Back From The Front: Microsoft Elevates Veterans Into The Civilian Workforce

Microsoft Corp. (Redmond, WA) —

Veteran’s Day is always a serious and thoughtful time for many Americans. No different for Microsoft, which has many employees who themselves are veterans of all the military services, and who also in many cases have family members who currently or previously served.

Throughout this week, Microsoft’s corporate citizenship team will be sharing unique and inspirational stories about United States military veterans and the organizations who serve them through their Citizenship website, the Unlimited Potential Blog and their Citizenship Facebook page. As we see greater numbers of men and women returning from active duty, we know that these individuals and their families need our support, expertise and resources to help them transition successfully back to civilian life.

Elevate America: Veterans Edition

Two of Microsoft’s corporate citizenship foci are Strengthening Economies and Addressing Societal Challenges. In accordance with this, Microsoft launched the Elevate America Veterans Initiative to help prepare our country’s veterans and their spouses with the skills and resources they need to be successful in today’s workplace.

The American Legion, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Paralyzed Veterans of America, United Service Organizations (USO), and the Wounded Warrior Project have all joined this coalition as members of Microsoft’s advisory committee.

Through the Elevate America Veterans Initiative, Microsoft is convening a coalition of public, private and nonprofit organizations to contribute expertise, cash, and in-kind resources to give U.S. veterans and their spouses the skills and resources they need. Microsoft’s funding will support resources including technology skills training, job placement, career counseling and other support services such as childcare, transportation and housing.

The Elevate America Veterans Initiative comes at a time when veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars return home to an unemployment rate higher than the national average,” said Akhtar Badshah, Microsoft’s senior director of Community Affairs. It builds on Elevate America’s mission to provide technology training and help prepare people for the 21^st century workplace, where veterans are uniquely qualified to thrive. “Veterans are incredibly accomplished individuals and leaders,” he said. “Through our own veteran community we know they bring incredible value to every area of the company.”

Badshah continued, “We worked with veterans organizations to get an understanding into how we can best support veterans who are transitioning into civilian employment. We’ve learned a lot and the veterans initiative reflects that learning - and our nonprofit partners will provide veterans with a comprehensive set of services over the next two years, including technology skills training, job placement, career counseling, and other support services such as childcare, transportation, and housing.”

Veterans at Microsoft

Major General Chris Cortez, USMC (Ret.), now the General Manager for Microsoft’s Public Sector Strategic Operations, has been working closely with the Elevate America Veterans Initiative team. He related to SECTOR: PUBLIC, “Microsoft is reaching out to veterans in a proactive and powerful way. The new Elevate America Veterans Initiative is an investment of $2M cash and $6M software over the next two years that will target veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan with a goal of helping veterans and their spouses transition from the military to civilian work force. With the unemployment rate among veterans 16% higher than that of non-veterans, this effort by Microsoft is impressive and clearly demonstrates our commitment to those whose serve our country when it is needed more than any time in recent memory.”

In a post on Microsoft’s Unlimited Potential blog titled The Private Sector Steps Up For Vets, Paul Rieckhoff, the Executive Director and Founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), wrote:

Veterans don’t need lip service. They need jobs. And so far, we haven’t seen any meaningful action coming from Washington. But a powerful ally is stepping up to fill the void: The Private Sector… Across the board, enlightened companies like Microsoft are stepping up to hire veterans and connect them with the tools needed to succeed in the workforce.

Microsoft has a long history of supporting the military and veterans communities as an employer. The company’s Military2Microsoft program assists U.S. veterans and those serving in the National Guard and Reserve to transition into the civilian workforce and find job opportunities within Microsoft. This program incorporates a variety of resources to help make the job search experience easier for military talent.

This effort also includes the recent launch of We Still Serve, a site that connects transitioning military members to Microsoft’s employee-initiated group of veterans and helps match candidates to job opportunities within the company.

Fun and Games For the Holidays

Microsoft is also celebrating the launch of the groundbreaking Kinect technology for its Xbox 360 platform with the Kinect For Veterans Sweepstakes, exclusively for U.S. military veterans. Social media-savvy members of this tribe can find out more about the contest here. (Editor’s note: We’ve been playing with Xbox Kinect for a couple months now - it’s really fun! And just in time for the holidays… Plus, there are military and health applications that go beyond games, more on that later! )

Everyone has been on a job search at some time in their lives. And everyone knows that it can be fustrating in its uncertainty. Nevertheless, fun and friends are one way to help the process move along easier, find support in conversation, and relaxation in distraction. So what better way than by playing some videogames with the family or your buddies over the holidays?

A Call To Action

If the topic of helping veterans to elevate themselves into the workforce is of interest to you - and if you’ve read this far, we’re sure that it is - we encourage you to visit the Microsoft Citizenship website each day this week to read stories, be inspired, and honor the men and women who have selflessly served. And if you know a veteran, particularly one in need of a professional opportunity during these challenging times, please share the information in this article with them!

Find content and resources on MSN that help returning soldiers manage stress, learn about what their experiences can teach all of us, and get other health-related information. You can also follow us on Twitter at @MSFTcitizenship to learn more about our work.