Google.org is giving a grant to the USO to provide training and career guidance for transitioning military personnel, military spouses and veterans, the company announced Aug. 27.
The $2.5 million grant will enable USO to incorporate the Google IT Support Professional Certificate into USO its programming.
The program will be available at USO Pathfinder Transition offices in the Dallas/Fort Worth area starting Oct. 1.
“There is an opportunity to re-equip service members with IT skills as they move on to their next chapter after military service and to help address the spouse unemployment/underemployment problem with highly portable careers in the IT industry,” Alan Reyes, USO senior vice president of operations, programs and transition, said in the news release. “Through innovative partnerships like this, USO and Google will be able to provide the resources and programs that support the needs of transitioning service members and their families as well as help to minimize the workforce gap in the IT industry.”
“The transition process is complex, and we hope Grow with Google’s new tools and resources can play a part in making that easier,” said Lisa Gevelber, Google’s vice president of Grow with Google. “At Google, we believe technology has the power to improve lives. With today’s announcement, we look forward to working with America’s transitioning service members to help them succeed in civilian life.”
The IT Support Professional Certificate is a first-of-its kind program with highly interactive content, developed by Google, which provides a direct route for those who successfully complete the program to get their information into the hands of employers.
The news release said that as the majority of IT support positions do not require a college degree but do require prior experience, this certificate is designed to give learners the training and experience they need to get a job in this growing field.
Learners who complete the certificate program will have the opportunity to share their information directly with more than 20 top employers who are looking to hire IT Support talent, the news release said.
The announcement was part of a series of new tools and resources Google introduced to help create economic opportunity for transitioning service members and military spouses.
The company said service members can now search [“jobs for veterans”] on Google and then enter their military occupational specialty code (MOS, AFSC, NEC) to see relevant civilian jobs that require similar skills to those used in their military roles.
Additionally, employers can implement this feature on their own career sites using Google Cloud’s Talent Solution API. FedEx, Pepsi and GettingHired have already implemented the API on their job boards.
To help veteran-owned or led businesses identify themselves to potential customers, Google Maps and Search will offer a new attribute. The “Veteran-Led” designation will appear when searching for a place on Android or iOS mobile device or in Google Maps when they open a business listing and tap the two-line description of the business to see the attributes associated with that business, the news release said.
uso.org
Google.com/Grow