Ten Iraq and Afghanistan veterans will learn to apply their military skills to the private sector during a three week business training program in which Harvard Business School professors and lecturers will serve as mentors.
The initiative, organized by the Fullbridge Program and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, is “a bit of an entrepreneurial boot camp,” said Michael Preston, strategic partnerships associate at IAVA.
The veterans will be chosen from a pool of over 300 applicants and will engage in everything from coursework on presentations to classes on finance, according to Preston.
Candice C. Olson, co-CEO and co-founder of the Fullbridge Program, said that one of the most important and unique aspects of the program are the personal mentors, who come from an array of top universities including HBS.
In addition to helping veterans translate their military skills into the private sector, mentors will also teach veterans new skills and evaluate veterans both professionally and academically in order to help them create a “career vision”, Olson said.
She added that in addition to personal mentoring on career vision, veterans will attend a two day career vision piece created in collaboration with Timothy Butler, director of career development programs at HBS.
IAVA founder and Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff said that veterans often face challenges becoming a part of the workforce once they return home.
“The numbers don’t lie—Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are struggling to find work once they return home. New veteran unemployment is well above the national average—two percentage points in October 2012 alone,” wrote Rieckhoff in a press release.
Preston said that the program will aim to not only educate veterans, but also to help employers understand the value of veterans’ unique skill sets.
Olson said she is confident that this program would prove a success.
Veterans “are a very talented, tested, group of people,” she said.
Read more in News
'Justice' Diversifies Discussion GloballyRecommended Articles
-
Wodiczko Installation Plays Veterans’ Stories at Full VolumePolish artist has biggest impact when he makes subtle gestures with art
-
Student Groups Commemorate Veterans Day with Nursing Home OutingIn recognition of Veterans Day, a coalition of student groups sponsored a community service outing to a local nursing home, where undergraduates, veterans, and non-veterans spent yesterday afternoon.
-
Continued Discrimination in ROTCThe recent repeal of the U.S. military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) policy has paved the way for several universities, ...
-
Crimson, Veterans Team Up on TrailsFor the past three weeks, the Harvard Nordic ski team has been trying to spread the joys of its chosen sport. The Crimson has been working with the New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) to teach Nordic skiing to war veterans from local VA hospitals.
-
In Rapprochement, University Hosts Welcome Reception For Veterans
-
5k Run Supports Veterans