WASHINGTON, March 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Building on its Elevate America program to provide technology training to help prepare people for 21st-century jobs, Microsoft Corp. today announced an initiative to bring together a coalition of public, private and nonprofit organizations to give veterans and their spouses the skills and resources they need to be successful in today’s civilian work force.

Microsoft will contribute $2 million in cash and up to $6 million in software over the next two years to support programs for members of the armed services and their spouses who are separating from the military and reintegrating into their civilian communities and the work force. Through a competitive funding process, Microsoft will award cash, software and other resources to eligible organizations, including veterans service organizations, work force agencies, community colleges and other nonprofit organizations. The initiative will provide veterans and their spouses with the support they need to be successful in their transition to civilian careers, including technology skills training, job placement, career counseling and other support services such as childcare, transportation and housing. The initiative is intended to support active duty service members who are transitioning out of the military as well as members of the National Guard and Reserves who are returning to their civilian jobs.

The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) is the first organization to join the coalition and will work with Microsoft over the next two years on this initiative.

“In the coming years, a significant number of veterans will seek civilian employment opportunities. Microsoft’s new initiative provides veterans with the tools to successfully transition to new careers and contribute to economic growth in an especially tough economy,” said Paul Rieckhoff, founder and executive director of IAVA. “Microsoft has been the leader in the technology revolution, and we appreciate its strength and commitment to our returning heroes. The company is sending a message to veterans nationwide that it has their back. IAVA is excited to be a part of this coalition, and we look forward to working with Microsoft to make a historic impact.”

“I salute Microsoft’s plan to help our nation’s veterans successfully transition from military service to civilian careers. The men and women who have served in uniform make excellent employees, and I believe this effort will go a long way to helping them succeed in the 21st century work force. I hope Microsoft’s commitment will inspire all employers across the country to give back to veterans,” said Sen. Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii), chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and World War II veteran.

“Programs such as Elevate America represent the uniquely American attributes of compassion for our fellow man and corporations answering the call to serve our veteran community in time of war,” said Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. “Education and training of the young men and women who have served our nation in the military and their families is often an afterthought and an unattainable goal in times of economic stress. This innovative program helps bridge that divide and opens up paths to new opportunities in life.”

“Veterans and their families deserve our nation’s best efforts in providing the resources to ensure a seamless transition from military service to civilian life. I commend Microsoft for working to support these heroes by providing the tools necessary to be part of a 21st century work force,” said Congressman Bob Filner (D-California), chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. “As a nation, we reap the rewards of their dedication and sacrifice. Today, Microsoft has shown individuals, communities and neighborhoods what we can do if we work together. What may seem simple at the outset can lead to powerful changes for our heroes.”

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are nearly 185,000 unemployed Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans. The unemployment rate among Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans is 20 percent higher than the overall unemployment rate for nonveterans. While veterans are highly trained in military and leadership skills, many lack the formal education, training and certifications required by employers as they transition into the civilian work force. More than half of today’s jobs require some technology skills, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that will reach 77 percent in the next decade.

“Our servicemen and women are amazing leaders, but to be able to compete in the tough job market when they return from duty, many of them need access to technology training,” said Pamela Passman, corporate vice president of Microsoft Global Corporate Affairs, who announced the initiative at today’s National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) Forum. “We are bringing together organizations and companies that can combine their competencies and resources with ours to make the greatest possible impact to help veterans and their spouses.”

Organizations and veterans can find more information on this initiative by visiting http://www.microsoft.com/elevateamerica, and can get updates by following Elevate America on Twitter at http://twitter.com/elevateamerica.

Since launching Elevate America in February 2009 as part of Microsoft Unlimited Potential, Microsoft has partnered with states to provide people with technology skills training, industry-recognized certifications and work force readiness tools to help them prepare for today’s jobs. Elevate America was designed as a program for all Americans, to help people gain skills to be more employable, sharpen their skills to retain current jobs, apply for jobs they were not previously qualified for and have the confidence to continue job-seeking. States have until March 31 to sign up for the program.

At the NAWB Forum, Passman reported on the results of Elevate America so far:

* Twelve states have implemented the program: Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Virginia and Washington.
* To date, Microsoft has distributed more than 300,000 free training and certification vouchers to these states.
* More than 50 percent of people who received vouchers proactively took the next step — beginning a training course or taking a certification exam.
* Around 70 percent of the people who received the vouchers were unemployed.
* Sixty percent were women, and 37 percent were between 41 and 55 years of age.
* Thirty-three percent had a high school diploma or GED, and 42 percent had some postsecondary education or training (certificate, some college or four-year degree).

