Helping Veterans Transition to Civilian Life with The Roland Gossage Foundation
What Is Soldiers in Tech?
Soldiers in Tech aims to help Veterans transition to civilian life by providing them with technical skills, training workshops and courses. Once Veterans have completed the program, they’ll be job-ready and will be connected to employment opportunities in their areas of training.
The Roland Gossage Foundation partners with Lighthouse Labs to offer introductory training workshops in HTML, JavaScript, programming, data analytics, and cybersecurity. Upskilling courses and reskilling bootcamps are also offered to further enhance technical skills in web development, data science, and cybersecurity. Soldiers in Tech gives Veterans the skills, industry knowledge, and resources to secure and be successful in their first tech job in Canada.
Why Technology?
Even though Veterans attempt to secure meaningful civilian employment, they are chronically underemployed, particularly in the tech field (according to StatsCan). The transferable skills that Veterans gain through military training or experience often are not acknowledged by employers due to lack of credentials. Since the technology sector often focuses on actual skills rather than credentials, this is a great field for Veterans to start their post-service career.
Technology is also a growing field, and it is evident that the demand for digitally skilled employees will only grow. Soldiers In Tech will address the challenges Veterans face around finding a new sense of purpose and the financial stress they experience, by training job-seeking Veterans and their spouses for in-demand tech careers.
Impact
As a program, Soldiers in Tech doesn’t just deal with technical training, but also focuses on the mental health of participating students. The training addresses many issues Veterans face while dealing with civilian reintegration, such as releasing trauma and PTSD.
Program participants will also receive wrap-around support from the Roland Gossage Foundation through Wellness Officers who provide counselling support and mentorship before, during, and after technical training. Funding from the Government of Ontario Program, through the True Patriot Love Local Community Fund, allows the Roland Gossage Foundation to provide a stable foundation for Veteran families to smoothly transition into civilization life.
“It’s hard to express the magnitude of trepidation one feels when they decide to leave the Canadian Armed Forces. Adding to that, there are a staggering amount of options you face when you take your first steps from that precipice into the non-CAF world. However, due in part to the inculcation of environmental CAF values: drive, creativity, determination, and the ability to work through blockers, a Veteran’s skillset has a direct correlation to the world of programming and computer science.”
– Clint Pearce, Soldiers In Tech Web Developer 12 Week Bootcamp Graduate
Learn more about Soldiers in Tech and the programs offered by visiting their website here. https://www.rolandgossagefoundation.com/soldiersintech
