Computer giant Lenovo is teaming up with the non-profit Dress for Success to help get female veterans into the civilian workforce.
Numbers from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics show the unemployment rate among female veterans is nearly double what it is for male vets.
Beth Briggs is Executive Director of Dress for Success Triangle. The organization trains women to get them back in the workforce and provides them with a wardrobe.
“And we know that there is a tremendous number of unemployed and underemployed veterans in the Triangle who are looking for a job, so this is a new initiative.”
Beth Segovia, Executive Director for PC Services at Lenovo, says they will provide financial and technical support.
“And we really felt like we could do something about that by combining the efforts of Dress for Success with that mission.”
She says female veterans have a hard time getting back to work.
"One of their challenges is turning military skills into skills that apply in a civilian workplace. So we want to tailor that set of job acquisition skills to enable them to transition into a civilian role and become employed.”
Organizers say they hope to re-career 175 female veterans in the first year.