From the beginning, the Skills After Service team has been creating and curating content for a comprehensive soft skills training program that would deliver real-world, practical advice and insight for veterans and their family members who are transitioning out of military service and into the civilian workforce. This shift is not a simple change of address and some paperwork. There is so much more to it – and if you know, then you know. Leaving the military affects every aspect of family life. Getting some training that explains not just what working in a civilian office is like (are you working from home now?) but what the interoffice dynamics look like, what is appropriate conversation, language differences, tone, everything can seem like a foreign language.
We are putting the finishing touches on our Soft Skills program and it’s not anything like what we thought we were setting out to build. It’s bigger and better. We’re using an online portal that makes it easy to participate from anywhere, any time of day, even from a cell phone. It’s all on demand, flexible to adapt to your own schedule and the content is first rate.
There are five different learning tracks to choose from, based on your persona preference or need. There is a track for young people, new to the workforce so that veterans with teens can invite their son or daughter to take the course and get a jump on job readiness before they’re earning a paycheck. Can’t hurt. There is a leadership track, tracks for career growth, shifting to management and for those with a small business who employ others, you can send your team to class as well.
For veterans, this training is more about translation that learning new information. Veterans don’t need to relearn the importance of punctuality, respect, decision-making. It’s really more about understanding the language of work for civilians, differences in communication and knowing what to expect from others. Likewise, we’re also taking the chance to teach civilians more about how to communicate with veterans at work – it’s not just vets that need to make a shift.
We’re almost ready to roll out the curriculum. Stay tuned for updates in coming weeks!
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