Raytheon has partnered with the U.S. Army and General Motors to provide training to returning soldiers to be GM Service Technicians at GM dealerships. The GM dealerships hire ~2,500 technicians annually and often have difficulty finding the talent needed.

The Shifting Gears: Automotive Technician Training Program, is a multi-year partnership between Raytheon, GM and the U.S. Army. The training, conducted by Raytheon Professional Services (RPS), is a customized 12 weeks program with an on-base technician training curriculum that includes classroom, online and hands-on technical training. The program commences in August at Fort Hood in Texas.

After graduation veterans receive career counseling, job placement recommendations and employment assistance from Army centers and then have access to available GM technician jobs.

In addition to the Shifting Gears program, eligible veterans are provided free access to web-based training programs via GM's Service Technical College.

Raytheon Professional Services has been providing training to GM globally for over 15 years and also helped to establish the GM Service Technical College. Earlier this year RPS partnered with the Universal Technical Institute to launch the First GM technician career training program. RPS created the partnership to develop a pipeline of talent to meet demand at GM for the hiring of its auto service technicians.

This is an important initiative and a win-win for all parties involved, most importantly for returning U.S. military. It is a good example of how innovation and creativity can be used in outsourcing, in this case, via partnering, to help meet client business needs, while helping those who need to find jobs. Per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2013 unemployment rate for veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces was 9.0%. This compares with an overall 6.2% U.S. unemployment rate announced August 1, 2014.