Dear Valued Friends and Supporters:

I founded V2W in 2008, to help veterans whose military assignments limited their civilian career options qualify for, and land jobs in the growth economy.   Our mission hasn’t changed, but our pursuit of game-changing innovation is never ending. Here's where we made gains in 2018:
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• Career discovery.  Our career assessment tool helps transitioning veterans understand and communicate their job-relevant strengths while identifying those civilian career options bes suited to their personalities, motivation and interests.  
• Professional readiness.   Includes resume preparation and basic training in business communications, professional networking, job search and interviewing skills.
• Career Launch Program.  Fully supported, cradle-to-job pathways into cloud computing, cyber security, technology selling and other growth economy jobs.  Each track consists of an On-Ramp, an accessible entry point consisting of self-led training and simulations that let veterans test drive a new career and qualify for intensive follow on support leading to a full time job.
• VetMatch.   A predictive job matching tool that captures and communicates to employers veterans’ native aptitudes.  The tool allows employers to identify and hire veterans based on their probability of success in a given job, a far more reliable predictor than a military resume.   
• Integrated Support Network.  Think of a health care network that is effective only insofar as it can coordinate and focus the efforts of disparate providers to support the patient’s well-being.  Similarly, our network coordinates disjointed pieces among disparate agencies, providers and volunteers into a coherent whole supporting each veteran’s overall success.  
  
  

8,000 veterans have so far benefited from our programs.  Our 2019 goals are to serve 10,000 more veterans, expand our Career Launch programs (to a total of 12), grow our roster of career coaches to 600 and expand our employer partner network to 400.  

All of our services are always free of charge to active duty military, veterans and spouses.  If you’d like to help, your donation would be most welcome. Here’s where you can do so: https://goo.gl/EW6nCz.
For my V2W colleagues, thank you for your time, interest and support.  

Sincerely yours,

John Reynolds
Founder & Executive Director
www.veterans2work.org

Vets2PM, Veterans2Work and Vets2Cloud have formed a joint strategic partnership with project management pioneer THE PMO SQUAD, to deliver a first of its kind veteran talent pipeline to meet the needs of  US businesses for professional project management expertise.
 
Veterans2Work founder John Reynolds, said, "Vets2PM, The PMO SQUAD and Vets2Cloud are the very partners that, together, can provide the end-to-end support that will help a tank driver qualify for, land, and succeed as a project management professional."
 
Through the partnership, veterans receive not only best-in-class formal project management training, but also career assessment, resume preparation, individualized mentorship, professional networking, interviewing skills development, workplace learning and more.  All services are provided free of charge to veterans and military spouses. 
 
Dr. Eric Wright, founder and Executive Director of Vets2PM stated, "Vets2PM's organizing principle--that military experience makes us natural project managers--is great news for veterans unsure of how to transfer their skills.  The PMO SQUAD gives veterans a supportive environment within which to apply their learning and land great jobs."[JBR2] 
 
Joe Pusz, CEO of THE PMO SQUAD added, ‘’this partnership and the talent pipeline we’re constructing into industry is a prime example of how collaboration between non-profits, for-profits, and government can create opportunities for both veterans and employers.
 
Veterans are already being paired with mentors, highly experienced practitioners who complement veterans’ formal training and serve as career coaches.  The partnership welcomesEmployer Partners that want to invest in the potential and demonstrated desire of our graduates via internships or direct hire. 
 
About Veterans2Work:
Veterans2Work, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, helps returning service members prepare for and launch careers in the U.S. growth economy.  www.veterans2work.org.
 
About Vets2PM:
Vets2PM helps military veterans become project managers by combining their military leadership experience with formal project management training to obtain their Project Management Professional (PMP) certifications and prepare them to manage civilian projects in any environment.  www.vets2pm.com.
 