More information on Elevate America is available at http://www.microsoft.com/ElevateAmerica.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced that the Education Call Center, closed on Thursdays and Fridays over the past two months, is again operating five days a week.

“I am pleased by the progress these call center employees made in significantly cutting our pending inventory of education claims,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “As a result of their efforts, 30,000 additional student Veterans received their checks, bought books, paid the rent, and stayed in school.”

By temporarily reassigning call center employees on Thursdays and Fridays to process Post-9/11 GI Bill claims, VA was able to complete a significant number of education claims from mid-December through mid-February. VA’s goal was always to return call center employees to their permanent duties.

The decision to supplement claims processing staff by the call center employees was a key factor in meeting VA’s aggressive processing goal of Post-9/11 GI Bill claims. As of mid-February 2010, VA’s capacity to process Post-9/11 GI bill claims jumped from an average of 2,000 a day in August 2009 to 7,000 a day.

Since inception of this historic new program, VA has issued nearly $1.9 billion in Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit payments and opened the door to higher education to 209,490 people.

As of Feb. 12, VA received spring semester Post-9/11 GI Bill enrollments from approximately 180,000 student Veterans and already paid nearly 90 percent of them. All Post-9/11 GI Bill participants whose spring enrollments were received by Jan. 18 have been paid.

Because VA is now processing spring enrollments timely, advance payments are no longer available at VA regional offices or through the online advance payment Web site.

In December when the decision was made to redirect phone agents to claims processing, the number of pending claims was almost 80,000 and timeliness measures were extremely high. The inventory of education claims was driving call volume at the call center to an all time high of 1.26 million call attempts during November.

That is why in mid-December 2009 VA temporarily reassigned employees at the VA Education Call Center on Thursdays and Fridays, the lowest call volume days, to help process education benefit claims.

Since that time, the call center demand dropped by 42 percent as student Veterans received their payments. The call center received 769,637 call attempts on Monday thru Wednesday during the first two weeks in December 2009. By comparison, the call center received 446,328 call attempts on Monday thru Wednesday through the first two weeks in February 2010.

Information about the Post-9/11 GI Bill, as well as VA’s other educational benefit programs, is available at VA’s Web site, www.gibill.va.gov, or by calling 1-888-GIBILL-1 (or 1-888-442-4551).

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Some noted Black leaders recently have suggested publicly that President Obama does not need to focus on Black issues. In response to mounting evidence showing African Americans are disproportionately lagging behind on all economic indicators despite assertions of a so-called “post-racial” era, Tavis Smiley said Tuesday he will moderate a national conversation examining whether in fact there needs to be a Black agenda and the accountability of leadership to address issues facing Black Americans.

The nationally-televised forum, We Count! The Black Agenda is the American Agenda, will be held from 8 am – noon Saturday, March 20 at Chicago State University’s Emil and Patricia A. Jones Convocation Center, 9501 South King Dr., Chicago, IL. The event is free and open to the public on first-come, first-served basis. Advanced registration is available at www.tavistalks.com.

“From the Carolinas to California millions of Americans are in crisis as a direct result of the recession in historic proportions. Given the joblessness rate compounded by the lack of access to healthcare and the collapse of the housing market, the statistics continue to show that Black Americans in particular are getting crushed,” Smiley said.

“I think the time has come to have an earnest dialogue between Black leaders and Black people about easing the suffering of disaffected communities. A Black agenda is America’s agenda in that what affects the least of us, affects all of us.”

Invited panelists include noted scholar Cornel West, professor and author Michael Eric Dyson, Jesse Jackson, Sr., Marc Morial, National Urban League, and Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor and assistant to the president for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement. Others include Angela Glover Blackwell, founder of PolicyLink; Tom Burrell, author of BRAINWASHED; U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus; Ben Jealous, NAACP President; Al Sharpton, Dorothy Height, and Louis Farrakhan.

The conversation will also raise awareness about participation among Black citizens in the 2010 Census. The forms, which will be mailed in March, are due on April 1. The data collected by the Census helps determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“Your Census form is your chance to be heard about how nearly $450 billion will be spent in your community for schools, job training, health care centers, etc. It’s too important to bypass the opportunity to be counted,” Smiley said.