Initiative provides tools and resources to match military veterans with internships, jobs, mentorships and certifications
HERNDON, Va. -- The Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC), the largest technology council in the nation, today launched the NVTC Veterans Employment Initiative, a new program designed to connect veterans to employment opportunities within Virginia's technology community. The announcement was made during an event at ICF International in Fairfax, which included remarks by Gov. Bob McDonnell and Sen. Mark Warner.
During the event, NVTC leaders highlighted the many aspects of the initiative designed to match veterans with internships, jobs, mentorships and certifications, while also providing support to member companies in their efforts to hire, train and retain qualified veteran employees. In describing the initiative, NVTC chair Sudhakar Kesavan, chairman and CEO of ICF International, noted that NVTC's effort is unique, because it is being driven by the business community in conjunction with our region's academic institutions and policymakers.
"Through the combined power of the organizations involved in this initiative, we are building a new ecosystem in Northern Virginia and the commonwealth that will connect veterans to employment opportunities and companies with an unmatched talent pool, with the tools to support their long-term success," Kesavan said.
Steve Cooker, executive vice president of global government solutions for Monster Worldwide, serves as a co-chair of the NVTC Veterans Initiative. He spoke about why Monster is taking such an active role in the program.
"This program is natural for us. At Monster, we connect people with job opportunities; it's in our DNA. We also have Military.com, a subsidiary of Monster, giving us a deep and rich legacy working with the military and veterans. As a member of the northern Virginia business community, we saw this NVTC initiative bringing all of those elements together right in our backyard."
Through the NVTC online veterans community, Monster and Military.com provide tools designed to assist service members' transition into the civilian workforce. Veterans can use the military skills translator to match their skills to civilian jobs, access a searchable database of jobs at NVTC member companies and tap into educational resources to help them develop skills to thrive in a private-sector career. NVTC members get free access to a resume database of more than 800,000 veterans, state-of-the-art search tools to find the right potential employee, and other tools to post and manage job openings.
Initiative co-chair David Lucien of DCL Associates provided an overview of the effort, including how NVTC will assist NVTC member companies in establishing or expanding their own veteran programs. He also described how NVTC is collaborating with state and federal policymakers to expedite legislative and/or regulatory action that enhances companies' ability to hire and train veterans on any federal contract.
Bob Templin, president of Northern Virginia Community College, outlined how the region's academic institutions are working with the business community to develop and expand veterans training programs that address the skills gap faced by many veterans as they leave military service.
Other speakers included Bobbie Kilberg, NVTC president and CEO, and Al Grasso, president and CEO of The MITRE Corporation.
"Many NVTC member companies believe overall workforce development is one of the greatest long-term challenges facing our technology community," Kilberg said. "The NVTC Veterans Employment Initiative is about bringing together the business and technology community with our region's academic institutions and policymakers to create an ecosystem where veterans' valuable skills and talents are matched to private-sector needs."
In the coming months, NVTC will host a variety of events and programs to assist member companies in establishing or expanding internal veteran programs, including an event in partnership with the Virginia Values Veterans (V3) Initiative. In addition, the association will facilitate events to help veterans learn best practices for their job search, connect to employers in the business community, and network with fellow veterans.
For more information about the NVTC Veterans Employment Initiative, visit www.nvtc.org/veterans. Or visit the veteran online community and resource at www.nvtc.monster.com.
The Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) is the membership and trade association for the technology community in Northern Virginia. As the largest technology council in the nation, NVTC serves about 1,000 companies from all sectors of the technology industry, as well as service providers, universities, foreign embassies, nonprofit organizations and governmental agencies. Visit NVTC at www.nvtc.org.
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