Why We’re Bringing The Salesforce Military Program To Canada

When Canadians take a moment of silence at 11:00 a.m. each Remembrance Day, what comes to mind are the people — people who lost their lives, people who continue to serve our country, and people who deserve the most meaningful expressions of gratitude and support.

At Salesforce Canada, a good example of that gratitude and support comes with the local introduction of the Salesforce Military program, which helps streamline the transition of veterans and their spouses back into civilian life by giving them the tech skills they need to secure a job in today’s economy.

The program is coming to Canada on the five-year anniversary of its launch in the U.S., where it has connected more than 20,000 veterans with a community of their peers. Those who participate get access to Salesforce’s free online learning platform, Trailhead, where they learn how successful companies are shifting to digitally-driven sales, marketing and customer service.

“Bringing the Salesforce Military program to Canada reflects our commitment to diversity and inclusion, while also ensuring that veterans have every opportunity to contribute to the digital transformation that is happening across all organizations on a global scale,”said Margaret Stuart, Country Manager of Salesforce Canada.

A growing need

Federal funding programs are allowing the City of Calgary, for instance, to build a village of 15 self-contained tiny homes for military veterans. Other initiatives include a volunteer-led project that put 3,400 crosses along Calgary’s Memorial Drive last year to honour those in Southern Alberta who were lost in the war, and a decision by sports teams like the Edmonton Oilers to formally recognize the sacrifices veterans have made.

At the same time, however, veterans need and deserve our continued support. A story reported by Global News last year about a branch of the Royal Canadian Legion — which applies free services such as medical services and housing assistance — had to launch a crowdfunding campaign to keep offering its services. Tech-driven solutions like the “digital poppy” the Legion launched last year may help to generate more online donations, but there’s room for help in other areas, too.

Empowering the workforce

In addition to offering access to free, self-paced training, the Salesforce Military program is designed to help veteran’s résumés get to the top of the pile when organizations go in search of talent. That’s why we launched the Salesforce Military Alliance, which aims to accelerate the hiring of the military community and commits to offering automatic interviews for any veteran or military spouse who completes the Salesforce Military program, and/or provides reskilling opportunities for their military employees through the Salesforce Military program.

Canadian members of the Salesforce Military Alliance include PwC Canada, which sees veterans as belonging to a community of inclusion networks designed for the benefit its organization, its people and the communities it serves.

The Salesforce Military Program will also be woven into the Dreamforce experience, happening from Nov. 19-22 in San Francisco, where a cohort of 50 Salesforce Military members a scholarship will hear keynotes, take part in breakout sessions and connect with our global community.

It just takes a few minutes to begin. Start with the Strengthen and Diversify Your Workforce with Military Veterans trail to learn how businesses can build a stronger workforce that’s inclusive of military veterans. Be sure to follow Salesforce Military on Twitter to meet the Dreamforce cohort and get an exclusive look at the event from their perspectives.