Helping Our Heroes Transition to the Workforce

From 2016 to 2019, JP Campbell flew F-18 fighter jets over Southeast Asia from a Marine Corps Air Station in Iwakuni, Japan. Later, he deployed to the Middle East and led a team of pilots who delivered personnel, mail, and cargo to Marines on three separate ships, taught Marines how to deploy aircraft in combat and earned a master’s degree in cybersecurity.

Today, JP is a member of the Synchrony team. He joined us as part of the first class of Synchrony’s newest skills training program – the Veterans Leadership Program (VLP). Building on the heritage of world class development programs like the Business Leadership Program, VLP is an incredible opportunity to tap into the powerful leadership acumen of the men and women of our armed forces.

As we pay tribute to our military heroes this Veterans Day, it’s vital that companies help veterans successfully transition the workplace. Many veterans leave their service with great leadership skills valuable to corporate life, but with other unique skillsets that can be challenging to apply directly to business.

?Giving a veteran a chance is especially important these days with more than 200,000 service members returning to civilian life each year. The possibilities of what veterans can achieve are almost limitless with the right training and support.

?Our approach to traditional veteran programs is different and lasts much longer. Each year, Synchrony recruits a class of vets and provides them with 13 months of skills training and experiences to prepare for a successful career in fast-growing tech roles like cybersecurity and data analytics.

?Starting with four weeks of our own “basic training,” participants then work in six-month assignments or “rotations” – to different jobs within Synchrony, which allows them to gain exposure to different parts of the company while honing leadership, problem-solving and technical skills.

?Along the way, we work to create unique leadership experiences for our participants. For example, the group visits West Point and hears from retired military leaders about the transition to corporate life. Throughout their journey, they also meet with many of Synchrony’s senior executive leaders and are paired with supportive business mentors who are also veterans. We locate each class of participants in the same regional hub, so they can learn from and support each other during their time together.

?As Executive Sponsor of our Veterans Network, I’m so proud of this unique program and the way we’re developing future leaders. But more than that, I’m grateful to be working with leaders who understand the value of veterans in corporate America. Leaders like our CTO and COO Carol Donovan Juel whose father was a Marine, our CIO Bess Healy , a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and our executive Jim Eubanks , a former U.S. Air Force captain who leads the VLP.

?We continue to hear from our veteran participants on just how transformational this program has been. For someone like JP who has experienced so much, he was very thoughtful about what came next after his military service.

?As he recently shared with me, “I don't think there is anything like it. I did a lot of homework and looked at a lot of other opportunities.” He particularly appreciates the time to learn about the company and the various career paths he could pursue – which could include IT client management, where he’s currently working, cybersecurity or many other areas of our business.

?I can’t wait to see where JP’s journey takes him along with many other amazing veterans in the program.