Latest / The Diversity Career Podcast with Fexingo: Inclusion, Equity, and Underrepresented Professionals / How One Company Built a Career Ladder for Veterans
Transcript
- Lucas: So we talk a lot on this show about career ladders for specific groups — part-timers, gig workers, caregivers. But there's one group that's about twenty percent of the US working-age population and still faces a really uneven on-ramp to civilian careers: military veterans. Luna: And the numbers bear that out. The unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans has actually been lower than the national average in recent years, but underemployment is a huge issue. A lot of veterans end up in jobs that don't use the skills they gained. Lucas: Exactly. And today I want to look at a company that decided to build a proper career ladder specifically for veterans. It's a mid-sized logistics firm — I'll call them TransCorp Logistics for now — based in the Midwest, about 4,000 employees. They launched a program in early 2024 called 'Mission Forward.' Luna: Mission Forward — that name alone signals something intentional. What's the core design? Lucas: The core is a 12-week structured onboarding that explicitly translates military occupational specialties — MOS codes — into civilian job classifications. So instead of a veteran coming in and being told, 'Here's the standard new-hire training,' they spend the first month in a classroom mapping their specific skills to, say, fleet management, warehouse supervision, or route optimization. Luna: That's a huge shift from the typical approach, where companies just say 'we value your service' and then plop someone into a generic orientation. Lucas: Right. And the company partnered with a nonprofit called Veterans on the Move that pre-screens candidates and helps with that skills translation before the person even applies. So by the time a veteran walks in the door, TransCorp already knows what role fits them. They don't have to guess. Luna: That pre-screening piece is smart. It reduces the risk for the employer and the frustration for the candidate. What about retention — have they released any numbers? Lucas: They have. After two years — the program started in early 2024, so we're looking at data through mid-2026 — retention for veterans hired through Mission Forward is 86 percent. That's compared to 68 percent for their general workforce. And for veterans who complete the 12-week onboarding, it jumps to 91 percent. Luna: That's a remarkable gap. So the onboarding itself is a real filter — or a real bonding mechanism. Lucas: It's both. And they also assign a mentor who is a veteran already working at the company. That mentor is there for the full first year, not just the first few weeks. They meet weekly for the first quarter, then monthly. The mentor's job is to help navigate cultural translation — things like how to communicate feedback in a civilian workplace, or how performance reviews work. Luna: Which is huge. A lot of veterans tell me that the hardest part isn't the technical skills — it's the cultural norms. The military has very direct, rank-based communication. A civilian open-door policy can feel ambiguous. Lucas: Yeah. And the company also created something they call a 'mission statement' for each role. Every job description includes a paragraph that explicitly states how that role contributes to the company's broader purpose. They found that veterans respond strongly to a sense of mission — more than just 'you'll be moving boxes.' Luna: That's a fascinating insight. It's not about dumbing down the job — it's about framing it in a way that resonates with the candidate's values. Did they tie any of this to career progression? Lucas: Absolutely. After one year, veterans in the program are eligible for a fast-track leadership development course. It's a six-month rotational program through three different departments — operations, safety, and client relations. Completing it guarantees an interview for a supervisor role. And the first class of twelve participants had ten promoted within eighteen months. Luna: So it's not just a hiring pipeline — it's a leadership pipeline. That's the kind of structural change that actually moves the needle on representation in management. Lucas: And it's worth noting that this program cost money to set up. The nonprofit partnership, the dedicated onboarding staff, the mentor stipends — TransCorp invested about $300,000 upfront. But they calculate that the reduced turnover alone saves them over $400,000 a year in recruiting and training costs. Luna: So it pays for itself within the first year. That's the kind of business case that gets CFOs to pay attention. Lucas: And it's also worth saying that this isn't a silver bullet. TransCorp is a logistics company — the kind of work naturally aligns with some military skills. But the framework — skills translation, mentorship, mission framing, career progression — those pieces are transferable to almost any industry. Luna: Yeah, I think that's the bigger lesson. You don't have to be a defense contractor to hire veterans well. You just have to be willing to redesign your onboarding around their actual experience. Lucas: And speaking of redesigning things around what works — if this episode helped you think about a career move or a hiring strategy in a new way, that's exactly what we hope for. And if it was worth the price of a coffee to you, we have a simple way to support the show: buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's the smallest possible ask, and it keeps the show ad-free. Luna: Yeah, it's a low-barrier way for listeners who find value here to chip in. We really appreciate it. Lucas: Alright, back to the program. One other element I found interesting: TransCorp also built a 'reverse mentoring' component into Mission Forward. Senior leaders — non-veterans — are paired with veteran employees to learn about military culture and the challenges of transition. Luna: That's a great complement. It educates leadership and signals that veteran perspectives are valued at the top. Lucas: Exactly. And one VP told me that after six months in the program, he completely changed how he writes job descriptions. He now includes a 'mission impact' section in every posting, not just for veteran roles. Luna: So the program ended up influencing the whole company's hiring language. That's the kind of spillover effect that makes a targeted initiative worth doing. Lucas: Right. And I think the key takeaway for employers listening is: don't just 'hire veterans' as a checkbox. Build a system that actively translates their experience, supports their transition, and shows them a path to grow. That's what turns a pipeline into a career ladder. Luna: And for veterans listening — or people who know veterans — this model exists. It's not theoretical. TransCorp is doing it, and other companies are starting to adopt similar frameworks. Lucas: We'll put a link to the Veterans on the Move nonprofit in the show notes, along with a brief case study TransCorp published. If you have a story of a veteran career ladder at your company, we'd love to hear it — reach out to us on the Fexingo network. Luna: Good angle. Next episode, we're looking at how one company created a career path for employees with caregiving responsibilities for aging parents — a growing demographic that's often overlooked. Lucas: That's a big one. Until then, take care.