A few months ago, I was introduced to the Institute for Veterans and Military Families, known as IVMF. The Institute works with the Small Business Administration, Syracuse University and JPMorgan Chase & Co. to help veterans, service members and their families reach their educational and employment goals after leaving active duty. Currently, my husband and I are working with two of their programs - the Veterans Career Transition Program and Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship. Before I go on, one of the most important items you need to know is that these programs are provided for free to those who qualify.
The Veterans Career Transition Program (VCTP) offers education and training through online courses. These courses can lead to non-credit certificates upon completion. There are three different programs which fall under this heading - The Professional Skills Track, the Tech Track and the Independent Study Track. The Professional Skills Track offers its students classes on Microsoft Office, job searches, resume and cover letter writing. The Tech Track is for those looking to transition into the IT field, human resources or project management. All those enrolled in one of the VCTP Professional and Tech Track are officially Syracuse University students and will be assigned an academic advisor to help throughout the program. The third program, the Independent Study Track, is available all the time and helps an individual hone certain skills to help his employment. The student is able to pick and choose the classes that would most benefit them. Classes available are the same ones referenced in the other two tracks.
Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (V-WISE) is the program that I am working with now. Don’t let the word veteran stop you from reading more. This program is also available to military spouses and active duty women. Since I know more about this program, I will give you a first-hand account of my experience. Only 200 women are accepted to each conference. After acceptance into the program, you are given two weeks of online classroom time. This isn’t for a grade, but more for your own working knowledge of creating a business plan and the financing and marketing of your business. You will also begin to network with your classmates. It’s a great opportunity to see what other women are doing and why it is important to them.
The conference was held last month in New York City. I arrived on Friday afternoon and left Sunday afternoon. In just those few hours in between I learned more than any book could ever teach me. Even more important, I met women entrepreneurs from around the country. They were old(er), young, spouses, veterans and active duty women, but we all had one thing in common, the dream of running our own business. Some dream businesses were small and homey with no more ambition than it was theirs and they could support their family. Others were large multinational companies. Some women just had a small idea, but hadn’t figured out yet what their business was exactly. The wonderful part of it was none of that mattered. The camaraderie, the support network, and the information are what will make us successful. I’ll write more next month about what I actually learned, but for now, I just want you to know that this is one opportunity you don’t want to miss.
There are many other programs available besides the two listed above. Please visit vets.syr.edu to find more information and the best program for you.
There are many other programs available besides the two listed above. Please visit vets.syr.edu to find more information and the best program for you.
