MilitaryConnected.org to Address High Turnover & Underemployment Faced by Veterans in the Workforce

New non-profit will help employers become military-ready, not just military-friendly, to address gaps

TOWSON, Md., Oct. 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- MilitaryConnected.org announced it has raised nearly half-a-million dollars and is growing its team as it transforms how hiring managers in corporate America attract, support, and engage military-connected talent.

The military-connected talent pools comprise over nine million people; however, hiring managers often lack the tools and support to place them into sustainable careers. This has contributed to high turnover and underemployment in the military-connected community.

Veterans are 70 percent more likely to step-back in seniority in their first civilian job compared to the roles they held in the military and are nearly 16 percent more likely to be underemployed than their peers; 42 percent of veterans leave their first civilian job in one year; 80 percent leave in two, which is 10 percent higher than their peers.

"While hiring initiatives have addressed veteran unemployment, the challenge is ensuring every member of our community realizes their full potential in the workforce," said Jonathan Fermin-Robbins, Interim Executive Director at MilitaryConnected.org.

Other nonprofits focus on talent acquisition to solve these challenges, this will be the first to offer organizational assessments and customized programs to help hiring managers attract and keep their military-connected employees.

MilitaryConnected.org is launching three programs to meet its mission:

• Military Advisory Services, which offers intelligence on how hiring managers can attract, support, and retain military-connected talent.
• MILCON, a crowdsourced talent engagement platform.
• Data and Research Center of Excellence, which will leverage data from their programs to conduct research projects for stakeholders.

MilitaryConnected.org announced two new members to its team.

Jonathan Fermin-Robbins joined as Interim Executive Director to lead the nonprofit toward sustained growth. A U.S. Army veteran, he previously served as Chief of Staff at Alrio, Inc.

Dr. Chis Cate was named Director of the Data and Research Center of Excellence. He previously served as Vice President of Research of Student Veterans of America where he pioneered research on student veterans in higher education.

Prospective donors and partners who wish to learn more may contact them at [email protected].

About MilitaryConnected.org

MilitaryConnected.org is a project of the Players Philanthropy Fund, a Maryland charitable trust recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Learn more at militaryconnected.org.

SOURCE MilitaryConnected.org