Whether you’re a non-profit or higher education executive, the value of creating a mentorship program to serve veterans benefits everyone. Not only does mentoring provide a safe space to explore ideas or discuss new opportunities, it’s an effective way to attract talent to your campus, company, or organization. A mentorship program will set you apart from the competition, as well. 

We’ve had the opportunity to work with clients like The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars VET Initiative to create a mentorship program for student veterans entering the workforce. After 10 weeks of professional immersion through their internships, professional development training and workshops, career counseling and coaching, mentoring, and more, they were able to achieve far more than they originally thought possible when they first applied for the VET Initiative. At the conclusion of the program, 100 percent of participants stated that they feel they can translate their military skills into civilian language, up from 42 percent at the beginning of the program.

Based on our experience, here are three ways a mentorship program helps you and the military-connected community. 

Veterans and Separating Service Members Have an Unmet Need  

More than 1.7 million of the 2.6 million men and women deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan have transitioned out of military service. Transition stress is prevalent among the military-connected community and may consist of difficulty finding a job, conflict in relationships with family and friends, and adapting to life after service. Creating a mentoring program for incoming veteran employees or student veterans can fill the knowledge gap left open by the Transition Assistance Program to alleviate said stress. 

Veterans Want Mentorship Programs

A key study of employers that hire veterans, commissioned by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in 2013, found that, “The key practice most often advocated by study participants for the support of veteran employees was mentorship programs. The importance of mentoring transitioning veterans was advocated by veterans, supervisors, developers of veteran initiatives, HR and EAP directors, and corporate executives.” A mentoring program unlocks the opportunity for all stakeholders on campus or in your organization to support the professional development and advancement of veterans. 

A Mentorship Program Increases Veteran Retention

According to VA’s Veterans in the Workplace Study, “a critical element to workplace retention advocated by study respondents was employer support and development of veteran mentoring programs.” Facilitating mentoring relationships is an opportunity to foster accountability, growth, and loyalty to any company that prioritizes supporting their veteran employees. 

These are three reasons creating a mentoring program can help better support veterans and attract top talent to your school or organization. We want to hear from you: let us know how you’ve benefited from a mentoring program or if you’ve successfully run one with your organization. 

To learn more about how we can help you establish a mentoring program please click here.