Getting Started

Onward to Opportunity - Free Career Training Program

apply nowSupported by grants from JPMorgan Chase & Co. and the Schultz Family Foundation, Onward to Opportunity – formerly known as the Veterans Career Transition Program – utilizes an online learning platform to help active duty, selected reserve, veterans, and military spouses learn business, technology, and customer service skills to accomplish their personal and professional goals. Participants may choose to work towards one of our supported industry certifications administered by globally recognized organizations. O2O combines industry-validated curricula, strong partnerships, and comprehensive career coaching and employment services support to align program participants with civilian job opportunities.

  • Free opportunity that does not utilize educational benefits
  • Assistance preparing for recognized industry certification exams
  • Connection to veteran service organizations (VSOs) and private sector companies committed to hiring and training veterans and military spouses

Features of Participation Include:

The O2O will fund one industry certification per participant, provided the individual completes the required coursework, practice exam requirements, and, if applicable, meets the certifying agency’s eligibility requirements.

  • Each participant is assigned an IVMF Advisor or Installation Coordinator to assist them as they navigate through the program.
  • Job seekers receive comprehensive career coaching services from Hire Heroes USA, while pursuing interview opportunities with industry leaders committed to hiring veterans and military spouses.
  • Participants receive non-credit certificates of completion from the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University upon course completion.

Learn more about O2O’s Learning Pathways.

Start Your Journey

Onward to Opportunity in Partnership (O2O) is a multi-phased process designed to help you select the best learning pathway, provide you tailored training specific to your professional and educational goals, and prepare you for the process of successfully securing employment with one of our numerous employer partners.

As a participant in the O2O program, you will be guided through the following steps of the program:

  • Program Steps

    1. Interest

    Eligible program participant learns about the O2O program and submits an interest form to attend the program either in-person on a nearby installation (if available) or completely online. Click here.

    2. Orientation and Assessment

    Program participant completes online assessment and attends O2O orientation.

    3. Enrollment Services

    A member of IVMF’s Enrollment Services team will review your assessment and register you for your desired career track in an upcoming cohort.

    4. Training

    Program participant begins the training portion of the program in line with his/her goals and desired outcome.

    5. Job Preparation

    While completing training, each O2O participant is assigned a Veteran Transition Specialist (VTS) with Hire Heroes USA to receive specialized career services support.

    6. Industry Certification Exam Funding

    Participant may receive funding for one industry certification for qualifying courses, providing the participant completes all of the program’s required steps needed in order to receive said funding.

    7. Interview Matching

    Participant works with Hire Heroes USA Employment Coordinator to be matched for interviews with O2O employer partners.

    8. Graduation & Employment

    Upon completion of all program requirements, you will have the opportunity to continue your connection with HHUSA for job seeking as well as networking with O2O alumni across the U.S.

     

    Interested? Click here to learn more.

  • Program Assessment

    The assessment is not a test but helps to identify which option best suits your needs. The assessment is designed to gauge your interest, asking you to identify your professional experience, as well as your comfort level with skills and tasks related to our partners’ employment opportunities. After you complete your assessment, a member of IVMF Enrollment Services will review the assessment and help you identify which is best for you.

  • Interview Matching

    The O2O program leverages two strategic partnerships as well as its on-base teams to support your career placement goals and fulfill O2O commitment to provide at least one interview to each participant upon successful completion of all phases of the program. Through a team-based approach, the IVMF and its partners ensure a robust coalition of employer partners seeking military talent, as well as regular cohorts of graduates who have received both training and career coaching which has been tailored to the needs of our hiring partners.

    Installation Teams work to recruit employers both locally and regionally, expanding our network of employer partners and identifying areas of potential opportunity to meet the geographic needs of our participants. The IVMF surveys employers regarding their hiring needs and ensures the O2O curriculum matches their goals. Installation teams and IVMF advisors execute individual learning plans and closely monitor each participant’s training status, tracking when each individual is ready for resume and interview assistance or interview matching.

    Hire Heroes USA provides intense, one-on-one coaching, resulting in a resume tailored toward O2O employer partners’ unique hiring processes and opportunities for mock interviews modeled after O2O employers’ hiring techniques. Finally, Hire Heroes USA matches O2O candidates with interview opportunities by continually monitoring the training status, qualifications, and transition timeline of program participants, matching the O2O labor supply with appropriate interview opportunities with participating employers.

  • Employment Support Services

    O2O partners with leading veteran service organizations and private sector companies to identify employers committed to training and hiring veterans. These employer partners are engaged throughout each phase of O2O delivery by participating in the curriculum design, interacting with participants as they progress through the program and identifying specific career paths and interview opportunities within their company that align with the skillsets of O2O graduates.

The IVMF Advantage

The advantage of programs run by the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse University is the full range of services you receive from initial inquiry through to the completion of your coursework. Our enrollment and advising services are here when you have a question about which program or course offerings is best for you or when you have questions while enrolled in IVMF programs. Take a look at the best-in-class services offered by the IVMF in conjunction with the O2O program.

  • Enrollment Services

    Our goal is to help you get to where you want to be after leaving the military life. We offer programs that not only support post-military careers by complementing military skill sets/training but also are in demand. We work with leading corporations to identify skills gaps and prepare courses to get you trained and ready to enter the workforce. And we’re here to help you along the way, please take a look at how the IVMF supports our program participants.

    • Not sure which O2O learning pathway you are best suited for? We’ll review your assessment and work experience to make the best recommendation to meet your needs
    • Provide referrals to both relevant resources in order to meet those goals
    • Provide access to all the resources within the IVMF

  • Advising Services

    While enrolled in IVMF programs, our Advising Services team will provide coaching, academic and career advice, and support for course completion, resource referrals and industry certification guidance. Our Advising Services team will work one-on-one with you to ensure that your professional goals are met.

    • We will work with you to ensure that your professional goals are aligned with industry certification path you are pursuing
    • Help you in navigating our online learning management systems
    • Offer referrals to additional resources to support your career and educational goals
    • Keep you informed by presenting webinars related to career preparation & employment
Onward to opportunity graduate Jean-carlos Hernandez.

“I believe the true benefit of the program is finding out what you would be happiest doing, which made the transition from the military much less daunting. I had a general sense of what I wanted and the program helped me more clearly identify where I should be focusing my attention for a new career.”

Military Installation: Submarine base, Kings Bay, Georgia
O2O Site: Tri-Base Jacksonville
Project Management Professional (PMP) Graduate
Project Manager, CORYS, Inc.

Jean-Carlos (JC) Hernandez

Lieutenant, US NAVY