VET TEC pilot program helps Veterans improve IT skills

Veterans Employment Through Technology Education Courses (VET TEC) is a five-year, $75 million pilot program that helps Veterans improve their IT skills through courses offered by industry-leading training providers, both in-person and virtual.

Since the pilot’s inception, over 1,500 students have started or are currently in a VET TEC Program. With a 90% successful completion rate and high program popularity, VET TEC offers opportunity and support to Veterans, with more than 530 VET TEC students who have found employment upon graduation.

In support of VET TEC program participants, VA created the VET TEC Employer Consortium, partnering with employers committed to hiring high-tech skilled Veteran talent. The VET TEC Employer Consortium helps Veterans bridge the gap between VET TEC program completion and meaningful employment, while also fostering a network of employers and training providers for graduates to leverage at the beginning of, and throughout, their careers.

To kick off the new VET TEC Employer Consortium, VA partnered with Hiring our Heroes and Accenture to host a Summit launch event Oct. 27. This event brought together students, employer partners, training providers, and other VA partners, with keynote remarks delivered remotely by Under Secretary for Benefits Paul R. Lawrence, Ph.D. The thought leadership portion of the session was followed by a networking session for VET TEC students and employers.

“We look forward to continued success with the VET TEC program and celebrating an expansion of students, employers, and training providers to our network,” said Lawrence.

The VET TEC Employer Consortium will provide a diverse range of events for VET TEC students to connect with employer partners and VA, including job previews, lunch & learn sessions, day in the life, and panel discussions.

More information

Are you interested in learning more? There are a variety of ways to get involved with the VET TEC program and Employer Consortium.

• Veterans interested in a technology industry career should visit the VET TEC website to learn more about the VET TEC program, eligibility requirements, and how to apply.
• Training providers interested in being included as a VA-approved provider should visit the VET TEC Training Provider website, and then complete the application packet.
• Employers interested in the technology industry who would like to join the VET TEC Employer Consortium should send an email to VETTECpartners@va.gov.

Terry Warren is a management analyst with VBA’s Education Service.