BT Americas Partners with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) to Conduct Free Workshops for Veterans

IRVING, Texas, June 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- BT Americas Inc. today announced that it is working with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) to conduct workshops for recently returning veterans to aid their transition from the military to the civilian workforce working with recruiters and human resources professionals from BT.  

According to the United States Department of Labor, Gulf War-era II veterans[1] who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, or both had an annual average unemployment rate of 12.1 percent in 2011 as compared to non-veterans with an unemployment rate of 8.7 percent.[2]

To assist returning veterans and wounded warriors, BT will run full-day workshops throughout 2012 in BT locations across the US. At each event, BT will host 10-15 veterans where they will receive three components of training including, introduction to the workplace and to BT; training from the Human Resources team on resume writing and interview skills; and shadowing BT employees in areas of interest to help improve their appreciation of various roles, and to foster a better understanding of the commercial work environment generally.  These workshops are currently planned in Atlanta, El Segundo, Irving, New York, Reston, and Santa Clara.

"As a veteran of the Iraq War and a member of the IAVA, I recently attended a BT workshop for transitioning veterans," said Jim Worlein, Captain, U.S. Army Signal Corps. "I was overwhelmed at the personal attention I received during each phase of the workshop.  From resume reviews and job shadowing to interviewing techniques, the level of professionalism and quality time spent with the BT team was extremely helpful and gave me renewed hope in my job search.  This workshop provided more value to me than anything else I've attended to date."

IAVA will assist BT in recruiting participants for these events from IAVA's database of veterans that use the Rucksack platform.   In addition, IAVA will follow up with the veterans after the event to assess impact and measure the level of success for veterans in their job search.

"IAVA is proud to partner with BT to give this newest generation of veterans the tools to build successful careers after military service," said IAVA Founder and Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff.  "At the start of 2012, IAVA Members were facing a staggering 17 percent unemployment rate—and they need know we've got their backs. The 'Military to Civilian Career Readiness' workshops will open doors for thousands of new veterans, giving them valuable skills training and job shadowing experience to transition in this tough economy. For a decade, our troops and veterans have led our country overseas—they're highly trained and motivated—and it's imperative that our country continues investing in them when they return home."

"BT is honored to provide these workshops to our veterans who have sacrificed so much for each one of us," said Kim McMann, President, BT US & Canada.  "BT's veteran's workshops complement our pro-bono consultancy webinars that BT is hosting to train companies on technologies which support their ability to hire remote or wounded warriors.  Through educating companies and empowering veterans, we believe we can make a positive impact on hiring veterans."  

To find out more about attending a workshop for veterans, please visit "BT US Military Veterans" group on LinkedIn.

Notes to Editors
The Rucksack (http://rucksack.iava.org) is IAVA's "Ticketmaster for Veterans," an online platform that connects confirmed OIF-OEF members to resources and benefits provided by IAVA and our partners. Veterans can log on and request free tickets, giveaways, resources, workshops and more. The Rucksack is an innovative program that allows us to highlight our partners in a way that is meaningful and usable to our community of veterans and supporters, and it gives our members access to an array of experiences and resources they want, all for free.

About Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) is the nation's first and largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to improving the lives of our newest veterans and their families.  Through providing innovative health, education, employment and community programs, IAVA strives to build an empowered generation of veterans who provide sustainable leadership for our country and their local communities. Learn more, get involved and join the over 200,000 Member Veterans and Civilian Supporters now www.IAVA.org

About BT
BT is one of the world's leading providers of communications services and solutions, serving customers in more than 170 countries.  Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services to its customers for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband and internet products and services and converged fixed/mobile products and services.  BT consists principally of four lines of business: BT Global Services, BT Retail, BT Wholesale and Openreach.

In the year ended 31 March 2012, BT Group's revenue was pounds Sterling 18,897m with profit before taxation of pounds 2,445m.

British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group.  BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York. 

For more information, visit www.btplc.com

All news releases can be accessed at our web site: http://www.btplc.com/news

[1] Gulf War-era II veterans are those who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces at any time since September 2001.

[2] United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, March 20, 2012; http://www.bls.gov/news.release/vet.nr0.htm

SOURCE BT Americas Inc.

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