Slalom Consulting and SalesForces’ VetForce programme have joined forces to help move US vets into cloud-based computing training for eventual deployment within the cloud-based computing ecosystem. The partnership is part of Slalom Consulting’s wider vision for supporting veterans within and outside its organisation. The firm also recently announced the launch of “Slalom Veterans”, a programme aimed at empowering veterans within its ranks as well as seeking to help veterans transition into the private employment environment.

Each year more than 240,000 veterans emerge from the US military into an uncertain future. The connections between military service and private employment are not always clear, a number of initiatives have therefore been set up in recent years to help veterans find their place in daily life. Large scale programmes exist to help veterans integrate, including the 100,000 Jobs Mission, a coalition of more than 200 companies that has so far brought more than 292,000 veterans into gainful employment outside the military since 2011. Consulting firms also have a wide range of programmes in place, including Accenture’s plan to hire more than 5,000 vets by 2020*.

SalesForce was founded in 1999 in San Francisco, California. The company has, since its founding, grown to become one of the most highly valued cloud computing companies in the US, with its flagship offering in customer relationship management (CRM) products.

VetForce

VetForce is one of the company’s initiatives, whose mission is to impact the lives of 10,000 veterans by helping them gain SalesForce training, certification and related employment. The training opens up access to high-value employment within the cloud-based computing environment. In a bid to advance the cause of bringing veterans to SalesForce-certification for willing employment in cloud-based computing, VetForce joined forces with Slalom Consulting to gain the firm’s consulting services. “Our partnership with Slalom will help us accelerate our progress against that goal, and we look forward to working with them to help veterans get valuable training and experience through this program, and ultimately employment in a related field,” comments Dan Streetman, Senior Vice-President for SalesForce.

Tom Chew, Slalom Cross-Market General Manager, adds: “Not only do we intend to help VetForce with the technology that enables the program – we hope that Slalom will be a destination for these SalesForce-certified veterans to begin the next phase of their professional career.”

Slalom Veterans

Besides partnering with VetForce, Slalom Consulting, which currently is enjoying strong growth across North America, is also launching its own dedicated programme to support veterans within the firm. ‘Slalom Veterans’ is the firm’s flagship programme which seeks to leverage the diverse experience of background from the firm’s more than 60 veterans working across 15 US markets. The programme has a two-fold mission:

Ensure that veterans at Slalom are recognised – and empowered – by a programme that helps engage, educate, recruit, and retain veterans within the company.

Extend that to local markets by engaging with the veteran community in a meaningful way. Initially, focus on veterans’ transition from active-duty service to the private sector.

Commenting on the launch of ‘Slalom Veterans’, Jeff Northcutt, Cross-Market Lead for Slalom Veterans, says: “We see a huge opportunity for veterans in the consulting industry and tech sector, given the skills and values learned during their military service. Veterans are entrepreneurial and find innovative ways to solve problems with limited resources.” According to Northcutt, veterans are leaders that are “comfortable delivering in high-pressure, high-stress environments and working in teams. And they often have advanced technical training that, with a little re-tooling, can be translated quickly to the benefit of our clients, partners, and communities.”

Chew explains that the programme provides veterans with the means of becoming a ‘force multiplier’: “In the military, it’s called a force multiplier—which refers to an ‘x-factor’ that dramatically increases, or multiplies, the effectiveness of an effort. We want to be that force multiplier for our clients and partners as they build and deploy their own programs to help with veteran reintegration to the private sector.”

Earlier this year eight consulting firms were named a top military friendly employer.

* UK initiatives include EY’s programme to recruit UK veterans, Deloitte’s Military Transition and Talent Programme, and Atos’ support to the Armed Forces community.