VA and Salesforce help Veterans and military spouses find careers

VA’s National Center for Healthcare Advancement and Partnerships (HAP) helps Veterans and their spouses learn new skills and pursue careers in high-demand technology fields alongside community partners like Salesforce.

Veterans are 38% more likely to be underemployed than non-Veterans, and unemployment rates for military spouses recently increased from 22% to an estimated 38%.

Through the collaborative efforts of VA and Salesforce, Veterans like Lisa Malmanger can use Trailhead, Salesforce’s free online learning platform and Salesforce Military’s free training resources, to find new and fulfilling career paths in their post-military lives.

Helping Veterans enter the civilian workforce

After a decade as a personnel information management specialist in the Army, Malmanger thought she’d have no problem landing a post-military tech job. However, she found transitioning into a new civilian career more challenging than she expected.

“I couldn’t get my foot in the door. I had the skills but I didn’t have the support in knowing how to transition my military experience to the civilian side. I was getting very frustrated and I almost gave up,” she said.

In 2011, 10 years after she left the military and after years of job searching, Malmanger got a call that altered her career trajectory. A hiring manager from a software company in Texas reached out about an opportunity to pursue a job that introduced her to Salesforce.

Teaching Veterans and military spouses new skills

Each year, thousands of Veterans, like Malmanger, transition into the civilian workforce. While they have valuable skills, many face challenges in finding employment. And military spouses are unemployed and underemployed at high rates.

Salesforce is committed to helping the military community and empowering Veterans and their spouses with skills they need for career success.

A cornerstone of these efforts is Trailhead, Salesforce’s free online learning platform of virtual courses and certifications, including several Veteran-specific modules. Salesforce Military, another Salesforce initiative, is a free program that helps members of the military community access training and get hired by Salesforce partners and customers.

Salesforce also has dedicated resources to train hiring managers on how to hire military talent, and it has created external resources for companies to hire and create military-friendly workplaces.

Building on her past military experience and skills, Malmanger earned 15 Salesforce certifications through Trailhead. “There’s motivation to learn, get certified and put it on your resume. It helped me advance my career,” she said.

Salesforce communities’ support and networking

Malmanger credits the Trailblazer and Salesforce Military communities with helping her stay current on best practices, meet and network with others and explore new roles in the ecosystem. “I could chat with other military members and spouses going through the same issues and challenges,” she said.

Malmanger currently works at Booz Allen Hamilton as a senior solution architect. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Salesforce and the community it has. Being able to switch roles and try different things within the ecosystem has been great.”

Malmanger also mentors new Salesforce Military members. “If more military members and spouses knew about Salesforce, opportunities would just open for them. You can work from home, spend time with your family and gain all this wonderful experience,” she added.

The Veteran Mental Health and Resiliency Resources and VA Benefits for Veterans training modules on Trailhead help Veterans and military spouses who may not already be enrolled in VA learn more about these benefits and start accessing them sooner.

More information about Salesforce. More information about HAP.