OUR MISSION
We help the veteran and military community find meaningful opportunities in today’s digital economy
IT is facing a critical skills gap.
We’re getting skilled talent tech-ready—and solving for veteran underemployment with our service-to-industry hiring pipeline.
Military Affairs launched in 2013 to bridge the gap between skilled veterans and industry partners seeking exceptional talent.
We train veterans from all backgrounds and branches all of the military with role-aligned trainings. Our programs and partnerships net impactful results for veterans and our network of veteran-ready hiring partners.
Resilient organizations look to veteran talent to get the job done.
Military skills are career skills
Deepening our investment in veteran talent
Our increased investment in MSSA stems from our long-held recognition of the value service members and veterans bring to business—and our desire to continue developing and championing this diverse talent pool.
Former service members are experts in functioning under constant transition, and skilled at adjusting to changes in any environment. They are social leaders who are experienced working across diverse teams and getting the job done together.
This is a talent pool of agile and flexible professionals trained to keep focused on the objective and persevere through setbacks and obstacles. Service members work the team to make the ‘win’ together—no matter the conditions.
Service members bring diversity of perspective to any team. They’ve developed knowledge of many roles within an organization—in the field and oversight—and are experienced working on diverse teams on-site and in virtual environments.
On-the-job outcomes
The data is in. While veterans are underemployed at higher rates than other demographics, they also have longer retention—staying with their initial company 8.3% longer than nonveterans. Veterans are also 39% more likely to be promoted earlier than nonveterans.
We know what veterans bring to our organization.
Investing in veteran talent and skilling programs like MSSA helps Microsoft and other IT leaders attract impactful, diverse talent with a tested and proven skillset.
Empowering the military community to transition to careers in technology is a win-win for industry.
Corporate transition programs like MSSA help to sustain a vital population of our workforce while building a critical, diverse pipeline for in-demand talent.
Looking beyond the four-year degree
“Veterans are exactly the type of talent Microsoft looks for to evolve the face of IT. They are trained to quickly assess, analyze and fix a situation with the resources at hand while working with a diverse group of people as a team—skills that are incredibly applicable to the IT industry.”
USMC Major General (Ret.) Chris Cortez
Vice President, Microsoft Military Affairs
Microsoft is strengthened by the varied experiences and core skills that veterans bring to our organization.
We know first-hand that the agility, problem-solving, and leadership skills developed in the military make for first-rate hires. That’s why we’ve invested in programs like MSSA—to give transitioning service members the technical and professional skills to navigate the next step of their career in tech.
the WHY of D&I
“Hiring veterans contributes to the health of a company by adding to its diverse and inclusive culture. We believe it’s critical to have a diverse employee base that leads innovation and new ways of thinking.”
USMC Major General (Ret.) Chris Cortez
Vice President, Microsoft Military Affairs
It all fits within Microsoft’s mission—to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more—and highlights how Microsoft partners are making more possible.
Making a real world difference
We know the commonalities between the tech industry’s hiring needs and the military skillset.
Service members embody teamwork, resilience, and perseverance. They remain focused through challenge and complete the task at hand, whatever the obstacle. Core skills like these make service members uniquely suited for jobs in technology. We’ve built that understanding into our flagship program—Microsoft Software and Systems Academy (MSSA).
Our program has trained more than 3,000 veterans and transitioning service members for dynamic careers in tech.
MSSA provides transitioning service members, Guard, Reserve, and military veterans—including those with clearance—with critical technical and career skills for high-demand careers in cloud development, cloud administration, and related fields.
MSSA plays an important role in bridging the critical skills gap impacting IT, to skilled veterans that are more than up to the job.
We partner with more than 1,000 companies across industries to help participants begin to build their careers immediately following graduation. Program graduates have an opportunity to interview for a full-time job at Microsoft or one of our hiring partners.
Deepening our investment in veteran talent
Our increased investment in MSSA stems from our long-held recognition of the value service members and veterans bring to business—and our desire to continue developing and championing this diverse talent pool.
The skills taught in our programs are aligned to some of the technology industry’s most in-demand career roles.
Microsoft Military Employee Resource Group (ERG)
To help foster diversity and inclusion, Microsoft has a rich community of ERGs and Employee Networks. The Military ERG—which includes those actively serving, reservists, and National Guard—was created to provide a support and networking opportunity for employees who have served or are currently serving in the military, an avenue to support and honor military service, and a community to support Microsoft’s outreach, recruitment, career development and retention efforts in the military and veteran communities.
Not sure how to make your organization veteran ready?
Once you’ve made the smart choice to conscientiously bring veterans into your organization, what can you do to be veteran-ready—and best able to facilitate your new hire’s military-grade skills at their highest capacity?
Military skills are career skills