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Opportunities abound on mission to recruit military veterans

'We have tech companies, defence contractors, and government agencies interested in filling their talent requirements with graduates from our program'
2020 10 23 Coding For Veterans
Coding for Veterans helps former members of the military use their skills to find work in the software and cyber-security fields. Photo: Stu Campaigne

Like the former military members they are trying to reach, Pat Shaw and his team are following the well-beaten paths of military families from base to base and town to town.

Shaw is the executive director for Coding for Veterans, a non-profit organization that helps augment the software and cyber-security skills instilled during the military careers of veterans. 

After an eight-month training program administered online, funded at least in part by Veterans Affairs Canada, and based out of the University of Ottawa, Shaw says veterans often have their choice of thousands of coding jobs paying close to six figures to start in both the private and public sectors.

In North Bay Friday at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 599 on a stop with the Coding For Veterans Career Caravan, Shaw took a moment before appointments to talk about the program.

Shaw says there are many features about the online learning program that appeal to veterans in varied living situations. The flexibility of the format appeals to those with families, as well as those who like to put all their efforts into something for short bursts before taking a few days off. Shaw says the academic leeway is also beneficial for veterans with health or mental health issues. 

Although the program was designed beforehand, the format has turned out to be especially effective during the pandemic.

"We've been able to recruit instructors who have an affinity for the military and an appreciation for what those veterans have done for us, " explains Shaw. "These instructors are responding to questions within a couple of hours of them being posted."

With 7,000 men and women leaving the Canadian Forces yearly, many are pigeonholed into careers in policing or security, says Shaw. Coding for Veterans points to its extensive research showing personnel leaving the military are especially suited to software and cyber-security work. Coding For Veterans attempts to fill that gap and offers a tremendous return for applicants who pass the onboarding assessment process and graduate from the program.

With restrictions due to COVID-19 on the centralized job fairs often visited by new veterans to find good-paying jobs as they transition to civilian life, Shaw says Coding for Veterans has made it "its mission to bring our troops from "deployment to employment," by embarking on the caravan tour, which will end in Ottawa on Remembrance Day.

Market research estimates 182,000 skilled software and cyber-security positions will go unfilled in the next couple of years. The Caravan is COVID-19 compliant, meaning veterans will be able to secure invaluable career advice in person, while socially distanced and following protocols set out by public health. 

"They served us all with dedication and sacrifice during their military careers and now we are providing them an opportunity to help fill the urgent skills-shortage in the IT sector, which is causing a critical drag on the Canadian economy," adds CEO Jeff Musson of Coding For Veterans.

"We have tech companies, defence contractors, and government agencies interested in filling their talent requirements with graduates from our program, while at the same time, our program provides military veterans with a solid career in which to gain stable, long-term employment," says Shaw.


Stu Campaigne

About the Author: Stu Campaigne

Stu Campaigne is a full-time news reporter for BayToday.ca, focusing on local politics and sharing our community's compelling human interest stories.
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