NextOp Expands Workforce Development Services to New Locations
HOUSTON, TX — NextOp, a Houston-based nonprofit dedicated to recruiting, developing and placing high-performing enlisted veterans into careers after their military service, announces expansion of its services to three new geographic areas. Those cities are Dallas, TX, Memphis, TN and Huntsville, AL.
As May is commemorated as Military Appreciation Month to honor and recognize the contributions, sacrifices and service of members of the armed services, NextOp calls attention to the critical need for a military-to-civilian career pipeline. Over the past 10 years, the nonprofit organization has placed 4,000 transitioning personnel and veterans into new careers.
Through one-on-one mentorship and other wrap-around support, NextOp helps veterans and transitioning enlisted service members leverage their military training and experiences into valuable qualifications for a civilian workforce. Only about 25% of transitioning service members have a new job secured before leaving the military.
“We focus on placing our clients not in jobs but into careers. They leave the military with incredible training and skill sets, and we guide them to build on that experience as they enter the civilian workforce,” explains NextOp Executive Director Shelby Mounts, a Navy veteran. “Last year, we placed 669 veterans and transitioning service members into careers with an average starting salary of $66,000. So far, we’re on track this year to exceed those numbers, particularly with the addition of new markets.”
Founded in 2014 in Houston, the country’s fourth largest city for veteran migration, NextOp is strategically moving into other cities with significant military personnel populations. As recipient of a $450,000 grant from the Delta Regional Authority (DRA) to support communities in the Mississippi River Delta and Alabama Black Belt particularly hard hit by industrial downsizing, business closures and job losses, NextOp is able to to expand workforce training and education programs in the Memphis area, while also supporting operations in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Some 46,000 enlisted working-age military and veteran workers live in the Memphis area, and approximately 1,600 more service members transition to Tennessee each year. NextOp’s goal is to place 1,000 veterans into careers with employers in west Tennessee over the next five years.
A $100,000 grant from the Texas Capital Foundation allows NextOp to expand to the Dallas-Fort Worth region, where veterans comprise more than 8% of the adult population, making it one of the nation’s most dense veteran communities.
“There are many veterans in the Greater DFW area and many more who want to come here for the region’s opportunities,” says Mounts. “Our career transition services aim to help connect these veterans to great careers.”
Similar to DFW, the Huntsville metro area has a higher than average concentration of citizens with a military service background. Anchored by Redstone Arsenal, the aerospace, defense, information technology, bioscience and advanced manufacturing industries drive the economy of one of the country’s fastest growing regions.
These industries, along with healthcare, construction, logistics and energy, present NextOp with sustainable opportunities to bridge the gap between enlisted veterans looking for employment and companies looking to hire military talent. The organization is implementing the same training-to-career pipeline program in the new markets that has proven successful in Houston and the New Orleans area. Since moving into Louisiana more than seven years ago, NextOp has placed more than 1,000 candidates into meaningful careers with a high demand for skilled employees.
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About NextOp
NextOp is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with the mission to recruit, develop and place high-performing enlisted veterans into industry careers. NextOp’s goal is to bridge the gap between the military and industries in need of diverse and skilled talent. For more information, visit https://nextopvets.org