Last month we celebrated National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) by sharing exclusive content from our partners, who help employers and job seekers alike, to make the workforce more inclusive for all. With the observance of Veterans Day on the 11th, it’s no surprise that this month we are honoring those who have served our country. And our partners aren’t the only ones doing great work to help veterans find meaningful employment – our Members have programs worth recognizing as well! Take a look at these great organizations that submitted their veteran-focused initiatives for the DirectEmployers 3rd Annual Member Awards Competition.
DirectEmployers Members from UPS, Oracle, CDW & AT&T receive their Member Awards at DEAM16.
CDW
Recognized as a Best For Vets employer (along with many of their fellow DE Members) by Military Times, CDW decided to step up their military hiring efforts in 2015 with a new recruiting initiative targeted at military and veteran job seekers. Their program, named Vets Who Get IT, was designed to create on-site hiring events that expose the job seeker to their corporate culture through a “bring a Vet to work” experience. Launched on Armed Forces Day, job seekers were exposed to networking activities, leadership and panel presentations, office tours led by veteran employees and a career fair. With the lack of women veterans represented in the workforce, CDW placed priority on this group in promotion of the program – and their efforts paid off with 31% of their attendees being comprised of women.
With nearly 50% of the program participants applying to CDW during or after the event, the company was able to surpass the OFCCP’s benchmark for veteran hires, with 7.13% of their 2015 hires being protected veterans. In addition, their initiative won them a DirectEmployers Member Award. Congratulations!
AT&T
Our award runner-up was more than eager to get the ball rolling with their military hiring initiative when they agreed to hire 10,000 veterans by the year 2018 as a result of joining the 100k Jobs Mission. They knew that problems in veteran hiring often lie within a communication gap and would need to launch a wide-range effort stretching from individual efforts to national media buys, social media marketing and more. By having Military Talent Attraction Personnel who were veterans themselves, they were able to effectively craft branding and messaging that resonated with veterans and also took advantage of their DirectEmployers membership and Recruitment Marketing Solutions to reach their target audience.
Not only did our exclusive partnerships allow AT&T to distribute their jobs to organizations that work exclusively with veteran job seekers, they were also able to use our Military Skills Translator and advanced search options that allow job seekers to find AT&T jobs near military bases on their veterans site. In addition, they used newsletter communications, applicant emails and social media outlets to keep veterans in the loop about open positions, corporate culture and their overall mission to put veterans to work. As a result, they were able to achieve their goal of hiring 10,000 veterans in 2015 alone – three years early. Keep it up, AT&T!
Ingalls Shipbuilding
Winner of a 2nd Annual DirectEmployers Member Award in 2015 for their exceptional veteran hiring practices, Ingalls Shipbuilding knew it needed to increase its veteran hiring goals to maintain their success in the area. Their goal in 2015 was to increase their veteran hiring goal from 7% to 11%, and after over-achieving that goal at the end of the year, decided to reach for 20% by the end of 2016. Ingalls plans to achieve this goal through improved branding and participation in Fort Hood’s “Soldiers for Life” program, in which active soldiers are training 40 hours per week for their next career step during their last months of service. Good luck to this Member, we know you can do it!
ABF Freight
Recognizing a need for transition assistance, ABF Freight, partnered with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters to develop the Teamsters Military Assistance Program (TMAP). Through this program, transitioning soldiers are enrolled in a 6-7 week training program prior to their transition date. The training includes a mix of classroom instruction and hands-on driver training provided by experienced instructors, who have been employed as professional drivers for the company. Upon successful completion of the program, the transitioning soldiers are then offered employment with ABF. The TMAP program has graduated and placed 15 classes of soldiers from bases in both Oklahoma and Kansas, with a third base in Colorado to soon offer the program, with a 100% placement rate and a 95% retention rate. ABF estimates that there will be approximately 300 TMAP graduates in 2016. Great job, ABF!
Congratulations to all of our Members for their efforts to employ our nation’s veterans – keep up the great work! Want more military hiring ideas and best practices? Be sure to keep an eye on our blog for more veteran-focused content all month long.
