American Corporate Partners Offers Mentorship Opportunities with Fortune 500 Companies
Veterans are used to being mentored. From drill instructors to non-commissioned officers (NCOs) who comprise a service member’s training, the military makes it a point to ensure there’s constant mentorship and always someone to learn from. That changes when Veterans receive their DD214, but American Corporate Partners says it doesn’t have to.
American Corporate Partners (ACP) offers a completely virtual 1-on-1 mentoring program to assist Veterans with career development, networking, and general mentorship. It takes just one hour a month with a hand-picked mentor that is supported by ACP staff along the way. Veterans are paired with a mentor for one year allowing 12 sessions in total.
ACP offers Advisor Net, an online networking resource that is a great place to ask questions to a variety of advisors and find new networking opportunities. Questions like “What are the best government contracting companies to work for?” or “Does anyone have any contacts at Raytheon?” Users can connect on discussion boards or in private messages, and members are searchable by location so Veterans can find local mentors or in-person networking possibilities.
Many Veterans also ask questions related to business development and entrepreneurship on Advisor Net.
“Our secret sauce is the human touch we put on the mentor matching. It’s not a random algorithm. We know our Veterans and we know our mentors” – Colleen Deere, American Corporate Partners Executive Director
Who are the mentors?
Many are from Fortune 500 companies. All are industry experts who simply want to give back to those who served. ACP matches Veterans with their mentors to provide the best experience on both sides. Notable mentors include Rupert Murdoch, George Oliver (CEO of Johnson Controls) and the Chairman of the Board of Bloomberg. Outside the boardroom, many mentors are teachers, nurses, law enforcement officers, cyber security experts, human resource managers, and countless others that form a strong and diverse mentorship network.
Who is eligible?
Any post 9/11 Veteran who has served on active duty for at least 180 days is eligible for the ACP mentorship program. Active duty spouses are also eligible for mentorship programs. All Veterans may access Advisor Net.
How to apply?
Visit www.acp-usa.org and fill out an application, which generally takes about 10 minutes. Answer questions that include background, interests, military experience and mentoring preferences, such as gender or Veteran preferences.
What to expect after applying?
ACP will reach out within 24 hours and schedule a 15-minute phone call to ask a few more clarifying questions to match the applicant with the perfect mentor.
To date, 17,000 Veterans have completed ACP’s mentorship program. In 2018, 86% of those hired during the program were still with the company in 2019. Last year, 2,000 Veterans were hired while enrolled in ACP’s mentorship program with an average salary of $80,000.
ACP is actively recruiting both Veterans and mentors. (It takes just 1 hour a month to mentor.)
