The eMentor Leadership Program Powered by AcademyWomen & Hiring Our Heroes Supports National Mentoring Month.
January 14, 2013 San Jose, CA – In recognition of National Mentoring Month, the non-profit organization, AcademyWomen, announced their continuing strong commitment to serving all veterans, military spouses and uniformed women officers through their award-winning eMentor Programs. Their newest online mentoring programs focus on helping veterans and military spouses find great jobs and were developed in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes initiative and lead sponsor Toyota.
The outstanding benefits of mentoring for both protégés and mentors are well proven in the business world. With veteran unemployment rates hovering around 10%, and military spouse unemployment rates at 26%, the Veteran and Military Spouse eMentor Programs offer robust mentoring opportunities to assist the hundreds of thousands of veterans and spouses seeking jobs today. Participating mentors provide guidance and support in career transition, career advancement, work/life balance, and other veteran or military family challenges.
Many veterans and military spouses find themselves daunted by the transition to civilian careers due to limited professional networks, a lack of direct experience in particular jobs or industries, and strong cultural differences. Designed to bridge the gap between the organizations seeking hires and this vast pool of talent, the Hiring our Heroes eMentor Programs offer a solution of support, trusted networking, and success. The President of Academy Women, Susan Feland, said “Mentoring provides the guidance and support for veterans and spouses to pursue their dream jobs. Having a mentor who can provide insights into civilian careers and corporate hiring practices removes some of the anxiety of navigating a new career path in the corporate world. Mentors help protégés overcome fears and dream big!”
The Military Spouse and Veteran eMentor Programs are focused on improving the transition process for communities which have traditionally faced unemployment rates higher than the national average. The Military Spouse eMentor Program serves all current spouses, widow/ers or those divorced from uniformed members or veterans. The Veteran eMentor Program welcomes all Armed Forces veterans – women and men – seeking civilian employment or assistance with any aspect of the transition to civilian life. Both of these programs are currently open for enrollment at www.mentorheroes .org . AcademyWomen encourages those interested in making a difference in the life of a veteran or a military spouse to join as a mentor today! Volunteer mentors need have no military affiliation.
Derek Nail, a retired Army Officer said, “I love the Veteran eMentor Program … I could select my own mentor and meet with him as often as I like. I can’t tell you how important the program has been to me and my job search. If I didn’t have this program I don’t know where my job search process would be right now.”
Stefanie Goebel, the director of the eMentor Program said, “We are so excited about the benefits that spouse and veteran protégés in our Hiring our Heroes eMentor Programs are reporting to us. Many tell us that their mentors have made a huge impact in their lives and that their job searching has been vastly more productive due to the support they have received through the program. We can’t wait to see the program grow and affect the lives of many more veterans and spouses. ”
AcademyWomen is a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded in 2003 as a leadership and professional development organization that is now powering the Hiring our Heroes eMentor Programs in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
The Hiring our Heroes eMentor Programs are proudly sponsored by:
