key introductions between military affiliated mentors already in your workforce, to newcomers.
The military instills unique qualities that are highly transferrable to jobs in the transportation sector – including leadership, loyalty, attention to detail, teamwork, dependability, and a focus on safety.
A vital part of the American economy and workforce, military veterans still face many challenges in transitioning to civilian careers. As a recent study by the Merck Foundation and Hiring our Heroes highlights:
These statistics identify a particular onus on employers to do more to find and hire transitioning talent. Do more – but don’t do it alone. Companies of all sizes and budgets can rely on the existing resources available from the public and private sector to scale their military talent programs quickly and effectively.
TransForce, through its Troops Into Transportation program, offers companies in the trucking industry the ability to hire CDL certified Military Veterans for their open driving roles. Launched in 2012, Troops Into Transportation (T2T) is the nation’s only nationally recognized SkillBridge program for CDL training and certification.
Troops Into Transportation trains and certifies over 2,500 members of the military community annually, placing them in CDL driving jobs with carriers of all sizes. T2T boasts an international and domestic recruiting footprint, with authorized CDL training locations across the U.S.A.
TransForce offers trucking companies varying levels of access to Troops Into Transportation based on their size, budget, and objectives. Companies can actively recruit from the schools, or lease CDL certified veterans on a TransForce W2 (benefitting from TransForce’s approved Department of Labor Apprenticeship program status).
TransForce is the leading provider of CDL driver solutions in the United States.
For over 30 years, the company has been placing highly skilled CDL drivers in jobs they love while helping carriers fill over 15,000 positions annually. More than 3,000 companies rely on TransForce’s array of CDL driver solutions to effectively source and staff qualified, compliant professional truck drivers.