Funding & Development
Wake Tech To Serve Veterans With Grant From Walmart Foundation
RALEIGH, N.C. (November 8, 2013) - Wake Tech Community College is pleased to have a new avenue for helping military veterans find employment and career advancement opportunities. The college will receive $10,000 – part of a grant from the Walmart Foundation – to support vocational education for veterans. Wake Tech is one of 11 community and technical colleges in North Carolina, California, New York and Texas to receive a portion of Walmart’s $1 million gift to the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse University. (The ServiceSource Warrior Bridge program in partnership with Fayetteville State University, was the only other NC recipient.) The grant funds will seed and provide support for workforce development-focused programs offering skills training, credentialing, and other resources to help veterans and transitioning service members advance.
Wake Tech’s $10,000 will go toward an Accelerated Career Transformation Services (ACTS) Program. Its goal will be to improve education and career outcomes for veterans by offering them accelerated credentialing opportunities in areas where demand for skilled workers exceeds supply – and where their military training can give them an edge. Five career tracks with high employment gaps have been identified in which Military Occupation Specialist (MOS) training could translate into college credentials, including Basic Law Enforcement Training, Information Technology, EMT/Paramedic, Plumber/Electrician,and Automotive Technology.
"The Walmart Foundation grant will be a tremendous boost to our efforts to offer veterans the opportunities and resources they so deserve,” says Wake Tech President Dr. Stephen Scott. “We want to prepare a workforce that will continue to spur local economic growth while also providing the training and certification veterans need for rewarding careers.”
The program is part of the Walmart Foundation's $20 million dollar commitment to address veteran issues. In addition, Walmart has pledged that over the next five years, it will hire 100,000 veterans who honorably left the military in the past year. Walmart is already the largest private employer of veterans in the country.
About the IVMF:
As the first institute of its kind in the nation, the IVMF leverages the intellectual, programmatic and human capital resources of higher education in support of the post-service life course of the nation's veterans and military families. The IVMF focuses on developing impactful programming, cultivating actionable research, conducting policy analysis and providing technical assistance positioned to address the social, economic and public policy challenges facing the veterans' community. The IVMF team approaches this mission as a collaboration, forging enduring partnerships with government, private industry, institutions of higher education, philanthropic organizations and stakeholders committed to supporting transitioning service members, veterans and their families.
About the Walmart Foundation:
Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are committed to helping people live better through philanthropic efforts. By operating globally and giving back locally, Walmart is uniquely positioned to address the needs of the communities it serves and make a significant social impact within its core areas of giving: Hunger Relief and Healthy Eating, Sustainability, Career Opportunity and Women's Economic Empowerment. Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are leading the fight against hunger in the United States with a $2 billion commitment through 2015. Walmart has donated more than one billion meals to those in need across the country.
