Accenture Awards $895,000 to the Institute for Veterans and Military Families

Grant to help more military veterans find employment


NEW YORK; Nov.10, 2014 - Accenture has awarded $895,000 to the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University (IVMF) to help the organization deliver educational, employment and life-skills training that enable veterans and their families to transition from military to civilian life. This brings Accenture's support to IVMF to more than $1.4M since 2011.

The award is part of Accenture's global corporate citizenship initiative, Skills to Succeed, which plans to equip 700,000 people around the world with the skills to get a job or build a business by 2015. Accenture has partnered with IVMF since 2011 to help military men and women leverage the valuable skills they gained in the service as they transition to new careers.

"As an active service member, I see firsthand the hardships that many military veterans face after transitioning home. They return highly skilled, but often are challenged to apply those skills to civilian life and struggle to support their families," said Linda Singh, assistant adjutant general for the Maryland Army National Guard and managing director at Accenture. "Our partnership with IVMF will help them deliver  more supportive services to these military veterans, build more bridges to lasting employment and equip them with the skills they need to be successful in work and life."

As part of the grant, Accenture will contribute a mix of financial giving and the time and skills of its people to:
  • Expand skills training. Strengthen and expand military veteran job training and career support services that enable IVMF to equip military veterans with skills at exceptional scale across the country. These support services include training and tools on job search, obtaining employment, retention and career advancement.
  • Develop military networks. Connect military veterans with coordinated networks of veteran family-specific services that include multiple programs that provide a range of customized services that advance both their employment prospects and overall quality of life.
  • Grow employment programs. Provide pro bono consulting services to help IVMF sustain and grow its existing initiatives that help advance employment for military veterans, empower student military veterans to pursue higher education and serve homeless and at-risk veteran families nationwide.
"We are thrilled to continue our ongoing partnership with Accenture. Since 2011, the financial and pro bono support provided by Accenture has greatly expanded our capacity to serve our nation's veterans and their families, and has proved a critical facilitator of our organization's reach," said Colonel (Ret.) James D. McDonough, Jr., Managing Director for Community Engagement, IVMF. "Companies like Accenture are essential to supporting the men and women of our armed forces as they reintegrate into our nation's communities, and Accenture is leading the way in forming impactful public-private partnerships best-situated to support their needs."

Accenture has a long history of working with veterans. In addition to IVMF, the company supports initiatives such as the 100,000 Jobs Mission and Hiring Our Heroes, to help equip veterans with job search skills. The company also offers Military Career Coach, an online tool for veterans transitioning out of the military and seeking employment in the private sector.

In recognition of its dedication to military veteran recruitment, Accenture was recently named to the G.I. Jobs 2015 Military Friendly Employers list for the second consecutive year. Companies on the list were selected based on the strength of their military recruiting efforts, percentage of new hires with prior military service, retention programs and support of employees in the National Guard and Reserve.

About Accenture 
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 305,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world's most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. Through its Skills to Succeed corporate citizenship initiative, Accenture is committed to equipping 700,000 people around the world by 2015 with the skills to get a job or build a business. The company generated net revenues of US$30.0 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2014. Its home page is www.accenture.com.

About IVMF
The IVMF is the first interdisciplinary national institute in higher education focused on the social, economic, education and policy issues impacting veterans and their families post-service. Through our focus on veteran-facing programming, research and policy, employment and employer support, and community engagement, the institute provides in-depth analysis of the challenges facing the veteran community, captures best practices and serves as a forum to facilitate new partnerships and strong relationships between the individuals and organizations committed to making a difference for veterans and military families.vets.syr.edu.

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Contact:

Kate Shenk
Accenture
+ 917 452 3784
kate.shenk@accenture.com



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