The unemployment rate for veterans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces at any time since September 2001 fell 5% last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And more major corporations are integrating programs to ensure that veterans are hired and remain employed.
Microsoft is one of the companies taking steps in this area. The tech giant teamed up with the Computing Technology Industry Association, to build a program that offers employment training and mentorship for veterans and active duty members of the military. Microsoft Software & Systems Academy (MSSA) provides information technology certification to its students.
“[For] those that want to try to get into the I.T. industry, why not create a path?” Chris Cortez, vice president of Military Affairs at Microsoft, told Cheddar in a recent interview.
Cortez, a retired major general in the U.S. Marine Corps, says that veterans and members of the military have a lot to offer to corporate America.
“In the military you’re grounded in leadership, in the mission, figuring out tough situations, getting the job done,” with limited resources, he said. These are qualities, Cortez says, are transferable to any industry.
After retiring, Cortez says his major struggle was understanding how his skills would fit into a traditional work setting. So he encourages companies to create more "pipelines and programs" to make the transition easier.
MSSA focuses on job development skills and also provides pointers for interviews and resume writing. Students can also be placed in a mentorship program to better understand corporate life. Those who are hired at Microsoft are assigned a work mentor for their first year with the company, Cortez said, adding that the program has allowed Microsoft to develop high veteran-retention rates.
“Our retention rate, above two years, is at 90 percent,” he said.
It’s a chicken-and-egg problem: Restaurants are struggling with record-high U.S. egg prices, but their omelets, scrambles and huevos rancheros may be part of the problem. Breakfast is booming at U.S. eateries. First Watch, a restaurant chain that serves breakfast, brunch and lunch, nearly quadrupled its locations over the past decade to 570. Fast-food chains like Starbucks and Wendy's added more egg-filled breakfast items. In normal times, egg producers could meet the demand. But a bird flu outbreak that has forced them to slaughter their flocks is making supplies scarcer and pushing up prices. Some restaurants like Waffle House have added a surcharge to offset their costs.
William Falcon, CEO and Founder of Lightning AI, discusses the ongoing feud between Elon Musk and Sam Altman, and how everyday people can use AI in their lives.
U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum “will not go unanswered,” European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen vowed on Tuesday, adding that they will trigger toug
The Trump administration has ordered the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to stop nearly all its work, effectively shutting down the agency that was created to protect consumers after the 2008 financial crisis and subprime mortgage-lending scandal. Russell Vought is the newly installed director of the Office of Management and Budget. Vought directed the CFPB in a Saturday night email to stop work on proposed rules, to suspend the effective dates on any rules that were finalized but not yet effective, and to stop investigative work and not begin any new investigations. The agency has been a target of conservatives since President Barack Obama created it following the 2007-2008 financial crisis.
Jeff Benedict, author of 'The Dynasty,' weighs in on the Kansas City Chiefs being the next big dynasty, who he thinks will win Super Bowl LIX and more. Watch!
