Today is Veterans Day, and it’s a particularly special Veterans Day for salesforce.com.

As we observe this national holiday, we are also marking a milestone of our own. Today, salesforce.com is proud to introduce the Salesforce.com-Veterans2Work Program! 

We are thrilled to be working with Veterans2Work, a 501c3 non-profit committed to helping veterans gain the skills, coaching and certification they need to both secure and thrive in post-service careers. The Salesforce.com-Veterans2Work Program provides Salesforce training and certification opportunities to U.S. military veterans to enhance their skill set and equip them for successful careers in cloud computing.

Disciplined, dedicated, and determined, veterans have the strengths needed to succeed in the business world…yet almost 30% of returning veterans are unemployed. They return to civilian life unprepared to transition into the workforce, and employers are often similarly lost when it comes to sourcing, training, and integrating veterans into their operations. Veterans need jobs; businesses need hard workers. How do we bridge the gap?

“Veterans really struggle when they come back from the service and are often out of work or severely underemployed,” said John Reynolds, Founder and Executive Director at Veterans2Work.org. “This program re-skilled these veterans and made them qualified for more advanced jobs in the high-growth industry of cloud computing.”

Our first class of 19 veterans kicked off this fall, and offered the technical training necessary to become certified Salesforce administrators and developers. One month ago, this inagural class completed the first Salesforce Administrator training designed specifically for those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. With help from passionate partners, sponsors, and employees, we are helping to serve those who have served our country. The committed participants worked diligently to learn the Salesforce Platform, and Salesforce employees jumped in to mentor and coach the veterans.

Leah McGowen-Hare is the salesforce.com technical trainer who truly helped this program come to life. Most of the veterans did not have a technology or business background, and Leah had only two weeks to get them up to speed. “To make the material consumable to the veterans, I explained things in different ways and used analogies that were relatable to their world,” said Leah. “That meant I had to find out what their world is like. I learned so much from them, and watching the lightbulbs go off in their heads...that was a huge high for me.”

Leah wasn’t the only one flying high. Out of 19 students, seven passed the Certified System Administrator test on their very first try—a certification that typically requires six months of experience as a system administrator. Several have since continued on to become certified as Developers. “Leah was the best instructor I’ve ever had,” said Leon, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran.

To the veterans, the program represents an opportunity for them to jumpstart their civilian careers.  In the words of Mark Albano, a Marine Corps vet and program participant, "This program inspired me and gave me the hope that when I’m done with this, something’s going to happen. Something big is going to happen.”

And big things are happening.  As of today, everyone in our inaugural class has either passed their administrator certification or is quickly on their way. Our goal is to ensure every vet is hired by a salesforce.com customer!

So what’s next? Salesforce.com and Veterans2Work are both on board to host future training sessions. As for the veterans, most are charging full speed ahead in their new careers. “This experience opened up a lot of opportunities for me,” said Mark. “I’m starting a new internship and have also received other offers. This program gave me a sense of direction of where to go in my career. Now I have a path set in front of me. We all have moments that define where we’re going in life; this was one of those moments for me.” Angelica, a U.S. Army veteran, is growing in her role as a Salesforce Administrator while studying for her Developer certification. “I wake up every morning eager to do more, learn more, and be more. Every day is one step closer to where I want to be. I feel very fortunate to have been given this opportunity.” 

When it comes to their fearless leader, the feeling is mutual. “I felt like this was my opportunity to serve the veterans,” Leah said. “It was a way I could pay homage to my father, who was a veteran and recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross. I know if my father were alive today, he wouldn’t just be proud of me—he would be proud of every one of my nineteen students. I know I am.”

Veterans2Work and the class of newly trained veterans will be in the Cloud Expo at Dreamforce. Stop by their booth to see how you can get involved.  Help us get the next class of veterans trained, certified, and hired in the salesforce.com ecosystem.  And if you’d like to learn how your company can hire one of these skilled veterans, contact the founder of Veterans2Work, John Reynolds at john@veterans2work.org.

Thank you for your support, and Happy Veterans Day.

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Veterans2Work and the class of newly trained veterans will be in the Cloud Expo at Dreamforce. Stop by their booth to see how you can get involved. If you're not registered for Dreamforce, click the button below to get started.