Workforce Opportunity Services and Prudential partner to give Veterans workplace skills

A cohort of 12 military veterans who will pursue careers in information technology graduated recently from VETalent, a training program for veterans sponsored jointly by Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) and Workforce Opportunity Services. The graduation was held at Rutgers University-Newark.

VETalent is a work study program created by WOS and Prudential in conjunction with Rutgers Newark to offer veterans a work study program to learn professional skills and gain exposure to the corporate work environment. It prepares veterans, reservists and members of the National Guard for careers in information technology, sales and business operations.

The program includes nine months of extensive and rigorous job training and classroom work, followed by on-the-job training to qualify for full-time, well-paid career opportunities either with Prudential or other companies.

“I am extremely proud of all of the graduates and what they have accomplished,” said Dr. Art Langer, founder and chairman of WOS. “I know the graduates will continue to do well, not only for their own sake, but also for the future of the program and for the next group of veterans. Each successful group forges a path for every group that follows. And I’m grateful for Prudential’s continued commitment to helping WOS offer life-changing opportunities for Veterans,” Langer added.

Training for the graduates began last February and included classroom instruction in financial services, mentoring, data entry, problem solving, decision making, computer literacy, business writing and communication, quality assurance and customer service.

Dele Oledapo, a vice president in Prudential’s Global Business and Technology Solutions area, who received an award at the ceremony for his support of veterans, told the graduates, “You have served our country honorably. Prudential is proud to partner with WOS and to support you as you move on to the next chapter of what will undoubtedly be a successful IT career.”

Eleven of the graduates are on track to be hired by Prudential. One of them was placed at another corporation in Newark that recently began a partnership with WOS.

“I didn’t think a career in information technology was within reach,” said Christian Marquez, a former senior airman in the United States Air Force who now works as a WOS consultant for Prudential’s Global Business and Technology Solutions area. “This program has given me the chance to learn new skills and Prudential is giving me opportunity to refine those skills.”

Since its inception in Newark in 2009, VETalent has expanded to other locations, including Dubuque, IA with Northeast Iowa Community College; Dresher/Ft. Washington, PA with Penn State-Abington University; Jacksonville, FL with the University of North Florida; Hartford/Shelton, CT with Western Connecticut State University; Roseland/Newark, NJ with Rutgers University; and most recently in El Paso, Texas.

About Workforce Opportunity Services

Workforce Outsource Services is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization that helps companies build strong talent pipelines through unique work-study programs. WOS accomplishes this by placing talented, driven high-school graduates and military Veterans in scholarship programs that teach them actionable corporate skills as well as interpersonal/communication skills. WOS students complete a semester of classroom instruction, and then, by their second semester, WOS places them in part-time jobs in companies where they can employ those skills in the real world. WOS students graduate to become full-time WOS consultants while working towards full-time employment with the sponsoring company. While in the program, WOS encourages the students, and covers the cost for them to pursue their four-year college degrees. For more information, please visit http://www.wforce.org/.

About Prudential

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial services leader with more than $1.1 trillion of assets under management as of June 30, 2014, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Prudential’s diverse and talented employees are committed to helping individual and institutional customers grow and protect their wealth through a variety of products and services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds and investment management. In the U.S., Prudential’s iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. For more information, please visit www.news.prudential.com. Prudential’s Veterans is an umbrella organization that manages a robust infrastructure for veterans within the company, oversees the expansion of education and employment programs for veteran employees, supports business and corporate units’ veteran recruiting activities and strengthens the company’s relationships with nonprofit organizations that provide services to veterans and their families. For more information, visit www.prudential.com/veterans.