The United States military has a long and proud history of helping its members and their spouses with training not only for combat but for finding and excelling at career opportunities in the civilian world. Military leaders have always recognized that not every soldier is going to stay in uniform for the rest of his or her life, and that each soldier, sailor, and marine has the right to muster out at any time with a skill set that will enable them to find gainful employment out in the ‘real’ world when their tour of duty is finished.
This is especially true when it comes to cutting edge technology and the IT career path. With its sophisticated array of technical weapons and defense mechanisms, the United States military is will to invest heavily in its members so they can be up to date with the latest developments in things like radar, sonar, computer languages, and the very nuts and bolts of microchips and world wide web mastery.
But Silicon Valley doesn’t seem aware of the sterling educational opportunities that the Armed Forces gives to its members, and veteran often find it difficult to break into even the lower ranks of IT with many companies if they don’t have an advanced degree in technology. This is a crying shame, as veterans and their spouses have been trained to develop the kind of work habits that employers are crying for — punctuality, commitment to teamwork, obedience, and the ability to think critically and outside the box when needed.
This being the case, Google last month unveiled a two-point-five million dollar training program specifically to help veterans of the military as well as their spouses with the trickier aspects of tech training and job acquisition in the competitive IT field. During a rollout open house in San Diego, Google introduced a grant program, funded through the USO, that will offer veterans and their family members a complimentary IT Professional Support Certificate opportunity.
This certificate training program is completely interactive, using the latest Google algorithms and technology, so that military members, veterans, and even their spouses, get ‘hands on’ training that is virtually the same as real work experience in the IT field. The certificate app is adaptable to any and all smartphones and when completed Google will issue an accredited IT training certificate that will make the HR departments in Silicon Valley, and elsewhere, sit up and take notice.
The United States USO is famous for its help in finding demobilizing veterans and their spouses good jobs. There are over two hundred USO offices on or near military bases in the United States and in Europe. Using the new Google app under the guidance of a local USO unit will almost guarantee veterans and their families the kind of job opportunities that can lead to a continuous and upwardly mobile career path.
Google is also working with the USO with a job search app that narrows down the employment options of vets and their spouses to realistic and achievable step by step goals. It is hoped that this new algorithm-based program will help vets and their families to zero in on appropriate jobs for which they already have the qualifications.
