Soft and technical skills—When you hire a veteran as an apprentice, you’re hiring someone who has already dedicated years to challenging work. They have demonstrated critical soft skills—professionalism, work ethic, time management, and more. Additionally, many veterans learn trade-specific technical skills during their military service that they hope to use in the civilian workforce. By familiarizing yourself with how different military specialties match your hiring needs, you can access this deep well of ready talent.

Experience and diversity—Prior service members, with their unique perspectives and experiences, can enhance your team. Veterans come to you from a team as diverse as America itself, so they are well equipped to work side-by-side with people of all backgrounds while adding their own personal perspective to your firm. By recruiting veterans into apprenticeship programs, you can signal your continued dedication to diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity in the workplace.

Funding—If you hire apprentices who are qualifying veterans and transitioning service members, you and your apprentices may be entitled to various monetary benefits. This can include generous wage assistance, subsidies for supplies and training materials, and tax credits (further information on tapping into these benefits can be found under “Accessing Funding Support”). Your apprentices may also qualify for various forms of support, such as housing allowances, that enable them to excel in your apprenticeship program

Voices from the field

When it comes to recruiting for Xpanxion’s Step IT Up apprenticeship training, veterans are one of our top go-to groups and some of our top performers! Veterans bring personal maturity, having frequently triumphed over great adversity. Their dedication and adherence to procedures make them great technologists. Connie Robbins, director of apprenticeship and federal programs, Xpanxion