About THE PMO SQUAD:
THE PMO SQUAD is a leading provider of Project Management Professional Services across the US.  THE PMO SQUAD provides free mentorship and support to Veterans transitioning to Project Management careers.  www.thepmosquad.com.
 
About Vets2Cloud:
Vets2Cloud is a provider both SDVOSBs, to place career-ready Veterans from our V2W Vets2PM program with employers.  www.vets2cloud.us.

As we approach our 10th anniversary, and amid growing global uncertainty, I am more grateful than ever that I get to do what I do and to do it with people I love.  

Our mission, to help returning veterans qualify for and launch careers in the U.S. growth economy, remains rock steady; our business structure, however continues to evolve with the times.
Our unique value derives from these core competencies:

1. Market Reach.  Extensive, open and ready access to thousands of veteran sources, employers and partners across the U.S.
2. Career Launch Resources.   Professional Readiness training and Career Launch Programs in such areas as cloud computing and digital ddvertising, provide essential support at key points to facilitate each veteran’s career transition. As ever, our programs are completely free of charge to veterans and active duty spouses.
3. VetMatch™.   Predictive analytics adapted from Clearfit™ to help employers hire veterans with a high probability of success in a particular job and culture.   Our goal is to establish the standard for aptitude based hiring that will drive radical improvements in chronic veteran underemployment.
4. Technology.   Our technology platform, developed over the past 10 years, is robust and highly scalable, with with advanced analytics and sophisticated reporting to support the most rigorous requirements.

Our all-volunteer core team (Mark Grgurich, Scott Kirkwood, Joan Cronin, Dave Lampert, Jim Russell and Mark Dorn), has done a phenomenal job of moving us forward.   Our next project: Implementing our Transition Coach / Career Coach program, which draws on 250 volunteers who will provide mentoring and personal career support for each of our registered veterans.

We owe much to so many of you who have given your time and money to help us open new doors of opportunity for veterans.  As you reflect on this Veterans Day about the debt we owe all those who served, remember that you are also appreciated.

Dear Valued Supporters:

On this Veterans Day, as we wind up our 8th full year of helping returning veterans realize futures many could scarcely have imagined, we’re struck with how much we have to be grateful for, and how much we still have to look forward to.   

Our commitment “to help returning veterans launch fulfilling careers in the growth economy” is as solid today as it was when I founded Veterans2Work in 2008, and our prospects for making a difference in the lives of thousands more veterans look all the brighter.   

2016 has been a pivotal year for V2W, marking our transition from intensive career launch proofs-of-concept to national rollout.  Our focus during 2016 has thus centered on building out our technology, forging key partnerships, enlisting “enlightened employers,” and, as always, getting the word out.   

During this validation phase, we fine tuned our Accelerated Career Launch model, achieving a job placement rate of 72%--with a 6-month retention rate of 92%--just 12 weeks, on average, from a cold start.  We helped more than 100 veterans launch brand new careers, mostly in cloud computing.  

2017 will be about building on our success, expanding Career Launch offerings and broadening engagement with veterans and employers.  To existing Cloud Computing, Java Programming and Technology Selling programs, we’re adding half a dozen others, including Cyber Security and Campaign Management.   V2W will be where veterans can re-tool and qualify for a widening variety of growth economy career opportunities, and where employers can confidently “hire for aptitude and train for skills.”   See our 2-page plan for more on this.  

​None of our corporate accomplishments, though, can ever compare to just one “thank you” from a veteran whose life we have helped to change.   Our graduates all know, as I hope you do,  that the doors that opened to them were generously pulled open by supporters like you.  You might want to see what some of our graduates have to say or view this short video, produced by our valued supporter, Workday Foundation, underscoring that ours will always be a team effort.  

I hope you know how much your support means to me, to V2W and to our veterans.  I also hope that you take a moment on this Veterans Day to reflect on what we owe those who served us, but also to know that you deserve their thanks as well.  

​Most gratefully yours,

John Reynolds
Founder & Executive Director