Mr. Chair, members of the committee, thank you for inviting me here today.
Monster Government Solutions is here to help an important and vital subset of the Canadian public: veterans and Canadian Forces service members who wish to transition to civilian life. Recommendation 32 of the recent Standing Committee on National Defence report, “Caring for Canada’s Ill and Injured Military Personnel“, calls on the government to “develop a comprehensive, algorithmic, military skills translation software tool to facilitate Canadian Forces members to obtain civilian employment upon release”.
We recommend that the government invest in a military skills translator, a tool that interprets an individual’s military skills, experience, and training to find better opportunities that best align with their capabilities. We are not alone in advocating for such an investment. The Automotive Industries Association of Canada's pre-budget submission includes a similar recommendation.
Having developed a military skills translator for use in the United States, Monster can attest to the benefits of such a tool. Over 800,000 U.S. veterans have used our program to successfully transition into the civilian workforce. Monster is committed to helping veterans in this transition. Each year in the U.S. we run a national veteran employment summit, which Canadian MPs have attended, and here in Canada we have worked with and support not-for-profit organizations such as True Patriot Love, Treble Victor, and Canada Company on veterans’ issues.
Canada’s veteran pool of talent is unique and highly skilled, with the potential to provide significant assets to employers. Our goal is to unlock that potential. Our skills translator uses a world-leading algorithm which translates military experience into civilian terminology. Not only does this benefit veterans, but it also enables employers to understand how veterans and their skills can be a welcome addition to their company.
This is especially important when only 13% of employers said that their HR departments knew how to read the resumés of military applicants. Our service matches veterans’ talents to comparable career opportunities and to related industry online job postings. A user can add more information, such as special training and courses taken, which the translator uses to further narrow their results to specific roles within the private sector.
As Monster’s military skills translator is already successful operating in other jurisdictions, the time and cost of reconfiguring the translator to provide an effective and tested product for Canada's veterans is greatly reduced. Once granted access to DND’s military occupation codes and the duties associated with rank, as well as training specifications, Canadian veterans and service members could begin benefiting from an operational military skills translation tool within six months with an upfront cost of $1.7 million.
This would be followed by an operating cost of $400,000 per year, to keep the algorithm and the requirements current. Once operational, the program can be integrated into private companies’ recruitment websites. For example, a version of the U.S. translator is part of the TheHomeDepot.com’s recruiting site. Without the data and the initial government support, this would not be possible.
This is an issue that is very close to my own heart. Both my grandfathers and my uncle are veterans. My mother was a medical corps nurse in the reserves, and my father was awarded the Canadian Centennial Medal in recognition of his service. I believe we have a moral duty to help those who have put their lives on the line to defend our country and our values, and help them transition to civilian life.
Early in this study, the committee heard from the veterans ombudsman, who said:
[…] today as a nation we are not capitalizing enough on the effort in time and expense that Canada has put into developing the skill sets of these men and women. When they finish their service, for the most part we thank them and then they drop off our radar screen.
Investing in a military skills translator is a tangible way for the government to harness that training experience while directly and immediately benefiting forces personnel, employers, veterans, and their families.
I thank you, and I look forward to your questions.