Each year, hundreds of thousands of service members leave the military, with nearly half facing some period of unemployment. At the same time, companies continue to struggle to find skilled talent to fill in-demand jobs. Honda Manufacturing of Indiana has partnered with Conexus Indiana, which has developed a first-of-its-kind program designed to connect local companies directly to veterans from around the country as they exit the military. This will help companies fill the skills gap and provide veterans high-demand civilian career opportunities.

Conexus Indiana’s program, called INvets, was designed in partnership with five Indiana advanced manufacturing companies, including Honda.

“We are excited to continue providing quality jobs here in Indiana,” said Bob Nelson, president of Honda Manufacturing of Indiana. “Supporting INvets is yet another way to identify talented individuals who can help us to remain competitive.”

The centerpiece of the program will be a website for veterans, which includes information about high-tech jobs in Indiana, the skills required for employment, and life in the communities where companies have job opportunities. Qualified candidates can also upload their resumes to the INvets website for hiring consideration and career advising.

Participating companies will have access to the website’s database of candidates and can easily match qualified talent with job opportunities. Sponsoring companies will also provide information about their companies, career paths and open positions. More than a simple job board, INvets details the skills required for employment at each company and for each job, with links to education or training partners that offer the skills training, credentials or degrees needed. The INvets website also will house information on career development with clearly defined career pathways.

INvets will partner with other Indiana veteran organizations to give applicants access to a variety of services to ease their transition from military to civilian employment. Hoosier companies will also have access to the INvets-developed support systems and programs for newly hired veterans.

The INvets website will be supported by a marketing campaign to raise awareness among veterans nationwide of job opportunities in Indiana. While INvets will begin with support from Indiana’s advanced manufacturing and logistics companies, the program is expected to expand to include job opportunities across all in-demand industry sectors.