VETalent makes this possible Tapping Into the Talents of Veterans

Throughout its long history, Prudential has had a deep appreciation for the service and sacrifices of veterans. In 2010, the company established The Office of Veterans Initiatives to help prepare military service members and their spouses for meaningful careers. Headed by Chuck Sevola, a former communications officer in the U.S. Army and staffed by veterans, Veterans Initiatives works to strengthen relationships with corporations, nonprofit organizations and government agencies so they can collectively provide educational and employment opportunities to veterans and their families.

“Veterans bring significant value to the workforce, including practiced leadership skills, discipline, the ability to perform in stressful situations, and a solid work ethic,” says Sevola. “We recognize the sacrifices made every day by these men and women and believe their experience and leadership can only make our company stronger.”

Veterans Initiatives established VETalent, a partnership between Prudential and Workforce Opportunity Services, a nonprofit organization that helps companies build strong talent pipelines through unique work-study programs. VETalent, a nine-month work-study program, prepares veterans and spouses of active duty service members for careers in information technology, sales and business operations. Participants receive extensive job training and classroom work followed by on-the-job training to qualify for full-time career opportunities with Prudential or other companies.

When the VETalent members graduate from the program, they work as full-time consultants for Prudential, after which time they become eligible for full-time employment offers from the company. As of 2015, Prudential hired 85 veterans and/or spouses from VETalent and another 178 have been hired by other companies. In addition, another 48 veterans and/or military spouses are in active programs at Prudential and other 86 are in programs with other companies, helping to earn the company the recognition of “Top 100 Military Friendly Employers” and “Best for Vets” for six consecutive years.

Since its inception in Newark, New Jersey in 2009, VETalent has expanded to Dubuque, Iowa with Northeast Iowa Community College, Dresher/Ft. Washington, Pennsylvania with Penn State-Abington University; Jacksonville, Florida with the University of North Florida; Hartford/Shelton, Connecticut with Western Connecticut State University; Roseland/Newark, New Jersey with Rutgers University and New Jersey Institute of Technology; and El Paso, Texas with El Paso Community College.