Several Savannah business and military leaders -- including Col. Jason Wolter, Garrison Commander, Ft. Stewart; Mike Tucker, director, Coastal Workforce Board; Brad Patterson, HR manager, Comcast; and Mike Leddick a recently-transitioned service member from Ft. Stewart/HAAF -- addressed Georgia Tech-Savannah’s “Learners and Leaders” series today before a crowd of 50. Moderated by Dr. James Wilburn, military programs director at Georgia Tech Professional Education, the panel discussed regional workforce initiatives, transition trends and skillsets of those transitioning from Ft. Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield, specifically VET2 program (Veterans Education Training & Transition) at Georgia Tech-Savannah.

“According to military statistics, over 4000 soldiers each year leave military life in the Ft. Stewart/Hunter Army Airfield regional community and 25% of this group wants to stay in our area and make Coastal Georgia their home. This means annually over 1000 military veterans and their spouses are available to work locally. Regional employers have access to these potential employees, all who are structured, disciplined and motivated to work through Georgia Tech’s VET2 program,” said Wilburn.

Participants learned about the challenges service members face when transitioning to the civilian workforce and increased their familiarity with the resources provided by the state of Georgia to assist in alleviating these challenges, including VET2, a fully-funded program with no costs for service members.

For more information about Georgia Tech’s VET2  Program and how your business can get access to these qualified military candidates, please email [email protected]  or visit pe.gatech.edu/VETT.

The final Learners & Leaders session of 2017, “Digital Marketing Outlook,” will feature Belinda Baugniet, an executive with Yahoo and Ebates as the featured speaker. The event, sponsored by Savannah Morning News, will take place on Thursday, November 16, from 11:30 am. - 1 p.m. Participants will hear about the current state of digital marketing and future trends, including mobile technology, livestreaming, wireless, one-click payments, and social customer service, among others.

Georgia Tech-Savannah’s Learners and Leaders series is an effort launched in 2014 to help companies in the coastal region stay current. To date, members of the coastal community have heard speakers on topics of relevance to the business community, including mobile apps, coaching and mentoring, leadership and logistics. To register or learn more about upcoming programs, go to pe.gatech.edu/Sav-Learners or email [email protected] for details.