Transitioning from military to civilian life is a very unique and uncertain time for military members and their families. It’s a time when figuring out what they want to do is just as difficult as figuring out how they want to do it. Walmart has developed a way to help veterans and spouses do both.
Walmart’s free Find-a-Future program is an initiative the retailer developed to serve the veteran community. There’s no need to get a job at Walmart to use it, but the chosen path might lead to one. Whether a veteran or spouse’s general goal is employment, furthering their education or starting a business, Walmart wants to help make the path forward clearer.
It starts with meeting a career coach to discuss your current situation. During the meeting with a Find-a-Future coach, veterans will discuss goals, skills, education and experience, among other topics.
Once the coach has a picture of where they are and where they want to be, they lay out a plan for how to get there using three tracks: employment, education and entrepreneurship.
The employment track can take veterans through many different ways of getting a great job. It offers the possibility of career counseling and assistance through the company’s third-party partner support programs. It will connect vets to hiring fairs held by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Hiring Our Heroes Program and also offers the chance to work at Walmart while earning an education through the company’s Live Better U online school.
On the education track, Walmart uses its needs and those of its corporate partners to place veterans in fellowships, internships and upskilling programs.
When the veteran candidate has completed the necessary training or working program, they are given the opportunity to interview for a job with Walmart or other corporations in administrative, management and supply chain roles, just to name a few possibilities.
The entrepreneurship track is maybe one of the most exciting possibilities for veteran entrepreneurs today. The Find-a-Future program will first connect veterans with new or existing businesses to incubators and training programs and give those new businesses a chance to sell their products in Walmart stores across America.
Walmart designed the program with the help of Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families, a leading source of information, business development and transition assistance for veterans and their families. Also helping Walmart develop the program is the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Hiring Our Heroes program and Student Veterans of America. All three serve ongoing advisory roles alongside the retailer and provide additional resources to veterans.
To learn more or get started, visit the Walmart Find-a-Future website, scroll down to the bottom of the page and answer a few simple questions about your goals and service. Filling out the form will create a Find-a-Future account. You also can use the page to refer another vet or spouse to the program.
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