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5 Employers That Offer Free Training or Hiring Help for Veterans

Vets are in demand because they make a workplace stronger

spinner image a group of people are waiting in line to talk with a recruiter at a job fair
Anthony Lanzilote/Bloomberg via Getty Images

A talent war is underway as companies compete for the best employees. This is a plus for veterans because their attributes, experience and work ethic are valued.

spinner image people hold up a welcome home sign as someone from the military stands before an american flag. the words aarp veteran report appear above the flag
Getty Images/AARP

You can subscribe here to AARP Veteran Report, a free e-newsletter published every two weeks. If you have feedback or a story idea then please contact us here.

Almost 90% of Americans say veterans make a workplace stronger. To attract veteran employees, some companies pour resources into training programs and hiring for those who have served.

Here are five companies hunting for and helping veterans:

Deloitte

Deloitte’s CORE (Career Opportunity Redefinition and Exploration) Leadership Program grew from its commitment nearly a decade ago to double the proportion of veterans in its workforce.

The free 2½-day program takes place at Deloitte University in Westlake, Texas. Four times a year, 50 veterans and transitioning service members attend.

The application deadline is typically two months before the program starts. Officers and enlisted personnel from any branch can apply. They must have served not more than 10 years on active duty and be within a year before or after leaving the military. A bachelor’s or master’s degree is required.

Salesforce Military

This “department for veterans by veterans” within Salesforce offers active military, veterans and spouses free classes, certifications and support in launching successful tech careers. Since 2013, 40,000 have participated.

“We built this learning program and training commitment so that we could take people with great skills and help them upskill,” says Ann Weeby, the outgoing head of Salesforce Military and an Army National Guard veteran, “and then transfer into jobs, both at Salesforce and in what we call the Salesforce ecosystem, the economy that we’ve created with all of these jobs.”

Lockheed Martin

Veterans make up about 20% of the workforce at Lockheed Martin, which hires more than 2,400 ex-military members each year.

The global security and aerospace company operates its own career pathway program, Handshake 2 Hire (H2). Specifically designed for transitioning service members, veterans and military spouses, the program steers them throughout the hiring process. Managers select promising candidates whose details can be forwarded to more than 700 hiring managers looking to fill jobs across the country.

ManTech

Half of the 10,000-person workforce of ManTech, a management and technology company that contracts for the government in the defense sector, served in the military, and 1,450 veterans were hired last year. “They’re very close to and know the programs, the customers and the atmosphere that we work in,” says Joe Rozengota, director of talent acquisition and a Marine Corps veteran. “Being a lead contractor in the government space brings a familiarity to the work.”

ManTech has a dedicated military recruiting team and veteran ambassador department led by Omari Faulkner, a reserve Navy public affairs officer. The company is partnered with the ServiceNow NextGen Veterans Program, which offers custom ServiceNow training and support in transitioning from the military.

“Veterans are not only talented, skilled individuals, there’s a culture there that we want to bring into ManTech,” Rozengota says. “It’s about focus and a passion for being successful. We have hundreds of open positions, and we would love nothing more than to hire veterans.

Boeing

Boeing has hired more than 13,500 veterans since 2010, demonstrating its belief in the value of military personnel by supporting them in transitioning to civilian life.

In partnership with the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University, the global aerospace company has created Future Force, a new program for veterans that provides training and free foundational education in concepts and industry certifications. Veterans make up almost 15% of Boeing’s workforce.

You can subscribe here to AARP Veteran Report, a free e-newsletter published every two weeks. If you have feedback or a story idea then please contact us here.

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