Employers seeking job candidates with analytics skills are increasingly likely to find a fit between their needs and military veterans, thanks to a collaboration between the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) and analytics provider SAS.
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About the Program
Launched in 2011 at Syracuse University, the IVMF is a recent addition to the university’s long history of supporting veterans, dating back to World War II. The IVMF Onward to Opportunity-Veterans Career Transition Program (O2O-VCTP) is a career skills program that provides civilian career training, professional certifications, and job placement support to the nearly 200,000 annually transitioning service members, members of the Reserves or National Guard, veterans, and military spouses.
The IVMF focuses on enhancing the post-service lives of America’s service members, veterans, and families. IVMF prepares those individuals to succeed, in part, by partnering with private sector companies committed to training and hiring military talent and their spouses earlier in the transition process.
New Offering
Beginning in January 2018, the IVMF will offer two free SAS programming courses at 14 military installations around the United States and also online. Participants can receive vouchers to sit for SAS Certification exams for free, redeemable at any Pearson Vue testing center.
“The importance of the SAS relationship cannot be overstated,” said Mike Haynie, PhD, vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation and executive director of the IVMF. “Providing veterans and their families with in-demand training is key to creating meaningful careers as service members transition. We are proud to partner with SAS, and I applaud their leadership for engaging in this meaningful work. We look forward to a rewarding and impactful partnership.”
Employment Opportunities
A SAS big data, advanced analytics or data science credential is likely to lead to increased employment opportunities for these job candidates. SAS customers span more than 83,000 business, government, and university sites, including 94 of the top 100 companies on the 2016 Fortune Global 500.
In addition to the SAS credential, military veterans bring other strengths to a prospective employer.
“Leadership, teamwork, strategic thinking, and a commitment to the mission are all qualities inherent to veterans, and add tremendous value to an organization,” said Emily Baranello, vice president of the SAS education practice. “Adding analytics skills to that mix will prepare O2O graduates to seize exciting career opportunities.”
In fact, a 2016 study of 54 million employee profiles on PayScale identified knowledge of SAS as the No.1 career skill that translates into salary bumps. The SAS Global Certification program has long been the standard for industries like banking and pharmaceutical. Launched in 1999 to validate SAS skills and knowledge, the program has awarded more than 118,000 SAS credentials to individuals in 77 countries.
SAS notes that it is committed to supporting veterans, and that it participates in many programs to help veterans make the transition to civilian life. These efforts helped earn SAS the Pro Patria Award, the highest state-level award given to a civilian employer by the U.S. Department of Defense. The award recognizes companies for hiring and supporting veterans, reservists, and members of the National Guard.