The City of Colorado Springs has been named a Gold Military Friendly Employer ® (Gov/Non-Profit) and a Top 10 Military Spouse Friendly Employer ® (Rank 5 Gov/Non-Profit) for its performance in hiring, supporting, and advancing the careers of veterans and military spouses.
“The City of Colorado Springs values the positive impact that the members of our armed forces, their spouses, and their families have in our community, and I am proud that we have an incredible group of veterans and military spouses who have chosen to continue their public service as City employees,” said Mayor John Suthers. “Our organization and the entire community benefit greatly from the broad range of experiences that veterans bring to the table in providing excellent city services.”
More than 18 percent of City employees are veterans. The City is one of the core employers of the Employer Roundtable. This Roundtable, comprised of the City, Colorado Springs Utilities, Deloitte, USAA and UCHealth develops and shares best practices with other employers to encourage military spouse hiring, including a military spouse internship program. The coalition works closely with local installations, including Peterson, Fort Carson and USAFA to help with military spouse employment issues, and link military spouses with jobs, opportunities, and resources. This partnership has led to shared efforts on legislative efforts, data collection, job fairs and employment.
“Companies earning the Military Friendly Employers ® designation create and elevate the standard for military programs across the globe, they have invested in substantive programs to recruit, retain and advance the veterans and service members within their organizations,” said Kayla Lopez, Director of Military Partnerships, Military Friendly ®. “To them, hiring veterans and servicemembers is more than just the right thing to do, it makes good business sense.
The City also participates in Hire our Heroes (HOH), a program for transitioning military and military spouses. Veteran’s Local Government Management (VLGMF), an initiative the City is also involved in, works to place transitioning veterans in a fellowship up to 16 weeks. Spouses can also participate for 6-8 weeks.
Military Friendly ® Companies are the ultimate example of organizations that are committed to creating sustainable economic benefit to the military community and all the important parts of that community: the employee, the spouse, the family, the consumer, and even the supply chain. Institutions earning the Military Friendly ® Employer designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. Over 1,700 companies participated in the 2023 Military Friendly ® survey.
Methodology, criteria, and weightings were determined by VIQTORY with input from the Military Friendly ® Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. Final ratings were determined by combining an organization’s survey score with an assessment of the organization’s ability to meet thresholds for applicant, new hire retention, employee turnover, and promotion and advancement of veterans and military employees.
The City of Colorado Springs will be showcased along with other 2023 Military Friendly ® Employers in the December issue of G.I. Jobs ® magazine and on MilitaryFriendly.com.
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